Showing posts with label Rome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rome. Show all posts
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Blame it on the Gypsies
Most people in Italy will tell you that a large percentage of crimes in the cities are committed by people from places like Romania. When a complaint is made to Romania, both government authorities and private citizens alike blame Gypsies.
Very few countries hate the Gypsies the way Romania does. These so-called immigrants from northern India were enslaved in Romania until the middle of the 19th century. Another country that hates the Gypsies is the Czech Republic, which claimed that it was Gypsies with Czech passports that were abusing assylum laws in Canada.
Coming back to Italy, tourists are warned about Gypsy thieves and pick-pockets and a particular modus operandi. One morning while walking up the Spanish Steps, I witnessed a botched pick-pocketing incident. A Chinese couple were walking down the steps, when a girl with a baby approached them to beg. While the couple were distracted, another woman tried to snatch the man's wallet. The couple managed to hang on to their belongings, while a crowd watched. A friend of mine asked them to dial 113 and call the cops.
The thieves in question were anything but Gypsies. They spoke Romanian and were very much ethnic Romanians. I am quite sure if the police told the Romanian authorities about this group, they would have been told that the thieves were Gypsies, implying that the Romanian Government was helpless.
I haven't had much interactions with Romanians, except those from Moldova, but I am sure that 95% of the people of that wonderful country are honest and decent human beings but I think Romania needs to accept responsibility for the bandits in the lot and not always pass the buck on to the Gypsies.
Please Note: I write the word Gypsies here and not the politically correct term 'Roma' so that I don't confuse readers.
Very few countries hate the Gypsies the way Romania does. These so-called immigrants from northern India were enslaved in Romania until the middle of the 19th century. Another country that hates the Gypsies is the Czech Republic, which claimed that it was Gypsies with Czech passports that were abusing assylum laws in Canada.
Coming back to Italy, tourists are warned about Gypsy thieves and pick-pockets and a particular modus operandi. One morning while walking up the Spanish Steps, I witnessed a botched pick-pocketing incident. A Chinese couple were walking down the steps, when a girl with a baby approached them to beg. While the couple were distracted, another woman tried to snatch the man's wallet. The couple managed to hang on to their belongings, while a crowd watched. A friend of mine asked them to dial 113 and call the cops.
The thieves in question were anything but Gypsies. They spoke Romanian and were very much ethnic Romanians. I am quite sure if the police told the Romanian authorities about this group, they would have been told that the thieves were Gypsies, implying that the Romanian Government was helpless.
I haven't had much interactions with Romanians, except those from Moldova, but I am sure that 95% of the people of that wonderful country are honest and decent human beings but I think Romania needs to accept responsibility for the bandits in the lot and not always pass the buck on to the Gypsies.
Please Note: I write the word Gypsies here and not the politically correct term 'Roma' so that I don't confuse readers.
The multi-taskers of Rome
On a beautiful morning, I was walking up the hill leading to the Spagna Church and I noticed a really beautiful woman sweeping a pavement. She wasn't wearing a civic worker's uniform, so I figured that she was just a concerned citizen.
The further I walked up, the more I noticed the streets being swept in front of each shop, by different people. Rome had a dedicated citizenry or so I thought, until I saw a woman finish sweeping, then enter a shop. She then dusted indoors before opening the shop to the public. She was the shopkeeper. I guess it's too expensive to hire someone to clean a sidewalk so the shopkeepers do it themselves. Each of these women I saw on the Via Sistina were well-dressed and elegant. This is when a lightbulb hit me about the concept of dignity of labour in caste-free Europe!
Would this happen in India anytime in the next 200 years?
The further I walked up, the more I noticed the streets being swept in front of each shop, by different people. Rome had a dedicated citizenry or so I thought, until I saw a woman finish sweeping, then enter a shop. She then dusted indoors before opening the shop to the public. She was the shopkeeper. I guess it's too expensive to hire someone to clean a sidewalk so the shopkeepers do it themselves. Each of these women I saw on the Via Sistina were well-dressed and elegant. This is when a lightbulb hit me about the concept of dignity of labour in caste-free Europe!
