Friday, September 16, 2011
Broken Morning: OPEN LETTER TO A DELHI BOY
Broken Morning: OPEN LETTER TO A DELHI BOY: Dear Delhi boy, Namaskaram from the South of India, or as you may like to believe, the countries south of the Vindhyas. I came to your city...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Non-Respectful Indian
This post is for all those Indians who live abroad and love to bring India down with every statement they make. Suddenly, the land that you were born in is not good enough – there is too much dust, dirt, pollution, lack of hygiene and order for you to handle. But hey, this is the country that made YOU who you are – this is the land that nurtured you and your body, this is the land that educated you and this is the very dust that you will probably be a part of after your foreign sojourn is over.
To set the record straight – this post is not directed at all Indians who live abroad. A lot of my friends do and not all of them are featured on this list. This is for the chosen few, who compare everything that is faulty, doesn’t work or is backward and faulty with India. They are the nouveau snobs of the world – a fairly monotonous existence in New Jersey or the Bay Area suddenly assumes celebrity status the moment the airplane lowers it first wheel on the tarmac of a dusty, chaotic Indian airport. Everything from the immigration officer to the slow conveyor belt is treated with disdain. The power of the green (dollar or card) is visibly flaunted at every occasion from family visits to local stores as the conversion factor is casually announced – oh only 10 cents!
These folks take utmost pride in their home mortgage, their pink-slip prone jobs and most of all, of how self-sufficient they are in their daily chores – from grocery shopping to frozen dinners. However, these very people are the first to hire a maid to baby sit their accented toddlers while Mommy and Daddy scour the dusty streets for trinkets, bargains and cheap deals while in India. Street food is eyed with suspicion but gulped down with equal gusto as any remote sign of flatulence or indigestion is mistaken for the Delhi Belly. Drapes are bought by the dozen and suitcases are weighed after every excursion to avoid paying for excess baggage.
Be sure to be ready with witty rejoinders to classic remarks such as – Wow! The cows are still on the road. They never left – besides they don’t get a visa. Oh! It is Republic Day I see. Just like the Fourth of July, dude. Oh what a lousy Hindi movie! Wait till you see the American original. Oh the heat is killing me – I am perspiring. That’s what all humans do in 40 degrees. To which your friend may respond with a – What Fahrenheit?
And yes, the best one yet – there are so many people. Spare a thought for the chaos – if the pristine lands that you lived in had 2 billion people, I shudder to think of the outcome.
Let’s face it – this is the only country with true freedom of speech. Case in point - I was recently reprimanded by an American friend for discussing politics in a social setting on a visit to the US. Freedom of speech, anyone? What about Diversity? The subject of many policies, litigations and forced adoption in lands far, far away. We revel in diversity. We have a light-hearted approach to various accents, beliefs, languages and have a healthy respect for the differences that make us unique.
Sure, we have power cuts, corruption, pollution and all the humungous problems of too many people with very little resources. But look at how far we have come with and despite all of that. When will be stop being subservient to all things Western? When will we truly take pride in where we come from? That is when these chosen few will not have to leave the land to build a better life. They will choose to live in this land and make it better. After all, we are the ultimate in resourcefulness aka jugaad?
So the next time there is a breakdown in your land of dreams, please don’t compare it to your motherland. We have survived and thrived for five thousand years – a rare distinction for any civilization. Beat that with 200 years of pop culture, brand fetishes and intense materialism.
India invested in you – what are you going to invest in her? And please, if you really hate her so much – don’t bother coming back. Not even for a visa renewal.
Disclaimer: this post does not intend to hurt the sentiments of any nation or culture. It is a simple outcry against the prevalent attitude of a certain section of Non-Resident Indians.
To set the record straight – this post is not directed at all Indians who live abroad. A lot of my friends do and not all of them are featured on this list. This is for the chosen few, who compare everything that is faulty, doesn’t work or is backward and faulty with India. They are the nouveau snobs of the world – a fairly monotonous existence in New Jersey or the Bay Area suddenly assumes celebrity status the moment the airplane lowers it first wheel on the tarmac of a dusty, chaotic Indian airport. Everything from the immigration officer to the slow conveyor belt is treated with disdain. The power of the green (dollar or card) is visibly flaunted at every occasion from family visits to local stores as the conversion factor is casually announced – oh only 10 cents!
These folks take utmost pride in their home mortgage, their pink-slip prone jobs and most of all, of how self-sufficient they are in their daily chores – from grocery shopping to frozen dinners. However, these very people are the first to hire a maid to baby sit their accented toddlers while Mommy and Daddy scour the dusty streets for trinkets, bargains and cheap deals while in India. Street food is eyed with suspicion but gulped down with equal gusto as any remote sign of flatulence or indigestion is mistaken for the Delhi Belly. Drapes are bought by the dozen and suitcases are weighed after every excursion to avoid paying for excess baggage.
