Currently, I am reading this novel, Namesake. It’s about a Bengali family settled in America, the problems they face, the Bengali’s they meet etc. The novel’s good but what troubles me is that it’s a Bengali family not an Indian family and the people they meet over there are Bengalis and not Indians. Even as far as I remember, there’s no mention of India in the novel, until what I have read….
I am not pointing this out at the author or the Bengalis, but at the tragedy that our country (if it really exists) faces.
Whenever someone introduces himself to you, the state always finds its place (I am not saying that the state is given more priority than the country, coz the country is given no priority at all). This point can be defended by saying that you need not mention you are Indian, when in India. But then what abroad? Aren’t there we suppose to introduce ourselves as Indians and not as Punjabis or Bengalis or Marathis???
There are a few guys in my company who think of me as their friend, a very good friend in fact, even though I haven’t spoken much with them. And this is just because we come from the same state. Whenever we are sitting in a group, they start conversing with me in Marathi and neglect others present who don’t know Marathi. As if this is not enough, they view others who are not from our state as being someone of inferior species.
Though I hate them for this attitude, I have to accept that this is through no fault of their own. They have been taught like this right from their birth. This is no fault of their parents either, coz they too have been taught the same thing. “You r Mr. X and You are a Marathi”. (Not an Indian, but a Marathi.. Damn It…..)
This is not the case just with Marathis, but with every state, every region in India. Even the education system is filled with this stuff, maybe not intentionally.
Thus it has happened that states have become more than a region of the country that we live in, and sometimes even replace our country.
India was formed as a Union of States. 60 years have passed and it’s still a Union of States. Not a country, but a bunch of states fighting among themselves for every silly issue possible.
Hence, I think sometimes…. Where the hell is my country??? Does it exist anywhere except in the nationality column in one’s passport???
I am not pointing this out at the author or the Bengalis, but at the tragedy that our country (if it really exists) faces.
Whenever someone introduces himself to you, the state always finds its place (I am not saying that the state is given more priority than the country, coz the country is given no priority at all). This point can be defended by saying that you need not mention you are Indian, when in India. But then what abroad? Aren’t there we suppose to introduce ourselves as Indians and not as Punjabis or Bengalis or Marathis???
There are a few guys in my company who think of me as their friend, a very good friend in fact, even though I haven’t spoken much with them. And this is just because we come from the same state. Whenever we are sitting in a group, they start conversing with me in Marathi and neglect others present who don’t know Marathi. As if this is not enough, they view others who are not from our state as being someone of inferior species.
Though I hate them for this attitude, I have to accept that this is through no fault of their own. They have been taught like this right from their birth. This is no fault of their parents either, coz they too have been taught the same thing. “You r Mr. X and You are a Marathi”. (Not an Indian, but a Marathi.. Damn It…..)
This is not the case just with Marathis, but with every state, every region in India. Even the education system is filled with this stuff, maybe not intentionally.
Thus it has happened that states have become more than a region of the country that we live in, and sometimes even replace our country.
India was formed as a Union of States. 60 years have passed and it’s still a Union of States. Not a country, but a bunch of states fighting among themselves for every silly issue possible.
Hence, I think sometimes…. Where the hell is my country??? Does it exist anywhere except in the nationality column in one’s passport???
what will u remember more from college....our gang or our batch??....answer that and you will know that what happens is but natural...
ReplyDeleteWhy do u glorify nations, but frown upon states ?
ReplyDeleteBoth are meager boundaries created by humans to fork out their identities in this vast pool of homo sapiens.
@sidj
ReplyDeletei didn't say what's happening is anybody's fault and yes, whats happening is but natural and cant be avoided... but sure it can be minimised by having a common education system all over the country....
