The Cultural divide: Where perceptions rule the roost.

Many people tell you that the four years spent in an engineering college are the best of a person’s life. The social networking forums are filled with people who pine to relive their college days. These days are the ones which build your character and thought process. Accepted. But, what if the defining moment of your life came the day you left home for college?

The journey to Jharkhand from Bangalore was my first sojourn past the Vindhya Mountain Ranges (Yes. I visited a foreign country but have never ventured outside the southern states of India). When relatives and friends heard that the college I planned to go was in Jharkhand, there were cries of shock and dismay. How can you go to a ‘naxalite-infested land’ was their question. One of my father’s friend told me that people from north were not  cordial  to south-Indians  and  that I would face discrimination wherever I would go. However, I had to weigh the best options I had and finally made the journey to my college in Ranchi. Coming to college was an one-of-it’s kind of experience. The sheer number of people who had come to join the place was mind-boggling. The hostel was bursting with activity.  People were getting acquainted with each other .I made a few friends on the first day (people from different places) and attended a meeting called by the south-Indian guys in my batch. There were people who were relaying instructions from the south-Indian seniors saying that everyone speaking a particular language had to stay in a group. Though it struck me as  something that was odd, It was in conjunction with what people told me before I joined the place and I did not give much thought about it.

However,two incidents had an impact on me.

The first incident that made a mark on my mind happened during the workshop class which is a basic course that teaches you as to how the different industrial processes of making materials work. While I was roaming about the place aimlessly (It is the most boring course that a student can take. More on that on some other day) a classmate came to me and asked a question in Hindi about the journals to be maintained. Being pre-occupied with some random thoughts ,I missed his question and asked him to repeat it by saying ‘pardon me’. He mumbled ‘Oh! South Indian’ and walked away. I was rooted to the spot. Which person just walks away from you just because you are from another part of the country? Though disappointed, I continued to just walk around and converse with the others present. At the end of the day the same person walks up to me and asks me about my native place. On receiving the answer, he told me that I don’t look like a south Indian because I was of wheatish complexion and that all south Indians were dark. This was again an off the mark  statement for me. What was I supposed to think of.  And all south Indians are dark? From where do people get their knowledge from?

The second incident happened in the hostel mess when I was sitting along with some friends of mine. We were discussing about some political developments when a guy who was interested about it joined in. After half-an-hour or something he told me that I was the only south Indian he had felt comfortable talking  to. He narrated an experience wherein a guy from south asked him if he kept guns at his house because he was from Bihar. That question appeared ridiculous to me. As bad as the ‘all south Indians are dark’ comment.

 However, on that day something profound hit me. We have always let our perceptions define us. We have learnt to judge a book by it’s cover. Man always has a pre-conceived notion about everything under the sky. Not stopping at that, we have progressed to the level of judging people on the basis of our perceptions. This the sole reason as to why my friends and family did not want me to go to the north, why my classmate walked away and made some racist comments and why some guy had the question about people from Bihar. Any south-Indian guy is stereotyped to a person with oiled and combed hair with a fetish for lungis and an adulation for Rajinikanth (For the record ,he’s an amazing actor).Likewise, any guy from the north is said to have loose moral values and and  is usually an uncouth and obnoxious person. The movies and entertainment industry takes these things to a whole new level. I don’t intend to make cinemas a soft target here, but a recent Bollywood “Block-buster Hit” movie made me cringe in my seat. All the fake Tamilian accents, poor imitation of mannerisms , dress styles ( Tamilian people shown with  the ethnic dress of Kerala? Please get your act right,  Mr. Director!).Similarly, I have seen south-Indian movies  use  sentences such as  ”Bundle this guy to Bihar” ,”People from Jharkhand will come by the morning train, finish the target and go back by the evening one” and many others which are de-meaning and foolish. This attitude that we have towards other cultures must change.