Would this happen in India anytime in the next 200 years?
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Rome's Bangladeshis
Being a non-English speaking country, you don't see Indian immigrants in Italy, the way you do in places like the UK and North America. But those from across India's eastern borders have made a beeline for the country. Most of the stalls near the Coliseum and in other touristy places in Rome are run by Bangladeshis. They seem to speak Bengali, Hindi and Italian.
A vast chunk of these people came to Italy illegally but thanks to the country's leniency in dealing with illegals, many of these Bangladeshis have legal status. Others from Bangladesh dress up as statues. A hard day's work to stand in the sun the whole day drenched in paint and a costume just to earn a few Euros! Bangladeshis also sell flowers on the streets of Rome and Florence.
Italians tend to be a very tolerant set of people and these Bangladeshis as well as immigrants from African countries seem to be at some degree of comfort in the country. But considering how expensive life and food is in the country, I wonder if these people actually save any money. I guess the hardships in their own countries must be much worse for them to want to illegally immigrate.
A vast chunk of these people came to Italy illegally but thanks to the country's leniency in dealing with illegals, many of these Bangladeshis have legal status. Others from Bangladesh dress up as statues. A hard day's work to stand in the sun the whole day drenched in paint and a costume just to earn a few Euros! Bangladeshis also sell flowers on the streets of Rome and Florence.
Italians tend to be a very tolerant set of people and these Bangladeshis as well as immigrants from African countries seem to be at some degree of comfort in the country. But considering how expensive life and food is in the country, I wonder if these people actually save any money. I guess the hardships in their own countries must be much worse for them to want to illegally immigrate.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The good-for-nothings of Termini
I was warned to be careful when using Rome's Termini station. This was the den of pick-pockets and other thieves, I was told. An Italian expat in Bombay even compared Termini to Dadar station!!
After taking a train there from Rome's Fiumincino Airport, I understood what the fuss was all about. There are many suspicious characters lurking in the background and on the prey for tired and confused tourists. The most harmless of those are the ones "volunteering" to help people buy tickets on the metro or long distance trains. Many of these people are from Romania, Albania and African countries.
When I refused an offer of help from a Romanian girl, she told me that a little money would help her eat. There were enough jobs in Rome for her to earn her daily bread. The train ride from Termini to Babarini was crowded but not by Bombay standards. I did keep a close eye on any "strange" character. The funny thing about pickpockets is that they have a good cover. They may dress like businessmen or walk with children...basically anything that make someone let their guard down.
These types exist in every major city in the world and form a tiny fraction of the population of Rome. On that crowded ride with my suitcase, I was on guard but also made conversation with a nice pensioner. When she said that the trains are too crowded, I apologised on behalf of the tourists, who make it jam-packed, she just laughed and said that I was welcome in Rome.
My pocket wasn't picked and I wasn't a victim of petty theft but I think being on guard helped. One of the employees of the Hotel Imperiale in Via Veneto told me that Rome had been unfairly stigmatised. He said the situation was far worse in Paris. It's hard to argue with that.
After taking a train there from Rome's Fiumincino Airport, I understood what the fuss was all about. There are many suspicious characters lurking in the background and on the prey for tired and confused tourists. The most harmless of those are the ones "volunteering" to help people buy tickets on the metro or long distance trains. Many of these people are from Romania, Albania and African countries.
When I refused an offer of help from a Romanian girl, she told me that a little money would help her eat. There were enough jobs in Rome for her to earn her daily bread. The train ride from Termini to Babarini was crowded but not by Bombay standards. I did keep a close eye on any "strange" character. The funny thing about pickpockets is that they have a good cover. They may dress like businessmen or walk with children...basically anything that make someone let their guard down.
These types exist in every major city in the world and form a tiny fraction of the population of Rome. On that crowded ride with my suitcase, I was on guard but also made conversation with a nice pensioner. When she said that the trains are too crowded, I apologised on behalf of the tourists, who make it jam-packed, she just laughed and said that I was welcome in Rome.
