My Native is the Best!

My Native is the Best! Then why did I come here?

Incident 1: 
Location: State Bank of India, Home loan office, Pune. 
I was sitting on the chair waiting for our turn, to sign certain papers. Another man came rushing out of the office in the waiting area. It seemed he was in search of something. He then enquired on the enquiry counter if he could purchase some stamps which he had missed to put on his documents. The man on the counter humbly informed him in negative saying bank does not have these stamps and you need to purchase them from notary office. Another elderly person was accompanying this person who, I suppose, was his father. His father asked the same question again to the person on the counter and insisted that he checks his table. After a second NO, the elderly person said "Humare 'Patna' mein to bank mein hi stamp milta hai" (In Patna, we get these stamps in the Bank). His tone intended slight humiliation to the banks in Pune, rather the system in Pune.

Incident 2:
Location: Dining area in my office, Pune.
Most of our office staff lunch together and we share our lunchbox among each other. A new employee in my office who is from Bhopal, saw someones food and happily exclaimed, "Moongwadi!" (a delicacy). Further she added "Pune mein toh moongwadi milti hi nahi hai" (You don't find this thing in Pune). I was slightly irritated, I didn't know why. But I responded saying that "You could get everything in Pune, but you need to find it in the right place". And some one later told her a place where she could find this delicacy.

Both these are very small incidents and we come across many such very often. I love my native place too. I have grown up there, I knew every nook and corner of the town. I knew many people around and life was easier than it is now. Now, I stay in Pune. I am not a 'to the core Puneite' but I have started loving this city. It has its own flavors and own pace.

People leave their towns, states and countries to get better education, find better jobs and better career prospects. Without exploring the new place, few conclude to declare the new place as bad or costly or unfriendly. They compare their hometown with the new place for every activity they do. They compare the people even if they hardly know anyone from the new place. They compare the system in the way, the new place functions. 

Some settle in the new place. They have children, buy cars and houses and then officially have their address as of the new city. But their roots are still in the native place, the village/town/country. After a good establishment, comparison starts again, but the other way round. People start liking their new place and blame their old hometown or country for not being developed or for slow pace of development. They blame their native for having small roads, less learned people, slow system and all kinds of crap. 

Every place has its own essence. It has its own pros and cons and both have its reasons. No place could be compared to other. The longer you stay the more you like the place because one has built up memories, have progressed and stepped up in this place. Birds build their nests where they feel safe. We build our nest where we could fulfill all our requirements doing so we sometimes leave our old nests.

This doesn't mean that the older was bad and the new is good. Nor does this mean vice versa. Let us respect the methods, environment and culture every place and not criticize by comparing it. Ultimately, "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (Earth indeed is a Family). Let us appreciate and enjoy the good and leave the comparison to the aliens.