The other day I was watching Chak De, yeah yeah the Shahrukh
Khan starrer which introduced us to “Women's Hockey”. It also proved that
Shahrukh Khan can play a better role where he doesn’t have to open his arms in
the air, or dance in sarso ke khet. It was a good watch. I quite enjoyed the
scene when the players are introducing themselves with their names followed by the
names of their respective states, pissing off their new coach, our Hero. He finally makes
them realize how they are representing a country and not a state anymore. Quite bollywood I must say. Nonetheless, the movie was such a break
from some non sense movies that bollywood has been shoving down our throats, off late. Par
real life mein aisa hota hai kya? I doubt.
If you are an Indian and are living in a state/place/city
away from your hometown (which may also be a place where you originally don’t
belong to) you must have at least come across one of these statements in your
lifetime.
1.
Our city was far far better before “outsiders”
crowded it.
2.
The city was cleaner before, thanks to the “outsiders”
who make it dirty.
3.
You “outsiders”, you live in our city, take away
our jobs, and show us attitude.
4.
Oh! God the pollution has increased, thanks to “outsiders”.
And my most favourite, "these outsiders live in our city and
abuse it too." J I
have heard this one umpteen number of times. There is no exhaustive list; it
can go on and on. We Indians, always try to find an easy way out. And the easiest thing to have ever been done
is “Blame”. We blame the govt, the neighbor, the auto driver, the man driving
next to you, the school teacher, the paper wala, doodhwala, the domestic help,
the spouse, the in laws and the kids too, sometimes that inanimate table and
chair too. I have started refraining from Facebook these days because it has
become a strong medium of people to blame each other. And I am guilty too. I am
sure sometime in my career as Facebookian (that’s a new term), I must have also
blamed someone. Sad!
Thankfully, I don’t carry the guilt of calling someone an
outsider, directly or indirectly. I have been sane enough to refrain from that. My soul doesnt carry the heavy burden of being a racist. Thank goodness for Maa Baap ke sanskaar or gurujaon ka asshirwaad. ;) (That’s
what one of my aunt says when I do something that she considers right.) J
So what is that I am trying to say? Simple, I want to
understand who is an outsider in India and who is an insider? Going by the
current trend and tides, I understand that anyone who is not a local is an
outsider. Insider is the one who speaks the local language, who belongs to a
community that for generations has known to be from that particular city, who
has a particular last name, etc etc. If not then, you better accept that you
are outsider. No debates. No no it doesn’t matter if you share a bond with the
place, or if you love the city more than home, or if you are working your best
to make it a better place, or if you are a law abiding citizen. Told you right,
it just doesn’t matter. You are an outsider and that’s it. Sorry to break your bubble but I just can't help it.
The first time someone called me an outsider, I cried
buckets, sobbed like someone had snatched my identity. It was like someone
invited me to feast on yummy rasgullas and then all I was served was long,
green, spicy chillies. Okay, bad example but that’s exactly how I felt. The
spice was so strong that I can still feel a tinge on my tongue, sometimes okay
most of the times.
How could they call me an outsider? I growled. I am an
Indian, and I am living in India. This is my right. My constitution gives me
the right to do so. But who was I fighting with? With my own people. They were
mine. Their passports were made in “India”. Their identity to the exterior
world was that of an Indian. They spoke a language that so many other Indians
spoke. They were the same crazy people who thronged the streets when India
grabbed the world cup. They were the same people I walked with silently holding
a candle in my hand when a daughter of my country was violated. They were the
same people who took matters in their hands when the city I live in needed help
to preserve its lakes, its heritage. Yet! I was an outsider. I was slapped with
it on my face or punched hard.
And mind you, I am not talking about the “uneducated-ganwaar-anpadh
log”. Here I was with the “elite - literate - class - padhe - likhe - log" who thought
so. In fact very recently someone told me that “they are the most down to earth
and easy people to live with”. No denying that however saying that we are
better than the rest sucks. However, what can you do to correct it? For ages we
have been programmed to believe that we are the best. See, all our states are
divided based on the languages of the masses; our politicians have enforced a
culture which glorifies a particular language and demeans the other. People
kill each other in the name of language, religion, caste, creed, community etc
etc. Sadly, we are still following that. We are refusing to look at the world
with open eyes and an open heart. We have toiled so hard to eradicate casteism
from our country which specifically meant that the so called higher caste
people are better than the ones in the so called lower caste. But then we are
still stuck with our differences. When will we learn to celebrate our
differences? So much for our Prime Minister’s “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat”
campaign.
I also know of people who live in developed cities and make
fun of the no so developed people and the states. Then, how on earth can we
progress as a nation? Then how the hell are we different from these so called
politicians who make use of divisive politics for their ulterior motives? And
then we sulk ki India aisa kyun hai? I don’t want to get preachy; please it is
not my forte ;) All I know is that no individual is known or rather should not be
known by his religion, caste, creed, or community. They don’t choose it. They
are just born there. But this little thing is tough to be accepted by many.
So, finally I have gracefully accepted it and silently
snubbed the logical Indian that lived inside me. So if now people call me an
outsider I smile and say THANK YOU. Thank you to make me realize, we still have
a long way to go. Thank you to make me understand that mere education cannot
open the minds of certain individuals. Thank you for opening my eyes to the sad
state of affairs in my own nation…Thank you, now I know that when I bring up my
kids what I shouldn’t teach them. Thank you, so much. I also call some of these
“we are the better community” or “we are better people” Morons in my head
multiple times. This is racism, crystal clear.
Hey, I was just thinking how does it work in inter caste or
inter community marriages? Perhaps, this insane thinking that “we are the
better breed” kills so much of love in the society. And how would couples in
love from different communities address each other? Something like, “O my wife-
from- the -better community, what’s up for dinner? Or, Oh! My “best- language-in-the-world-speaking –husband” let us go for a movie. Seriously? J
R and I speak different languages, belong to different
communities. Thankfully we were sane enough to love our differences too. Did I
tell you, my mother in law is a bong and she addresses me as “mei” in Bangla. I know of so so so many Indians who have developed love for a language foreign to them. I know of Indians who love feasting on dishes that are prepared in communities different from theirs. And I know of friendships which have stood the test of time, irrespective of their differences. Such people restore my faith in humanity, in Indians. In fact both my best friends speak languages that I don't know. One is a Bong and the other is a Kannadiga. They have showered so much love on me in spite of the differences in our culture and language. I believe, some love needs to be injected in the society. We
have a lot more to learn from our movies than just the songs, sigh!
This topic is quite stressful; trust me. I suggest, let us breathe
deeeeeeeeply and relax. Time for some good news.
India's shining star - the unbreakable, Mary Kom has won gold again for India. Ah! Such a proud
moment for India, for her, for her family, and for all of us, isn’t it?
Oh! By the way does she belong to your state or community or
does she speak your language? ;)
So from an Outsider (I am not from Manipur) to an Insider
(she represented India and not just Manipur) a hearty congratulations to you, Mary! You go girl, go
conquer the world! More power to you.
Love,
K
 |
| Photo credit: www.mylearning.org |
No comments:
Post a Comment