<div>Living in a foreign country doesn’t necessarily make it seem like home. But even on a casual visit to Dubai, it’s hard to feel like a foreigner. Your friendly neighbour is inevitably from somewhere in the Indian subcontinent, and not just in the Indian localities. A good number of Indians now live in the most luxurious of apartments in the upmarket Marina area and also in houses in posh Jumeirah, rubbing shoulders with the local Arab population.<br /><br />The homely ambience is complete on the streets where Indians and Pakistanis have opened their businesses, selling everything from chaat to chudidars. What makes the experience even more home-like are the broken public toilets in some of the localities and the sight of shopkeepers strolling out to spit on the road outside before retreating to do more business inside. <br /><br />But interestingly, there is one difference. While in India you can head to the paanwallah to satisfy your taste buds after a warm meal of butter chicken or biryani at your local restaurant, you can do no such thing in this otherwise so-close-to-home – both physically and figuratively speaking – country. Walk into any of the Indian dominated localities and there is not a paanwallah around.<br /><br />Local migrants tell you selling of paan is banned in Dubai, the sheikhs having drawn the line at what they see as a public health risk and their walls and pavements being defaced by spitting Indians. It’s not a palatable fact by any means, but hey, what can you say! Old habits die hard, after all.<br /><br />If Dubai has found a way of tackling the paan spitting menace, India clearly has not, as people continue the obnoxious practice back home, indifferent to the health of others. Foreigners in the country’s capital often get an eyeful of the paan-stained walls of the upmarket shopping centre at Connaught Place, leaving you in no suspense about how their shameful reputation preceded the UAE settlers. <br /><br />For urban commuters, it’s often a blessing to be seated in a car or auto at traffic signals in Indian cities as either a bus driver or his passenger takes the opportunity to spit on the road below. The two-wheeler riders take the brunt of the disgusting spray. Sadly, they too may emulate the practice, as many a suited-booted driver of a Mercedes.<br /><br />It’s not that the country’s administrators are unaware of the problem, but they seem at a loss to tackle it. A half-hearted effort with boards in English – decrying the habit and warning of the health risks in the heart of Delhi – can hardly win the battle against the spitting brigade. <br /><br />Despite the very real threat of tuberculosis, the health department seems largely oblivious to the spitters and appears to have accepted defeat in the face of their stubbornness. But that’s not what is expected of it. Small changes can make a big difference as Dubai’s clean walls testify. While its solution is simplistic, the answer could be more complicated in democratic India. But it surely has to be found.<br /></div>
<div>Living in a foreign country doesn’t necessarily make it seem like home. But even on a casual visit to Dubai, it’s hard to feel like a foreigner. Your friendly neighbour is inevitably from somewhere in the Indian subcontinent, and not just in the Indian localities. A good number of Indians now live in the most luxurious of apartments in the upmarket Marina area and also in houses in posh Jumeirah, rubbing shoulders with the local Arab population.<br /><br />The homely ambience is complete on the streets where Indians and Pakistanis have opened their businesses, selling everything from chaat to chudidars. What makes the experience even more home-like are the broken public toilets in some of the localities and the sight of shopkeepers strolling out to spit on the road outside before retreating to do more business inside. <br /><br />But interestingly, there is one difference. While in India you can head to the paanwallah to satisfy your taste buds after a warm meal of butter chicken or biryani at your local restaurant, you can do no such thing in this otherwise so-close-to-home – both physically and figuratively speaking – country. Walk into any of the Indian dominated localities and there is not a paanwallah around.<br /><br />Local migrants tell you selling of paan is banned in Dubai, the sheikhs having drawn the line at what they see as a public health risk and their walls and pavements being defaced by spitting Indians. It’s not a palatable fact by any means, but hey, what can you say! Old habits die hard, after all.<br /><br />If Dubai has found a way of tackling the paan spitting menace, India clearly has not, as people continue the obnoxious practice back home, indifferent to the health of others. Foreigners in the country’s capital often get an eyeful of the paan-stained walls of the upmarket shopping centre at Connaught Place, leaving you in no suspense about how their shameful reputation preceded the UAE settlers. <br /><br />For urban commuters, it’s often a blessing to be seated in a car or auto at traffic signals in Indian cities as either a bus driver or his passenger takes the opportunity to spit on the road below. The two-wheeler riders take the brunt of the disgusting spray. Sadly, they too may emulate the practice, as many a suited-booted driver of a Mercedes.<br /><br />It’s not that the country’s administrators are unaware of the problem, but they seem at a loss to tackle it. A half-hearted effort with boards in English – decrying the habit and warning of the health risks in the heart of Delhi – can hardly win the battle against the spitting brigade. <br /><br />Despite the very real threat of tuberculosis, the health department seems largely oblivious to the spitters and appears to have accepted defeat in the face of their stubbornness. But that’s not what is expected of it. Small changes can make a big difference as Dubai’s clean walls testify. While its solution is simplistic, the answer could be more complicated in democratic India. But it surely has to be found.<br /></div>
