I love to smile.
Or as Susie would put it, I could be Colgate's brand ambassador. Several times the uncle who takes my passport size photos has told me to smile less.
Being the smiling type, I end up smiling at people everywhere. Aunties with cute babies, people at the office where I'm auditing or even people on the train. But what I've always noticed is that, more often that not, people never smile back. They just stare back blankly as if they've never seen any one smile. They could be laughing hysterically with a bunch of friends two minutes back but the moment a stranger smiles at them, they become all cold and seemingly emotionless.
I think this is something that's every peculiar to Delhi (I'm going to refrain saying India, cause I haven't really travelled that much). Every time I've travelled out side the country,I've had every smile reciprocated. Every person whether walking on the road, in the bus or even in the washroom, would always smile back.
What is it with us?
Are we a much unhappier lot?
It cannot be the busy or hectic life. I've been to New York and I didn't get a single blank stare.
Its like we're afraid to smile.
Or has the city made us distrust even some one who's smiling at us.
Maybe its just not natural instinct and I'm not sure its a quality one can imbibe.
So I'm going to have to just learn to live with the stern/worried/morose looking faces I see in the train every Sunday.
4 comments:
I think it's the city...it's a different story in a lot of smaller towns
:)
"Several times the uncle who takes my passport size photos has told me to smile less."
I think it should be "ankal". :P
I agree with Bud, it is different in a lot of small towns down south. And about big cities in the U.S. a lot of smiles are fake and put on. From whatever little I have seen, people tend to not look at others in buses, on the streets, etc.
Nice writing btw, you have a natural flair for it and you write genuinely! Keep going :)
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