Be sure to be ready with witty rejoinders to classic remarks such as – Wow! The cows are still on the road. They never left – besides they don’t get a visa. Oh! It is Republic Day I see. Just like the Fourth of July, dude. Oh what a lousy Hindi movie! Wait till you see the American original. Oh the heat is killing me – I am perspiring. That’s what all humans do in 40 degrees. To which your friend may respond with a – What Fahrenheit?
And yes, the best one yet – there are so many people. Spare a thought for the chaos – if the pristine lands that you lived in had 2 billion people, I shudder to think of the outcome.
Let’s face it – this is the only country with true freedom of speech. Case in point - I was recently reprimanded by an American friend for discussing politics in a social setting on a visit to the US. Freedom of speech, anyone? What about Diversity? The subject of many policies, litigations and forced adoption in lands far, far away. We revel in diversity. We have a light-hearted approach to various accents, beliefs, languages and have a healthy respect for the differences that make us unique.
Sure, we have power cuts, corruption, pollution and all the humungous problems of too many people with very little resources. But look at how far we have come with and despite all of that. When will be stop being subservient to all things Western? When will we truly take pride in where we come from? That is when these chosen few will not have to leave the land to build a better life. They will choose to live in this land and make it better. After all, we are the ultimate in resourcefulness aka jugaad?
So the next time there is a breakdown in your land of dreams, please don’t compare it to your motherland. We have survived and thrived for five thousand years – a rare distinction for any civilization. Beat that with 200 years of pop culture, brand fetishes and intense materialism.
India invested in you – what are you going to invest in her? And please, if you really hate her so much – don’t bother coming back. Not even for a visa renewal.
Disclaimer: this post does not intend to hurt the sentiments of any nation or culture. It is a simple outcry against the prevalent attitude of a certain section of Non-Resident Indians.
Monday, December 1, 2008
In Memoriam...
A mother caresses her son to sleep
He lies in deep slumber
In a coffin forever
She sings a broken lullaby
Hoping he will awake to her soothing touch
She watched him grow from boy to man
And can’t believe he bids farewell
His gory wounds wrapped in a tricolor shroud
As those who let this happen
Pay tribute with meaningless wreaths of flowers
And chant slogans that trivialize
In the carnage and the ravages of terror
How many fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters were lost
Never to be seen again
And who should we blame?
Those that feed on venom and live to die and kill
With drugged vengeance in a Godless world
Or the callous indifference of old vultures who have lived their lives
Eating off the state – gutless, bottomless pits of greed
Who leave the waters of our land
Free for terror to sweep in like gusts of wind from the sea
And turn our monuments and pride to rubble?
Will the mind ever be without fear?
And will the heaven of freedom truly be delivered
In this promised land that our forefathers gave their lives for
Will a divided nation be further divided?
Or will we stand united -
Our pledge not confined to school prayers?
Will we be lost in stereotypes
And blame games and casual banter?
Or will we stand together like rocks that withstand the storm
And dare the world to enter our boundaries
Can the greatest minds in the world not make the greatest country?
All those who sleep in peace tonight
Remember the ones that let you do so…
Not just in martyrdom and death
Honor them in life...
Jai Hind!
In memory of the 21 brave men in uniform who laid down their lives in the carnage of November 2008 from the proud daughter of a man in uniform
He lies in deep slumber
In a coffin forever
She sings a broken lullaby
Hoping he will awake to her soothing touch
She watched him grow from boy to man
And can’t believe he bids farewell
His gory wounds wrapped in a tricolor shroud
As those who let this happen
Pay tribute with meaningless wreaths of flowers
And chant slogans that trivialize
In the carnage and the ravages of terror
How many fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters were lost
Never to be seen again
And who should we blame?
Those that feed on venom and live to die and kill
With drugged vengeance in a Godless world
Or the callous indifference of old vultures who have lived their lives
Eating off the state – gutless, bottomless pits of greed
Who leave the waters of our land
Free for terror to sweep in like gusts of wind from the sea
And turn our monuments and pride to rubble?
Will the mind ever be without fear?
And will the heaven of freedom truly be delivered
In this promised land that our forefathers gave their lives for
Will a divided nation be further divided?
Or will we stand united -
Our pledge not confined to school prayers?
Will we be lost in stereotypes
And blame games and casual banter?
Or will we stand together like rocks that withstand the storm
And dare the world to enter our boundaries
Can the greatest minds in the world not make the greatest country?
All those who sleep in peace tonight
Remember the ones that let you do so…
Not just in martyrdom and death
Honor them in life...
Jai Hind!
In memory of the 21 brave men in uniform who laid down their lives in the carnage of November 2008 from the proud daughter of a man in uniform
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