What India gives us
Amid the grim narrative about India now enveloping the world, come many reasons for me to believe why I am proud to be an Indian. Its a shame that the government is inept, the economy is slipping and the news is mostly grim but in my last year out of home, I have realised things that all Indians probably realise when they spend time out of that colossal mess we call India. No piece about this country will come without a mention of the cliches of culture, diversity, religion, so on and so forth but it these cliches that make us a truly superior form of human evolution that prepares us to face anything that comes our way.
Simply put, India makes you tough. Whether it is religious and cultural tolerance, sharing spaces, roadside food, bad traffic, rude people (that is mostly the bane of our lives in the north), extreme temperatures to name a few. Apparently Malaysia takes pride in being multi-cultural. A place where God fearing Muslims live in peace and harmony with hard working, extremely practical but highly value driven Chinese. They seemed to have struck the balance through a symbiotic relationship between two polarised group of people. It is strange then that most 'Chinese' make friends with 'Chinese' and 'Malays' with other 'Malays'. The cultural distinctions are unique, so is the food, clothing and unfortunately political ideology. Well, that is about Malaysia. I am but a foreigner and a visitor passing my judgement from the comfort of my couch and only relying on my observation. That is not the point about this piece. This is about how an Indian upbringing shapes a person's world view and prepares one for the toughest battles.
Growing up, every Indian child is surrounded by friends from a wide array of social, economic, religious backgrounds. Some, with your mother's agreement, you will play cricket with and others you will just keep to the customary 'hi' because your mother told you not to. When you ask your mother why she will let you know in the most reassuring manner that it is in your best interest. That is the beginning of curiosity that is an undeniable consequence of Indian upbringing. When you mix this curiosity with the unfailing respect for maternal instruction, the journey of discovery is very calm, progressive and enriching. No other country provides a child with the heterogeneity that one can dissect with patience and come out a being sensitive to another point of view. This very sensitivity is embedded in each and every one of us. We take our shoes off when we enter our Tambrahm friends home and we dont call our Christian friend for a late saturday night drinking binge because we know he will have mass the next morning. It is this appreciation of human that makes us adaptable, curious and sensitive and helps create a sponge like personality which can absorb anything life throws at us.
India is a complete sensorial experience. The most sever olfactory experience of south east Asia, the Durian, is a petty competitor to the concoction that brews when you step out of Mumbai airport on a typically rainy monsoon day or when white butter is melted to make 'Ghee'. It is particularly overwhelming to see the multitude of Youtube videos on this character called 'Durian' which apparently can be recognised by its smell from many metres away. The hype surrounding the way this fruit smells is something that still fascinates me by its elusive nature.
The mere fact that most of us Indians can speak at least 3 languages comes is acknowledged as a sparkling achievement of our intellectual capability by some in the west. We have no trouble walking to the nearest supermarket instead of driving because thats the only way we have known. When it rains, we first smell the first whiff of air after the first drops of rain kiss the earth and remember Chai and Pakodas and then start the moaning about traffic because we saw rains first and then we saw cars. I wish I could have ended this with a profound example of the one thing that separates Indians from the rest of the world but my attempt to pin-point that one thing is a myriad collage of long lines at ticket counters, crowded trains, rowdy traffic, noisy markets and noisier neighbours. It has made us skeptical but it has also made us tough and in the big bad world we should hold this natural inheritance as close to us as possible.
Simply put, India makes you tough. Whether it is religious and cultural tolerance, sharing spaces, roadside food, bad traffic, rude people (that is mostly the bane of our lives in the north), extreme temperatures to name a few. Apparently Malaysia takes pride in being multi-cultural. A place where God fearing Muslims live in peace and harmony with hard working, extremely practical but highly value driven Chinese. They seemed to have struck the balance through a symbiotic relationship between two polarised group of people. It is strange then that most 'Chinese' make friends with 'Chinese' and 'Malays' with other 'Malays'. The cultural distinctions are unique, so is the food, clothing and unfortunately political ideology. Well, that is about Malaysia. I am but a foreigner and a visitor passing my judgement from the comfort of my couch and only relying on my observation. That is not the point about this piece. This is about how an Indian upbringing shapes a person's world view and prepares one for the toughest battles.
Growing up, every Indian child is surrounded by friends from a wide array of social, economic, religious backgrounds. Some, with your mother's agreement, you will play cricket with and others you will just keep to the customary 'hi' because your mother told you not to. When you ask your mother why she will let you know in the most reassuring manner that it is in your best interest. That is the beginning of curiosity that is an undeniable consequence of Indian upbringing. When you mix this curiosity with the unfailing respect for maternal instruction, the journey of discovery is very calm, progressive and enriching. No other country provides a child with the heterogeneity that one can dissect with patience and come out a being sensitive to another point of view. This very sensitivity is embedded in each and every one of us. We take our shoes off when we enter our Tambrahm friends home and we dont call our Christian friend for a late saturday night drinking binge because we know he will have mass the next morning. It is this appreciation of human that makes us adaptable, curious and sensitive and helps create a sponge like personality which can absorb anything life throws at us.
India is a complete sensorial experience. The most sever olfactory experience of south east Asia, the Durian, is a petty competitor to the concoction that brews when you step out of Mumbai airport on a typically rainy monsoon day or when white butter is melted to make 'Ghee'. It is particularly overwhelming to see the multitude of Youtube videos on this character called 'Durian' which apparently can be recognised by its smell from many metres away. The hype surrounding the way this fruit smells is something that still fascinates me by its elusive nature.
The mere fact that most of us Indians can speak at least 3 languages comes is acknowledged as a sparkling achievement of our intellectual capability by some in the west. We have no trouble walking to the nearest supermarket instead of driving because thats the only way we have known. When it rains, we first smell the first whiff of air after the first drops of rain kiss the earth and remember Chai and Pakodas and then start the moaning about traffic because we saw rains first and then we saw cars. I wish I could have ended this with a profound example of the one thing that separates Indians from the rest of the world but my attempt to pin-point that one thing is a myriad collage of long lines at ticket counters, crowded trains, rowdy traffic, noisy markets and noisier neighbours. It has made us skeptical but it has also made us tough and in the big bad world we should hold this natural inheritance as close to us as possible.
posted by Saurabh at
11:41 PM
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