26th January brings along with it a whole lot of important people on television channels giving their views on India/Hindustan/Bharat etc etc and among the predictions of rising India and destitute Bharat the all time favorite is that India still doesn’t have Indians!! And of course this debate has been fuelled by our very own movements for statehood but the question somehow stuck with me where are the Indians and what happened to the great Indian Dream??
The question is answered when you go to any respectable college in the country. The foremost argument given is that we have marathis/gujratis etc etc. Most of us are not lucky enough like rahul Gandhi to have a mother from Italy a grandfather from Kashmir among others to claim that we represent the true India.
While visiting a college recently I met a Tamil lady born and brought up in Delhi who introduced herself as a tamilan though being a Punjabi I see Punjabi traits in her and share this with a guy from Chandigarh who says that you are not much of a Punjabi yourself karan!
I ponder the question and agree that a guy who has lived in Nagpur for his entire life cannot be a Punjabi to the t but I’m not a Marathi to the t as well and I add to it the fact that quite a few of my friends have been Marwari and hence I have their traits too….err so which tribe was I then?!
A few more people join the conversation and one of the guys is from the north east. I ask him casually if they feel left out of India staying in the farthest corner of the country. In response he asks me if I felt left out staying for my entire life in Nagpur point taken boss we all live in some place and imagine it to be the centre of India!!
As I converse with this group of people from diverse backgrounds (though where each is really from is difficult to tell) I find it strange that all of us can converse easily and have a lot in common but yet all of us are different in some way.
I probe deeper into this question and realize that we are all part of a generation which is no longer confined by barriers. We question our culture and most of us don’t even understand it yet we all respect it. Most of us do not understand the rites and rituals performed at some ones death/birth or probably during a marriage ceremony yet we know how it is different from the others!
I ask a friend where is he from and he gives me the name of some village in Karnataka I ask him if that’s his native place to which he says no it’s the metro he is residing in. Then why didn’t you say that’s your native place I ask him. He simply shrugs his shoulders and that is the answer!!
Look around people everywhere you go… there is a generation walking which is Indian we may not realize it today but we have achieved what we started out to do when we gained independence. Ladies and gentlemen through regionalism/communalism/naxalism/bureaucracy and through the walls of history itself The Indian has arrived!!
It's difficult to annotate on something de facto forthright! Albeit, I must say that the post has a lot of meaning to it. The unanimity in Indian culture is something which people take inspiration from. Being a democracy which strives to coalesce 29 states together and to put up with individual sectarianism is something which cannot be replicated by any other country! Be it an orthodox parochial Marwari to an indulgent Punjabi NRI in London, an Indian can never be derelict. That quality takes us aloof from the rest of the world which is definitely a matter of pride. Some people connotate this victory over communism to be the liberal policies of Rajiv Gandhi while some are of the impression that the erstwhile Bhartiya Janata Sangh (now the BJP) should own its credit. Whatever be the cause, the upshot was the liberalization of our culture which churned in bohemian ideology to the common man. Hail India for that matter!
ReplyDeleteThe only glitch in the post I found was when you spoke of the guy from the North-East. With due reverence to your article, I must point out the way a few of the North-Eastern states cogitate. Mizoram, for instance, doesn't consider itself in India and despises any Indian related activity. It even issues a passport for a non-Mizoram denizen for entering into the state (and even an Indian must own this passport if he wants to enter!). This may be due to the effect of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) which follows its roots from Mao Zedong. Therefore, the guy from the north-east ought to have the feeling of being defected! (if he is from any of these states.)
In a nutshell, a short and good post to read about someone's experiences (atleast its positive!). The peroration is catchy. Keep up the writing bro!
Native :- Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh;
ReplyDeleteSchooling:- Udaipur, Rajasthan
Graduation:- Nagpur, Maharashtra
Future:- The World is Small enough
This is not only my story but of thousands or lacs of guys whose parents migrated or they did it themselves to experience an enriching period of cultural amalgamation.
Unity in Diversity- We love to proclaim the concept. At times, we succeed as well. The young turks though nonchalant to become the flagbearers of a revolution, do have the mettle to follow their instinct instead of getting rabbleroused by a parochial politician.