@rookie
ReplyDeleteyou do glorify your family, dont you? as family is a group of individuals, so is nation... a group to which you belong....
n you have to think of it, coz people from other countries are competing against you as a nation, so to survive against them and remain in the competetion, you have to be a nation and not states....
i don't belong to any nation. its just a symbol to me which I require on my PP to travel around. Give me one way to travel arnd the world legitimately without being questioned and I'll forfeit this one.
ReplyDeletei agree with rookie on this...its nothing but lines on paper...
ReplyDelete@sidj n rookie
ReplyDeleteit would have been nothing more than lines on paper, but for the different cultures on either sides, different histories... These things bring about a great difference in the mentalities of people on either side...
Sidj... using the same ex as urs, think of the students from our college n those from the neighbouring degree college... U may say that the diff is just of names of colleges on deg cert. But no, there's much more...
Even after this diff, its possible to forget the lines and cooperate... But when some people (may be just 1%) of other groups (countries) make strategies against you, you have to safeguard your side first, before starting any cooperation...
infact, the other side is making strategies, because they too are afraid.. Of the 1% from your side...
Take the ex of nukes.. Everybody wants to destroy, but none has the guts to do it first....
@rookie
ReplyDeleteIf its just a symbol on you, how do you think its so important that you cannot travel arnd the world legitimately without it?
My dear friend, that thing on your PP represents the group of individuals you belong to, like your surname represents the family you belong to...
That symbol was not made in a day, but it took years of struggle by your forefathers... A struggle to gain self respect n freedom...
And its that struggle that makes the symbol so important, that just by showing it, you can travel anywhere arnd the world legitimately, withe free will n self respect...
@saurap
ReplyDeletetht's wht m saying...
why jst confine to the line of nation and dont go further states, districts, tehsils...
the same reasoning could be applied to justify there stands...
u jst can't go on justifying one thing, but turn ur face on other on the same grounds
my forefathers were not Indians, it came just few decades ago...
my history predates creation of India...
I would rather be more proud of that fact than of the line which were created few decades ago.
@rookie
ReplyDeletei was expecting u'll say this...
To acheive world peace and to make borders of countries matter nothing more than lines on maps, drawn for the convenience of administration, its necessary first to defend ourselves from other nations' aggressiveness... N u cant do that by standing against them as individual cities n states...
Peace cannot be achieved between a stronger and a weaker side. It is human nature to suppress the weaker one. So if truly want to acheive globalisation, its necessary to become one of the strongest nations. Then we can go to negotiation level and bring out a fair deal for all. The competetion for land n other resources is increasing, n if we keep fighting among ourselves like this, it will not be long before we'll become slaves of some other nation again.
N i m not justifying any fight. I m not saying that fighting between nations is valid. But if someone slaps me, i m not going to show him my other cheek to slap me again...
All the above justification can be applied between in cities n states of our country, but given that all these are governed centrally as India, its easier to bring uniform prosperity to all states.
And talking of history of our nation, it does not belong to last few decades, but last few millenia. Though boundries at that time were not as todays, but still our history has developed over these millenia.
N i m proud of that...
The total is always greater than the sum of its parts.. at least that holds true for India... good one.
ReplyDelete@arjun
ReplyDeleteNice said n nicely said....
interesting post. its rude how no one is our country is more of a statesman than a countryman.
ReplyDeleteps: every1 not no one. my humble apologies.
ReplyDelete@ScarletTd1es1er
ReplyDeleteThe worst part of this that most people take pride in doing this. And the remaining few criticise it in public but follow it in their personal life....
One probable reason for this maybe that most people dont get exposed to the rest part of the country. They live like frogs in a well. They can just imagine what its outside, but cant get the real picture.
I think we need more institutes like IITs n NITs which bring together youths from different part of the country and nuture the feeling of Indianness in them at an age when they can still be moulded...
Why so much heat...
ReplyDeleteWhat's in name?
Just Be happy
And Keep smiling..
its not heat dude,, just thoughts... ki why such thing happens...
Deletenot makes sense of saying sorry if i reply after 3 years... hehe...