The Obsessed Indians!

Its been seven days since I have landed in India after spending almost 16 months living and visiting 11 countries. It was an overwhelming experience meeting so many people from different walks of life and learning about their lives, language and culture. The amount of knowledge that I exchanged during this time has shaped me into a different person than what I was when I had left India. My studies on space and international relations has changed my perspective of this world and helped me to view it in an unbiased manner. 

But as soon as I returned to the place I belong to, none among my near and dear ones were interested to know about my experiences or what I learnt academically. No one asked how I felt about meeting so many astronauts for real! What everyone was more obsessed was the shape of my body and the colour of my skin. The most important topic of discussion for my family and friends was how I have changed/not changed physically. How I got bulkier even after eating low-fat European food and darker even after being in the Land of Whites! Some had the opposite views too- that I have become slimmer and fairer!

Welcome to the world of common Indians! This is how we are and this is what I never experienced in the past 16 months. Racism, regionalism, communism, sexism are so well dissolved in our blood that it generally goes unnoticed. A common Indian loves to flaunt such ideologies even if there is absolutely no requirement for such remarks. It often seems that we are born to preserve these thoughts in the name of tradition and it is the vision, ambition and goal of our lives. We are completely tolerant to such discrimination and instant judgements in our daily lives. 

Only a person with proper conscience can sense that something is horribly wrong. The situation was very different during my time in Europe. Not even once did anyone comment on my physical appearance while I was there. I walked unconcerned and worked happily without getting worried about being a plump brown girl! I was accepted by everyone as I was and I accepted others as they were. Living in the Land of Whites does not make us fair mysteriously! Europe is rich in ethnicity irrespective of its climate. The same land is also the home for numerous black and brown people who have lived there for ages and they still bear the same colour as their ancestors. 

This might be rude to some readers and they would brand me as an unpatriotic Indian with western influence. But no matter how much we deny it, this is the truth of our society. It is not a generation problem as even the young generation is gripped by this obsession. We are more interested in unsubstantial talks about color, caste, marriage and physique. It is strange to realize that we are not capable of thinking beyond these issues. It is difficult to strike a proper logical conversation here without getting into these topics. This also hinders the development of rationale and scientific temperament in the society. We hardly talk about disruptive inventions, higher ambitions, making positive changes and uplifting the society. Some of those who do, rise above the common strata and go on to become successful. I can only hope that in the next few decades more Indians become successful in its entirety that will give them a psychological enlightenment. It is also necessary that they come out of their cocoon and interact with other diverse creatures living outside their own self-defined world!