It happens only in India...

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">• <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Lassi</span> churned up in <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">dhabas</span> using a modified washing machine <br />• A locally-assembled car with no registration, insurance, one gear and one speed <br /><br />For author-diplomat Pavan K Varma, the Indians’ ability to remain unfazed in the face of all odds is their biggest strength.He is best known for his first book <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">The Great Indian Middle Class</span>. His other works include the critically-applauded biography of <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Mirza Ghalib</span>. He is currently India’s High Commissioner to Cyprus. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Indians are a breed apart because...</span><br /><br />Of their ability to survive and their talent to muddle through. Nothing can put us down: Not invaders, poverty, corruption or shortages. We have been blessed by the gift of jugaad, which is creative improvisation, ingenuity, quick thinking and the will to survive all rolled into one. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">We could have been up there; we aren’t because...</span><br /><br />We do not believe we are the best. We are satisfied with much less than our real potential. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Is our ‘‘</span><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">sab chalta hai</span><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">’’ attitude a strength or a weakness? </span><br /><br />A strength as nothing really fazes us. We accept the most unacceptable adversity. But it’s a weakness as it inculcates a very high tolerance for mediocrity. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Indian family values are all about...</span><br /><br />Patriarchy; obedience; the glorification of tradition; subordination of women; acceptance of dowry; big weddings; religious ritual; incestuous relationships and laughter, support and solace. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Indians don’t have a sense of humour because...</span><br /><br />They take themselves too seriously, believe they are always right, and are always willing to moralise. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Who’s your favourite Indian? </span><br /><br />It’s difficult to say, but I would still vote for Jawaharlal Nehru because of the vision he had for India. Some of his recipes may appear to be wrong today, but the dish he wanted to serve, of a progressive, prosperous, modern, India, cannot be faulted. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Is consumerism making us less spiritual? </span><br /><br />There has never been a conflict on this count in India. Indians are the most resilient materialists. Their desire for the good things of life is so great that it needs to be masked by a stance of spiritualism. In the Hindu world view, Arth — material well-being — is one of the four principal goals of life. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Is sex still a four-letter word for Indians? </span><br /><br />Yes, not because they consider it wrong, but they consider it wrong to admit its hold. They are far more comfortable accepting and condemning it as vulgarity. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Does religion divide us or unite us? </span><br /><br />Religion may divide a few in the short term, but in the long run, India has no choice but to be secular. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">One thing India needs to get rid of... </span><br /><br />It’s hypocrisy. Indians refuse to accept themselves for what they are. As a result, they have fallen in love with an image and forget the truth about themselves. </div> </div>