On a personal level, I think that we must learn to enjoy the differences among us. I’ve had fantastic conversations with friends wherein we try to correct each other’s way of speaking. They tell me that a kitchen stove should be pronounced as ‘Stoov’ and not ‘ Stav’ as I do it. Another example is that of cucumber. I pronounce it as ‘kukumber’ and they call it ‘Q-cumber’. This has lead to some hilarious conversations which ended up in debating about the nuances of English grammar, the difference between the American and British English and about the logical fallacy of the Oxford dictionary. If you pronounce a word wrong, you are speaking the other version of English. Simple things such as ‘curry’ mean different things to us. For me, a ‘curry’ is something that has either  vegetables or gravy. They refer to a cooked vegetable with no gravy at all as ‘curry’. I mentally visualize India as North India and South India. Anything other than the four southern states are northern states. People corrected it and told me  that there is something called East and West also. According to me the lunch buffet is pronounced as ‘baffe’ whereas they call it ‘buffe’.The list is endless.

The fact that so many different ways of speaking and dialects exists  is a testament to the diversity of our country. We must learn to shun stereotypes  and embrace one other’s practices. Cultural differences should not play a role in the development of relationships. Every basket has it’s own rotten eggs. If I had really sulked at the way my classmate had behaved with me  at the start ,I would have missed an opportunity to interact with wonderful people. They might not be from the same place that I come from but it does not take away the sheer joy and pleasure that I derive by interacting with them.Today,I move with an eclectic mixture of people who will stand by me when I am in trouble-Maharashtrians, Bengalis, Biharis, Jharkandites  and Delhites-oops! I should address them as Indians. Instead of retreating into our own shells by only interacting with people who speak the same language let us be more accommodating and celebrate our differences!

Jai Hind!

In defence of the middle class Indian.

Several theories have been proposed as to why India did not achieve the status of a developed country. Nations which have been colonised under imperial powers and  countries torn down by wars around the same time of we achieving independence  have  better and impressive growth stories . The rupee rate is falling. People are growing apprehensive over the economic inflation which includes the rising prices of day to day commodities.

India was predominantly a country which depended on agriculture since times immemorial. People were happy growing crops, tending the cattle and reminiscing about the ancient glory of our land. The advent of the British in India changed the dynamics of the equation. There was a sudden surge in opportunities and the tactful and elite one’s held on to them with fervour .The average Indian still considered agriculture and it’s allied activities as the most satisfying occupation.

Since Independence a gradual shift came about in the attitude of the common man regarding higher education and the associated opportunities. As time passed, more and more rural population began to migrate to cities in hope of better living standards. They began scouting for jobs that would suit their craftsmanship and satisfy the family’s needs. The abolishment of Licence Raj, liberalisation of the Indian economy has heralded the growth of several Industries and in the process has created tens of thousands of jobs. Some of the people have managed to increase their efficiencies and have gained a footing in the clichéd “ Indian race to success”. Their kids have been privy to a decent education and a job which is enough to run their families. This set of population has been christened as ‘Middle Class’.

The reason as to why I touched upon this topic is that there is a fad which is on the rise since a decade. Statements are being made that politicians are corrupt because people are corrupt. The middle class man is perceived as one who is too effeminate in solving problems that have plagued this country. We are told that each one of us has learned to accept corruption .Time and again, if not a news anchor, an author, if not both of them, a diplomat or a self-perceived intellectual, someone or the  other has blamed the common  man’s indifference as the root cause of sorrow in this country. The verdict is out. The common man is the cause for corruption in this country.

I beg to differ with this prevalent notion. Corruption is a norm in this country and not an exception. People who try to blame the average Indian for every problem have to introspect about their eligibility to speak about the mind-set of a common man. As an example, a traffic case slapped for driving without valid documents might take months to come up for hearing. The constable who asks for a bribe to let go off your vehicle might have to keep his superiors happy. The pecking order is unclear. Going for a driving licence without the help of an agent is equivalent to running a marathon race. You are given a list of papers to be submitted and surprisingly the list changes with every trip undertaken to the Xerox shop. The process culminates when you finally offer a crisp five hundred rupee note. The dust settles down immediately. The people start moving with such alacrity that you are left brooding over the time wasted in trying to beat the system. These particular incidents might appear trivial. But these traits repeat themselves across the length and breadth of the country in every walk of life.

