of India.

Eight years have passed since i started ‘living’ in India and that’s eight years of invaluable experience with the Indian junta. This may sound like it’s coming from someone who isn’t Indian but the truth of the matter is that though the Republic of India issues my passport, i am hardly the stereotypical Indian in any way at all. In these eight years, i’ve interacted with, lived with, had enlightened discussions with, fought with and had my fair share of disagreements with individuals from various parts of the country. What i’ve seen and see everyday never fails to keep amazing me; the sheer diversity of language, cultures and idiosyncrasies that this country holds within her borders; and the fact that they still manage to be united under the Tiranga.

This is not about the positives; the India that the world sees is largely what the government wants it to see. We proudly proclaim that India is Shining and she is, it’s what’s below the sheen that is disturbing, to say the least. No, this post is about the bad, the ugly, the reasons that Australians and Americans want to attack and maim us as soon as they see one of us; this is about the small mindedness and the ignorance that prevails at large.

I’ve had the chance to interact with people from India’s four largest cities and also from her smallest villages and the difference is both, pronounced and remarkable. I have regular disagreements with a certain individual who typifies the small town mentality, diffidence to those who are from larger cities and towns, and the determination to defend and preserve their values. Though i don’t agree with the majority of this individual’s claims which range from the preposterous such as the entire banking sector being illegal to the utterly ignorant such as newspapers being vile and evil, i can sympathise with his feelings. Being from what he sees as a less privileged background, one where he has no idea about the world, it’s cuisines, it’s people, their languages and ways, he strives to prove that his point of view is correct, his way of doing things is right. I fail to see the point of this as all it leaves him with is a bunch of friends who perceive him to be a village idiot or crackpot, and also with precious little knowledge on how to deal with people from around the world. This person also continually tries to impress upon me, his ideals and habits. To quote an instance, he examined my music collection in Winamp. As you’d expect with a metalhead, there was very little that he could understand and absolutely no artist that he’d heard of. What ensued was a barrage of abuses that i was supposedly betraying the motherland and not being a good Indian. To say the least, he’d be much better off in Russia.

On the flip side, i’ll cite another example of a person who’s grown up in the capital and been to the finest schools, interacted with the best minds and grew to expect that most of the populace would be like that. Sadly, that isn’t how it works; most Indians haven’t even seen an aeroplane in their lives, let alone a tarmac road. Many don’t have access to electricity and basic sanitation. With this state of affairs, this gentleman’s expectations of his fellow Indians are sky high, compared to what the ground realities are.

And what of me? I’m caught somewhere in between the two extremes, expecting better things from Indians and yet resentful of what i see.

All i can do is hope. One day, we will.