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']]}Please note that this ignorance applies to morons across the country, north to south, no discrimination of gender or class or caste or religion, urban and rural, and most importantly - preferred local language.
My favourite though is people's obsession with "straight". See if you can picture this....me pulling at some strange 'naka' in the middle of nowhere.
Me: Boss, Ganesh Mandir? (my lost face and expression mostly expresses the question mark)
Local: Straight
Me: Straight?
Local: Straight
Me: Hmm...straight, then the temple is on right or left of road?
Now it gets interesting...
Local: Go straight (arm facing the 'straight' direction), then at the circle go straight (arm now turning right), then you will see a big hospital on the side (which side; god alone knows), after the hospital there is a main road. From the main road, go straight (now arm turning left)
Me: Hmm...so, i should go straight, take a right from the circle, and a left from the main road after the hospital? The hospital will be on the left or on the right side of the road?
Local: Nono, straight from here, then at circle take left (pointing right),....blah blah....go straight...hospital is straight ahead, main road....straight....blah blah...
Me: Oh ok, thank you.
Local: Thank you.
This has happened to me a million times. I have tried to question the directions in different languages. Same result. Either they are asking me to go in one direction and pointing to another or asking me to go straight while pointing in some strange direction. On questioning the directions, contradiction erupts from the volcano of ignorance and stupidity.
I know we are a highly illiterate country and the few literate are not educated, however one would think the whole "left, right, straight" business is not that complicated.
