Now, the biggest religion in India is Hinduism. And people who practice that faith are Hindus. And the ‘unifying’ language of India is Hindi. So there really is nothing wrong with a company adopting a prefix that refers back to the glory of the region, right?
Well, I’m sorry, but I do have to chuckle every time I walk into a bathroom and get ready to use a Hindware brand toilet, especially considering what part of the body usually rests on it!!
I love the news that runs in the papers here. Not necessarily because it is fun to read or ‘uplifting’ in any way, but because the headlines and stories serve as a constant reminder that Toto is no longer in Kansas. Just as a taste, here are a couple of snippets from recent articles (besides the perennial favorite How to convert urine into drinking water):
These gangsters knew around six languages, and spoke in all of them to mislead the investigation. When thrashing did not work, police decided to play quizmasters for several hours…. “When we asked them about their identification, they gave us a new name. We gave them a good beating, but in vain,” said GM Patel, inspector of the Gujurat University police station.
So in a country where the majority of people don’t have running water, most of them are used to squatting in an open field and ‘wiping’ with water. If they do have access to a toilet, it is usually a “Squatty” with two foot places and a hole in the middle with a bucket of water for playing Captain Kirk. Not too big a deal, but it took me a while to figure out why we kept seeing people walking around in the morning with water bottles in their hands.
Anyways, the problem comes when they use a “Sitty” toilet. By habit, they pass up using toilet paper and grab for the hose and a bucket or something of the sort that is usually next to the toilet. The problem is, since they usually don’t have a big porcelain bowl in the way, they are not very accurate in keeping water off the seat, wall, and floor when they spray. So whenever we use a toilet (say, in a school) that less-well-off people (say, custodians) use, we always have to contend with water everywhere. Said water is a pain – getting on clothes that are in contact with the ground – and often an unpleasant surprise – as the ‘ring’ is often damp. And because the rest of the bathroom setup is so fancy, it sometimes slips our minds to check before sitting, resulting in a wet bum and a stream of curses (I guess that’s why it is called “potty mouth”).
Anyways, another aspect of life in India!
