TV Channel

When I arrived, I experienced a profound culture shock. It took me a few months, even two or three years, to overcome it. It is similar to when you go to India and face a culture shock. I was entirely unfamiliar with this kind of civilization, as I grew up in a small village of only fifty houses. There were no street names or house numbers. The address was simply the name of the village, near the banyan tree, behind the water well. That was the address. It implies that banyan tree has always been there. When I first landed at London airport, it was Christmas time. I was wearing only rubber sandals, like bathroom slippers, one lungī (dhotī), and a shawl, with a shaved head. Outside, it was minus 20 degrees. I landed at Heathrow, but my luggage landed at another airport. It took a few hours for them to bring the luggage by bus to Heathrow from Birmingham. I had an old-style Indian suitcase made of metal—a painted metal box with a nice design. They told me to open it, but my hands were so frozen I couldn't even hold the key. Somehow, I managed. Then I took a taxi. The driver dropped me in front of a building with about thirty floors and said, "Here you are, sir." I got out, but where was I to go? There was no address, no banyan tree. I asked, "Which house? Where is it?" He said, "There, there." There were buttons, bells. Which button should I press? I had never seen such a thing in my life; I didn't know how buttons functioned. I stood there for a long time, freezing, until someone came out. I asked that person for help, and they brought me to the seventh floor. The host who was waiting for me opened the door, gave me a blanket, and told me to sleep on the sofa in the living room. It was a Sunday or something; they slept until 10 o'clock. Everything was dark—there was still no sun, as it was winter, and in London especially, everything was foggy and dark. Then I needed to use the toilet. I went and sat on the commode, which was also very new for me. I think it was only the third time in my life I had sat on a commode. Afterwards, I searched for water, but there was none at all. What was I to do? I had never seen toilet paper in my life. For us, paper is not for cleaning your buttocks. You cannot clean properly; you must clean with water. I searched around. Beside it was a bathroom, but there was no pot, no glass, nothing. There was a cold water tap. It was quite an interesting predicament. How to clean? Take water with your hands? Then I found a small pot outside. I think the family had a small child—what you call a potty for a little child to sit on. Of course, it was nice and clean, there's nothing to say about that. So I took that potty, filled it with water, went back to the toilet, and cleaned myself. This is called a culture shock. It's like when you go to India and there's no toilet paper, only a pot and water—what do you do? And in some places, there are no toilets at all. The first time I used a toilet, a small one, was in 1966 in Mumbai. But you know, this is all you have. You are all now 60, 70 years more developed; it's different. Throughout all of Hungary, for example, there were no toilets; you had the garden or something. Or in Slovakia, everywhere. Seventy years ago in Europe, having a toilet in a flat was very, very unusual. All old houses in cities had toilets in the corridors. A toilet in my flat? Impossible! Now you have toilets, bathrooms, kitchens, and everything. Of course, the hygienic conditions are much better now than they were then. So, there are culture shocks. There is a joke: one man went to India and learned to eat with his hands. So he was eating with his hands. Then he learned how to go to the bathroom and wash. He said, "I did not know till now these things—that God made such a nice fork for eating and for cleaning!" There are many such experiences. Now, of course, in India many things are also sent to the villages; many different things are there, like here. But it's still the case in farmhouses when you go—you have it all in the garden. So, culture shock. And the most horrible, the biggest shock for me was to go to the market and see the dead bodies of animals hanging, meat and dead chickens you can see in the fridge where they sell. Of course, in India it is also happening now, the same thing. But still, in Rajasthan and Gujarat, it is not so far. In the village where I was born, you cannot buy even an egg. You can't buy even alcohol for medicinal purposes. It is not allowed to bring alcohol, meat, or eggs, and not allowed to cut green, living trees. And if you see a bird has died, or a mouse, then we have to cover its mouth with a cloth, take it very far away slowly, throw it somewhere, and then come back and take a bath because you touched a dead body. This practice continues till now. So, if such a person sees hanging dead bodies and lying dead bodies, and you are sitting on an aeroplane where on one side someone is eating chicken and on the other side someone is eating fish, and you are sitting and eating pomfret... you know, it is very hard, very hard. Amikor egy ilyen ember, aki ilyen körülmények között jön, ül a repülőn, jobbról tőle csirkét tesznek, balról halad, ők középen sült krumplit tesznek, ez borzasztó nehéz. (When such a person, who comes from such circumstances, sits on a plane, chicken is served to their right, fish to their left, and they put fried potatoes in the middle—it is terribly difficult.) Therefore, I always request that we write letters to the airlines. We respect and accept that they have prohibited smoking on aeroplanes, but it should also be prohibited to consume alcohol and meat. For people who do not eat meat and drink alcohol, it is a horror. They suffer psychic damage. When they get off, they still can't think normally. The smell of alcohol causes many to begin to vomit, along with the smell of spoiled fish and different kinds of meats. These few hours are a real hell for the person. Therefore, Indian Airlines, which operates within India, provides only vegetarian food and does not allow alcohol consumption, because some people bring their own bottle and sit and drink. Of course, there are some other private airlines; I don't speak about them—they are commercial, so they do everything. So, it would be very good if you collectively write signatures and send them to the different airlines. If they don't prohibit it, at least they should have reserved seats only for people who do not consume meat and alcohol. I am sure one can survive a few hours without drinking alcohol and eating meat, just as one can survive without smoking for a few hours. It will be very great and good karma if we can begin to take action. Who doesn't agree? Raise your hand. So, it means you all agree. Okay. On your level, get signatures from friends, parents, everyone, and begin the action. Sooner or later, it will come. It will take time, but it will be good. And in the world—I don't say only Indians—there are many people around the world who are vegetarian and do not drink alcohol, and they feel the same thing. It's not just about Indians; there are vegetarians all over the world, non-alcoholics, and they feel the same way.