'You guys don't care too much about time, do you?', asked a friend, today. For a moment, I was taken aback, not knowing if an accusation was implied . I was relieved when he went on to tell me about one of his professors who had spent some time in India and had come back with such stories. I don't remember how I answered his query, must have mumbled something about generalisations not holding good in India. What then, is the truth of India?
I went to the city library earlier this week and found a full section on books on India and Indians. (What was more surprising was to find another section on Pakistan sitting right next to the Indian one. At least the books seem to coexist peacefully.) Every other author seems to have mastered the knowledge of the history of India. Yet, most Indians seem to have a naive and narrow view of our own country, giving more importance to petty issues like religion, money, movies and cricket than literacy, ethics, pollution - issues that require far more attention.
Shashi Tharoor puts it rather eloquently in one of his books that India is an entity greater than the sum of its parts (playing with words comes naturally to him, albeit at some cost). 'My friend is going to India on a month long project. She wants to see the 'real' India', quipped a friend some days ago. I then had the tough job of first figuring out what the 'real' India is, and then guiding my friend's friend towards it. I was lectured upon the reality of education in India by my roommate. 'Indians have to study for a job, dude. What's the use of research when it has no applications? You can't survive in India, dude.' I choose to postpone my comments on this. Such illustrious views deserve being trashed separately.
What then is the one thing that is true for every part of India or every Indian? Is there such a thing at all? I am struggling to come up with an answer myself, more so from a place that is another huge melting pot. Here, some Indians seem to take pride in speaking Hindi, Tamil, etc in public. Others trash everything that has enabled them to reach here, and take to all things American like ducks to water. Still others choose to play safe, pretending ignorance of issues other than their chosen areas of work.
Politics is an issue of enormous proportions in the epic that is India. Centuries of leaders, sects, followers and faiths have ensured the present confusion that seems to pervade every political entity the country.No one has a clear agenda or set of beliefs, but even that is a generalisation that I overlooked while writing.
All generalisations seem to break down when the issue is as special as the idea of India.
I went to the city library earlier this week and found a full section on books on India and Indians. (What was more surprising was to find another section on Pakistan sitting right next to the Indian one. At least the books seem to coexist peacefully.) Every other author seems to have mastered the knowledge of the history of India. Yet, most Indians seem to have a naive and narrow view of our own country, giving more importance to petty issues like religion, money, movies and cricket than literacy, ethics, pollution - issues that require far more attention.
Shashi Tharoor puts it rather eloquently in one of his books that India is an entity greater than the sum of its parts (playing with words comes naturally to him, albeit at some cost). 'My friend is going to India on a month long project. She wants to see the 'real' India', quipped a friend some days ago. I then had the tough job of first figuring out what the 'real' India is, and then guiding my friend's friend towards it. I was lectured upon the reality of education in India by my roommate. 'Indians have to study for a job, dude. What's the use of research when it has no applications? You can't survive in India, dude.' I choose to postpone my comments on this. Such illustrious views deserve being trashed separately.
What then is the one thing that is true for every part of India or every Indian? Is there such a thing at all? I am struggling to come up with an answer myself, more so from a place that is another huge melting pot. Here, some Indians seem to take pride in speaking Hindi, Tamil, etc in public. Others trash everything that has enabled them to reach here, and take to all things American like ducks to water. Still others choose to play safe, pretending ignorance of issues other than their chosen areas of work.
Politics is an issue of enormous proportions in the epic that is India. Centuries of leaders, sects, followers and faiths have ensured the present confusion that seems to pervade every political entity the country.No one has a clear agenda or set of beliefs, but even that is a generalisation that I overlooked while writing.
All generalisations seem to break down when the issue is as special as the idea of India.
4 comments:
Interesting :) I can understand how it must be hard to answer general queries about our country! I must say, btw, that your prose is becoming better by the day!
Lots of interesting stuff, Angika. And thanks for your encouraging words :)
good one..i m sure everyone one of us outside india has had to face this...very nicely put up...
Ya, I am sure you have your share of anecdotes, Anushree.
Post a Comment