My pocket wasn't picked and I wasn't a victim of petty theft but I think being on guard helped. One of the employees of the Hotel Imperiale in Via Veneto told me that Rome had been unfairly stigmatised. He said the situation was far worse in Paris. It's hard to argue with that.
Rome: History, beauty and energy
There is one Rome: the touristy city of the Coliseum, the Vatican and Trevi fountain. This is where hordes of tourists are bussed into everyday so that they can take their Mickey Mouse pics and brag to their neighbours.
Then there is another Rome: a vibrant, exciting and elegant city with some incredibly nice, fashionable and beautiful people. This is the Rome of the Villa Borghese, a beautiful park, which overlooks some of the city's great public squares. This is the city of charming not-so well known piazzas (squares), wonderful eateries and ice cream parlours.
Romans are a fashion and fitness conscious people. Sure, they eat a lot of delicious food but then they compensate for it by walking on the city's 7 hills and running in the wonderful Villa Borghese. I love the non-touristy Rome. It's a great city, which despite being busy is friendly. In 3 days, I picked up many random conversations with strangers on buses and the metro. My Italian language skills helped but I can safely say that the Romans are incredibly friendly and open-minded people, and it wasn't my Italian per say.
Yes, I had to handle the sensitive issue about the Italian marines, who are in Indian custody, over the alleged killings of fishermen from Kerala. I did feel a tad bit uncomfortable when I landed at the airport in Rome and saw images of the marines walking to a court in Kerala on a television screen. I played it safe and said I wasn't qualified to have an opinion on the case and that I had no affiliations what-so-ever with the Indian Government.
Rome is full of beautiful and fascinating lanes and there is so much history there that it can take years to see the whole city. There is something special in the air in the city. Something magical! Over a dinner conversation with a corporate lawyer from Abruzzo, who made Rome her home 20 years ago, I understood that Rome can put anyone in a trance. 'Ale,' who is a also a great writer, says she feels the fascination for the great city every single day, even after two decades.
Ale and I are not alone in our feelings for Rome and its azure blue skies. Among the city's greatest fans were Gogol and Pushkin, statues of whom, Ale passes every morning when she runs in the Villa Borghese.
Then there is another Rome: a vibrant, exciting and elegant city with some incredibly nice, fashionable and beautiful people. This is the Rome of the Villa Borghese, a beautiful park, which overlooks some of the city's great public squares. This is the city of charming not-so well known piazzas (squares), wonderful eateries and ice cream parlours.
Romans are a fashion and fitness conscious people. Sure, they eat a lot of delicious food but then they compensate for it by walking on the city's 7 hills and running in the wonderful Villa Borghese. I love the non-touristy Rome. It's a great city, which despite being busy is friendly. In 3 days, I picked up many random conversations with strangers on buses and the metro. My Italian language skills helped but I can safely say that the Romans are incredibly friendly and open-minded people, and it wasn't my Italian per say.
Yes, I had to handle the sensitive issue about the Italian marines, who are in Indian custody, over the alleged killings of fishermen from Kerala. I did feel a tad bit uncomfortable when I landed at the airport in Rome and saw images of the marines walking to a court in Kerala on a television screen. I played it safe and said I wasn't qualified to have an opinion on the case and that I had no affiliations what-so-ever with the Indian Government.
Rome is full of beautiful and fascinating lanes and there is so much history there that it can take years to see the whole city. There is something special in the air in the city. Something magical! Over a dinner conversation with a corporate lawyer from Abruzzo, who made Rome her home 20 years ago, I understood that Rome can put anyone in a trance. 'Ale,' who is a also a great writer, says she feels the fascination for the great city every single day, even after two decades.
Ale and I are not alone in our feelings for Rome and its azure blue skies. Among the city's greatest fans were Gogol and Pushkin, statues of whom, Ale passes every morning when she runs in the Villa Borghese.
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