The most chivalrous......

Teddy bear, Teddy bear, take a bow and say how do you do!

The heading says it all. This is about the most chivalrous people I have met in my life. Forgive me if I am not able to cover all of them. The article might be too long for your interest.
Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start (Sound of music can take the copyrights for that piece).
And beginning can be at home. I have a very charming cousin, who considers himself to be a Casanova and the most handsome one at that.
This charmer’s (duh!) favorite pass time is to compare complexions. And he never missed a chance to point out how dusky I was (‘dark’ was the exact word). Fortunately I do not consider it such a significant aspect of good looks (or else I would have mourned to death for the simple fact that I was not Snow WhiteJ). Just for records; he is turned a lot more civil after going to the States (his mirror might have finally told him that he was not the fairest of them after all).
One of the most fabulous examples of spineless behavior was exhibited by a wormy weasel I considered a friend. This character grabbed my exam paper during my programming practicals. And when I (yeah! me; not him) was caught (the professors used to catch the people who help and the not the ones helped), guess what this orangutan says? ‘It is only the sessionals! You just need to clear it in the mains.’ And what does that mean?- simply that he wouldn’t come with me and talk to the invigilator.
And if u you must know; I won a perfect zero for a perfect output. Thanks to him! I have made it a point to be as haughty as a silver spoon (I don’t know the connection. Just came to me and so I thought ‘use it or lose it’) ever since, if he happens to be in the vicinity (much good that does, pooh!).
Talking about daylight robbery: there was this rickshaw that I was trying to hire. And the rickshaw- wala was in turn threatening to loot me of a precious amount. His reasoning - ‘Arrey madam! Ham pre paid hain’ (oh madam! We are prepaid) (Oh sweetheart! I do not get the logic! Do you?). We sure are in the cellular era; we have prepaid charges for rickshaws too. Way to go, India!
In the western world; hailing a cab for the lady is common courtesy. But in India we obviously seem to have other ideas while on the subject. The story would start with the lady hailing the cab, and a dirty man pushing you out of the way and the next thing you know is the dust in your eyes( thanks to that cab that just zoomed by. Yup! The one u hailed).
Another common man’s transport here is the train; packed to around 450% more than its actual capacity. Pareshuram Express is one such mammoth; plying passengers in all sizes. And once I had the lucky break to get a seat (the train was awfully empty). As luck would have it, a gang of old youths (you know; the ones in their 30’s trying to be 20, teasing girls – the expert masseurs) got on at the next station. My PLL (personal lady luck) seems to have taken a hike the same day - the family sitting with me got off the same station.
Some people ask those funny questions like: quote life in one word. If they find me and asked me to quote those two hours in a word; ‘disgusted’ would be an understatement. I got a free massage (which I escaped with repeated requests to keep distance and finally a poke from my umbrella), got pushed against the window screen (which I fought again with words and finally screaming at them), got pestered to give up my mail-id (can u imagine the guy’s gall! I asked him to take a hike with my PLL) and all this while the next compartment had a family whose head (oh yeah- one belonging to the superior species) tried concentrating on the details of the incident (I saw him smile to himself more than once- ruminating your sweet youthful years, eh! dude?).
While we are still on trains, we have the fairer species with their own set of charms. During an overnight journey in the ladies compartment(that’s right buddy! Sitting the night out), the ‘better half’ of some dumb guy got in our compartment, laid down her mattress in our leg space and started screaming at us. Confused? She apparently thought it very uncivil of us keeping our legs in her bed space! Now what do you say to that!
Some of these irritable folks find their way to two tier AC coaches too (paying too much for roadside nonsense, don’t you think?). Last time I had the blessed opportunity to seat myself to the royalty of India. An old hag who went on about, how their ancient (she got that right. Hehehehe!) family treated Muslims (she just found out that I was one!) as untouchables. But she was so surprised (oh my! Did that give you a stroke, dear?) that EVEN Muslims have got good family names (what the f****** b***** @#$!$#%?).

If you think uncivil people don’t use flights- well, well, what can I say? I had a co-passenger snoring, talking gibberish, drinking, enquiring on whether I’d like to make my lucky break on small screen, and laughing out loud at some of his own jokes.
This was when we were not even sharing adjacent seats. He was in the window seat and I was in the aisle seat at the opposite end. Two empty seats and one my friends sitting in between did not seem to bother him at all.
For more examples -You can refer to one of my previous posts to read about the guy who had drinks and asked me shut my eyes so that his drinking wouldn’t bother me.

Ok folks! Time to sign off! Actually, I am traveling to my native. I promise you more stories once I am back. Wish me luck!