After High School,I got a casual job working at a Hardware. My boss was an Indian. And I dont have to tell You how rambunctious our relationship was.
Over and over again,We have been regaled with tales of how foul-mouthed,impatient,nasty,a
Its public knowledge. Indians and regular Kenyans,especially their employees,have always had frosty relations.
My girlfriend once worked for an Indian Pharmaceutical company. And she would crush and crumble every day,tearfully narrating to me how nasty or confrontational her Indian bosses were.
You also remember the Kitengela Woman who I interviewed months ago. The woman who sells water across Kitengela after quitting her job at EPZ where she told me,"Nilishindwa kuvumilia matusi ya Wahindi..."
And we all remember the sensational story of the Young couple comprising of a Young Indian lass and a Young Luo man who were planning to marry and how the Indian Girl's parents vehemently opposed the union and subsequently alienated the poor girl.
I have witnessed it myself. And I remember one time at job when I filled the cross-word puzzle in the Daily Nation Newspaper. I love cross-word puzzles. And that day,I filled a puzzle in our company's newspaper.
What a mistake I did!
In the evening,my Indian Boss came. It was around 5.10pm. Late in the day. He asked for the day's newspaper. I took it to him in his hallowed office.
And after 20 calm minutes,He stormed out spewing unprintable epithets at Us. "Nani amejaza hii cross-word??"
He DEMANDED.
After an uneasy silence,I feebly mumbled, "Ni mimi..."
"Nani amekupea ruhusa uandike gazeti yangu? Eh?" He thundered,his nasal accent splitting the walls....
And after a short altercation,He ORDERED me to go buy another Newspaper.
And the day was almost over. I tried pleading my case in pure vanity.
And faced with NO option,I did buy another whole newspaper. Just for filling a cross-word puzzle.
Indians are famous for their segregated lifestyles. They live alone in secluded quarters,they socialize among themselves,share amongst themselves and totally ostracize themselves from the general local public.
Ofcourse,there are those who mingle and share with regular Kenyans but the bulk of the Indian populace considers itself an almost Arya race; they ONLY mingle,talk,eat or live amongst themselves.
We even have Hindu-Only schools. Where the elite kids of Indian barons attend; with NO chance of mingling with dirty,black Kenyans.
And in almost every town in Kenya,we have an Indian Estate. An exclusive,plush neighborhood inhabited by Indians ONLY.
Thats HOW they live. Like some chosen race.
But after the #WESTGATE_ATTACK,I saw a DIFFERENT kind of Indian.
I saw an Indian risking his life to help a local,lowly black Kenyan escape to safety.
I saw a wealthy Indian carrying a bleeding black Kenyan,probably his employee,on his back...rushing him to some ambulance...
I saw an rich Indian down on his knees,taking his shirt off to cover the sore wound of a wailing woman...
I saw an Indian prepare mountains of food to distribute freely to hostages and police and journalists at the Westgate venue...
I saw Indians put their inhibitions aside,I saw Indians put their status behind,I saw Indians cry with Us,weep with us,struggle with Us and stick by Us!
And I saw a sad thing too...
I saw a poor black Kenyan employee helping his injured Indian Boss to safety...
I saw a humble black employee wiping the blood off the neck of his Indian Boss...
I saw a poor black employee, who probably had endured Years of insults and low salary,risking his meager life to save the life of his Indian Boss...
I saw thousands of ordinary black Kenyans,line up to DONATE blood for the sake of wealthy injured Indians...
And even though we may have been treated like trash by these wealthy Indians,even though we may have been insulted and rebuked and under-paid and assaulted by them before....
We FORGOT the past. And focused on the PRESENT.
My Good Indian People,
I pray that the WESTGATE attack opens Your eyes.
May the attack remind You how to Love Us. And treat Us.
May the attack remind You that Your employee could Be Your saviour.
May the attack change Your attitude towards Your employees...
May it remind You to treat them better,respect them more,pay them better and listen to them more.
May it remind You that YOU NEED US. As much as we NEED You.
May it remind You that WE ARE HUMANS too...
After Westgate,I saw a NEW INDIAN.
A kind,loving,integrating,caring
May that INDIAN Never change.
#WEareONE.
Courtesy (CABU GAH)
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