The first value that we are taught in life is that honesty is the best policy.  Our historical epics have preached the principles of righteousness. We were told about the way in which god manifests himself on earth in the form of man to fight all evils. All of us believe that we are living in a model and upright world. Suddenly, life hits you. You realise that you are nothing but a mere pawn in this grand scheme of things where everyone tries to rip you of your imbibed values and hard-earned money. The value education lessons learnt in primary school begin to appear as the greatest lie ever told. The inscription on the national emblem, ’Satyameva Jayathe’ starts mocking you .Unable to swim against the tide, you cave in and accept defeat. Whenever your conscience pricks you, the ‘Why should I?’ question assuages it.

The ‘why should I’   attitude is not without its reasons. Corruption is just on the top of the problem. The rot has penetrated deeper.  A man bringing back a gold biscuit after years of hard work in a foreign country is asked to pay import duty. This gold biscuit is then included in the wealth tax that he has to pay, year after year while our Netas are allowed to store millions of dollars in tax havens. If you want to secure the future of your family and opt for a life insurance you are asked to pay service tax on the premium. More insurance policies make way for lower premiums and valuable benefits. Bringing an Industry which offers no service in the traditional way under the ambit of service tax is making a mockery of the hard efforts of people. Service tax is also added to the VAT in the restaurant. On the other hand greasing of bureaucrats for sops to private companies is given a fanciful term ‘Corporate lobbying’. Nobody gives an explanation as to where the tax payer’s money is going. Rules are bent to favour the elite. Cases are levelled against people who threaten to question the system. The nation’s top organisations which are run on public funds are being used for personal gains and political mileage .The RTI bill is passed, but applicants are murdered. The common man remains a mute spectator to the great drama that has been unfolding since decades.

If corruption is the way to get out of a murky, unfair and a fractured system, it is something that people are willing to do. When even judges are accepting bribes to grant bail to cash swindling- ministers, the corruption encouraged and accepted by the system is a ray of light that offers solitude to the common man.

 Man craves for safety, security and a decent standard of living. Corruption is the price that the average Indian is paying to survive in this great democracy.

Why this blog?

After months of postponing the start of this blog,it is  finally  up and running. However, I figured out that the 500 character limit that Blogger imposes as the introduction of the blog is too  less to convey the purpose of this blog and the topics that it is going to deal with.

Let me tell you an incident that really touched me.I study at Birla Institute of Technology,Mesra.The train journey back to my place ,Bangalore. is a very long one traversing as many as four different states.The train passes through the eastern side of the country and takes a swerve in Andhra Pradesh to enter Karnataka.On that day,I struck a conversation with a middle-aged farmer who seemed as much bored of the journey as I was.He began explaining about the crop he grows and the agricultural methods that he uses.Though a class 6 dropout,he was well acquainted with the changes that have come in farming and also had a good grasp of the importance given to agricultural practices in various government policies and plans. While we were travelling along the coastal villages of Andhra Pradesh,acres and acres of crop that were damaged met our eyes.Other people sitting in the compartment told us that the scene before our eyes was due to the damage caused by a cyclone which had hit the state a few days ago.Mounds of rotten crop were strewn across fields.The farmer sitting across me was looking intently at the fields which had a depressing look about them.All the conversation that was going on around me in the train was about the average farmer who provides food that we eat and the losses that he has to face.The farmer sitting opposite me maintained a stoic silence all through it.One could witness the pain he was going through.He considered the loss of a fellow farmer as that of his own.

This incident re-iterated my beliefs that all our countrymen have a common thread connecting their values and emotions.We idolize our cricketing heroes,whistle when our favorite star comes on screen,blame the apathy of the system after reading the newspaper every morning,haggle at markets and other places,applaud talent and academic excellence and many more.It is this connection at the basic human level that has enabled us to survive as the largest democracy even though customs ,traditions and practices vary with every 100 kilometers of distance travelled.

This blog will enunciate that common thread..The opinion of a nation trying to impart it's footprints on the sands of time.From Panchayats to Parliament,Cricket to issues with China,Show stoppers to Social workers,everyone and everything will be spoken of !

For a better India!