But I believe the Indian was always there. Would Bombay(execute me now)have been what it is without Parsis and Gujaratis?? Be it any geographical location, Indian society bloomed the most with the warmth of a Punjabi, streetsmartness of a Marwari and Gujarati, simplicity of a Marathi, intellect and art of a South Indian and Bengali. All for one and one for all is how we've lived. The only thing is we are not over jingoistic to become a vox populi.
I'm also of the opinion that the differences are pretty stark. Our strength lies in appreciating the differnces and still mutually reside. Our history tells it, we've been vandalized by cultures, we never lost our identity- instead added another dimension to it.We've always been like that, the newer generation just likes to voice it a bit louder.
An interesting read for sure boss. Comes at a time of turmoil amidst the king makers to divide which makes it apt to the T. I hope they understand that this is how the future thinks. A lucid, crisp and candid post.
I found the ritual example contradictory to the essence of the passage. That shows even the young guys blindly follow the differences. I'm not saying there aren't ppl like that( I'm one of them), but the post was about people who don't give a damn, wasn't it?
All in all, a succinct yet powerful post. Ab uthe hai maa ke laal kuch kar ke dikhayenge......
i see you are a deep analyser, Mr. Curious Guy. :P
ReplyDeleteif only people learned from our generation! that time will come too.
(this is Hirni, btw.)
Very well written boss! I think you defined "India today" in a perfect way! An apt theme song for this post would be- "mile sur mera tumhara"!!
ReplyDeleteWell I've forwarded this link to the 3 thakerays, I hope it'll help them!! :P
yeah..this topic is a matter of concern worth pondering..if i think for while that why as an Indian we are not serious towards our country or our duties..it may be because of cultural diversity..i hv seen people in different areas it may b colleges , offices making their own groups belonging to the same religion.
ReplyDeleteIt may be we are encouraging people to do so.. Today's political parties are infact acting as a tool for encouraging people to make their own nest and and kick rest of others. And the point you mentioned that we are lacking the importance or understanding of our own cultures to the utmost is right..It's because of the new generation and mindset which do not want to get engaged into such ritual activities and thinking of them considering as an ancestral mania..and waste of time.. but i think let the new generation decide..of pros and cons...this era is new and things are changing..external changes do affect the mindset....and i know Any Indian living in any corner of the world as long he or she is attached emotionally wid his country and respect their nation and proud of being an Indian nothing can set them apart.
well,last but nt the least karan,great article..keep writing such articles so that we will get to know exactly hw things r going and wht we can do..nyways..gud keep it up..JAI HIND!!!
Manasi C.
Grrrr....I commented on d post but technology posed to be a smart ass n didn't post it.Re-writing.Will only do it for you.Hmph.
ReplyDeleteYa soo we are black horses with white stripes/white horses with black stripes/a different 3rd stripe/thinner stripe...bahh humbug!! why are we all in awe every 4th month about the democracy,culture,heritage etc etc of our country?? Ya okay so we Indians are all over the place...literally these days.what next? It all boils down to the question can I afford my next meal n what can I do to get it? I notice you have been multitasking lately n also the rise in the bar of acute observations:P Nice n crisp post. A welcome change from the earlier Nirupa Roy posts :P cheers!!
Friend, I really want to thank you to raise this point as this is very dear to me!
ReplyDeleteWhat I mean is, since that we all are confused about which religion/ region/ language/ caste/ gotra we belong to, and we all know one thing for sure that we all are Indians, isn't it a time for us to give up all these categories that divide us and get back to our single true identity of being an Indian?
To be precise, I no more want to be recognized as being a Hindi speaking or Brahmin person (man I love non-vegetarian food and I hardly ever pray!). I want an option in all types of official forms and identity related documents that allows me not to choose any category and simply declare myself being an Indian. (I really rally hate that option of caste and mother-tongue in forms!) And if possible, I want to officially give up being a Hindu and a Brahmin. If there is a process to convert our religion, why isn't there any process to do away with something we no more need or understand or believe in? And why cannot we tell children to select a religion of their own choice when they grow up, if they like and understand any.
A mass confusion written very clearly.. And I have always liked your cool way of explaining complex things! Nice work.