India always makes me laugh. It never fails and every trip there is a new reason. Of course there are a thousand serious reasons to celebrate the greatness of Indian culture. But it is the little quirks and twists and turns of Indian life that add an undeniable joy to this country.
Case in point: the swine flu. The first stop on my flight was in Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Before we could leave, the plane was boarded by 20 flu inspectors in hazmat suits who had us fill out screening forms, politely reviewed them with us, and scanned every passenger with a sophisticated thermal imaging system. When one person was detected with a fever, they took him and everyone in three rows around him off for a thorough screening.
Contrast that with India. Before boarding for the final leg from Singapore to Chennai, a form was distributed. Essentially it asked 2 questions; are you coming from a country that has had cases of swine flu? If so, do you feel sick or have a fever? The back of the form gave very specific and thorough instructions on what to do if you do get swine flu…better even than the Japanese handout.
After arrival in Chennai, the first step is to pass through Immigration. Then everyone stood in a new line where two women sat at a table under a nicely printed banner which said “Swine Flu Screening”. There was a long queue. When you reached the front you gave the woman your form. She, by the way, was wearing a flu mask, although the supervisors and immigration officials were not. She read it thoroughly, noting that you had not checked the box saying you were sick, stamped the form with the unique gusto of an Indian official. That was it. As I walked away I saw stacks of these forms in the corner. Thousands of them just waiting to be filed away somewhere never to be seen again.
So essentially the process was to ask, “are you sick?”. Swine flu screening complete.
I think this reflects a deep attitude that there isn’t much in life to get overly upset about. This too shall pass, but let’s go through the motions, make it look good, and by all means fill out a form and get it stamped! I asked Seetharam about this and he said, “Remember SARS? That never got to India either. If you can drink the water in India, what’s a little flu? We have the best immune systems. Strongest in the world.” I think there may be some truth to that.