One topic that has been pushing its way into my mind is that of the ex-Indian. The ex-Indian is a curious creature who has spent the majority of his life in India ( having been born and educated here) and the rest elsewhere usually the US or UK for Indians in the Gulf are never awarded citizenship of their country of residence so they remain essentially Indians. The ex-Indian looks like a regular Indian but for the accent and the dependence on faded t-shirts and shorts as a lifestyle statement. Of course there is another important thing that sets these exalted creatures apart – a piece of paper that says they are now officially a citizen of the country of their choice. In other words if one had no idea that they possessed said piece of paper, it was easy enough to mistake them for er..locals.
I have no issues with ex-Indians or pseudo-Indians or even fair-weather Indians. However I do have a problem with someone criticizing my country after they have chosen to leave it for greener pastures. Everyone has the right to choose where they want to live and raise their kids and I respect that. I do not respect their newfound ridicule for the country of their birth however. Not only is that akin to ridiculing your own mother, its also patently forgetting your road to whatever level of success you are convinced you have attained.
In college I had met all sorts of rabidly political guys – extreme in their views both to the left and the right. Now I see them embracing the very things they scoffed – mostly they (be they former RSS supporters or ardent Communists) argue about Obama’s policies and make sure they tell everyone back here that they voted for him. Afflicted with an increasing loss of memory they now laugh at everything Indian but do not forget to remind the world of their ‘Indianness’ when we win the World Cup in cricket. Human nature, you say? Well of course it is – animals rarely have this conflict in their soul.
The pseudo-Indian is an ex-Indian in soul but due to the exigencies of circumstance has been forced to live in India. This includes the newly-rich who suddenly don’t think the country is good enough for them and make sure their kids poop only in imported potties as well as the ex-Indian who has not managed to survive something traumatic like a job loss in their beloved new country and comes back to the country that he hates but acknowledges to be more viable economically.
The fair-weather Indian supports India when the going gets good and criticizes it remorselessly when the going gets bad. These guys are also ex-Indians but have chosen to return to India permanently with the rider that “if things get too bad, we can always go back”. This particular set of people although tending to be boastful, still make some attempt at integrating with the society around them.
Then there are those who call themselves neither Indians nor Americans – they have the coveted US passport but do not act like that its a God-given gift. They live simply and contribute meaningfully to the society. They don’t go overboard one way or the other and can find things to celebrate in the country of their birth as well as the land of their choosing. They are a pleasure to interact with because they do not go on endlessly about life in the good old wherever. They don’t shy away from responsibility and they are open to change whenever possible. Their children can move back and forth between worlds seamlessly and can be as passionate about cricket as they can about baseball. To me they represent a nice balance which is not really all that difficult to achieve.
To all ex-Indians I have but one thing to say – pick a side and stick to it. Do not use your country of birth as a safety net. Above all respect your route to your present, forgetting your roots makes for a very shallow existence.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Just Cricket
The cup runneth over – in this case probably with champagne since after 28 years, India has won the World Cup in cricket. The joy of a nation was tremendous to behold. Celebrations were on a scale that is difficult to describe. The country rejoiced as one – millions of throats grew hoarse chanting “Indiaaa” and of course “Sachin”.
It is hard to explain to a non-Indian why this sport is followed with so much fervour in this country. I don’t claim to understand all the nuances myself. I like watching cricket and I love cheering for my country – its as simple as that when all is said and done. But why only cricket? And why do we not love cricket itself as a sport but tend to love only our team playing and winning? Again I am far from qualified to answer that. I can only guess at a few factors based on the way I comprehend the manic frenzy of the Indian cricket-lover.
In no other field do we feel like we have a chance to succeed and impress the rest of the world. Its almost as if beating England in cricket makes up for three hundred years of colonization and beating Australia is a way to get back our pride after too many bouts of humiliation. Against Pakistan, let no one even attempt to dissemble – its an outright war. There’s no grace or dignity that comes into play – we want to decimate them. So for most purposes cricket is our weapon to get back at the world or rather a tool to carve a place for ourselves in the world that is right out there in the sun.
Another interesting aspect is that for us our current Indian captain shows true leadership. The kind of leadership we don’t get from our politicians. We are embarrassed by our silly President and fed up with our ineffective Prime Minister. We are not interested in hearing about yet another scam or sleazy scandal. When we have nowhere to turn for inspiration, we look to our cricket team to lift us out of the mundane and elevate our life to the sublime even if it is only for a few brief moments.
We get inspired – we believe we can fly when we see Dhoni hit that final six with a flourish. We cry out loud with sheer happiness. This is why we burden Sachin with a billion expectations. This is why we think he is God – in a country where very often one wonders whether there really is a God watching out for us, only a manifestation of almost poetic sporting ability seems to be true divinity. This isn’t mere cricket – for the majority it is a religion.
It is hard to explain to a non-Indian why this sport is followed with so much fervour in this country. I don’t claim to understand all the nuances myself. I like watching cricket and I love cheering for my country – its as simple as that when all is said and done. But why only cricket? And why do we not love cricket itself as a sport but tend to love only our team playing and winning? Again I am far from qualified to answer that. I can only guess at a few factors based on the way I comprehend the manic frenzy of the Indian cricket-lover.
In no other field do we feel like we have a chance to succeed and impress the rest of the world. Its almost as if beating England in cricket makes up for three hundred years of colonization and beating Australia is a way to get back our pride after too many bouts of humiliation. Against Pakistan, let no one even attempt to dissemble – its an outright war. There’s no grace or dignity that comes into play – we want to decimate them. So for most purposes cricket is our weapon to get back at the world or rather a tool to carve a place for ourselves in the world that is right out there in the sun.
Another interesting aspect is that for us our current Indian captain shows true leadership. The kind of leadership we don’t get from our politicians. We are embarrassed by our silly President and fed up with our ineffective Prime Minister. We are not interested in hearing about yet another scam or sleazy scandal. When we have nowhere to turn for inspiration, we look to our cricket team to lift us out of the mundane and elevate our life to the sublime even if it is only for a few brief moments.
We get inspired – we believe we can fly when we see Dhoni hit that final six with a flourish. We cry out loud with sheer happiness. This is why we burden Sachin with a billion expectations. This is why we think he is God – in a country where very often one wonders whether there really is a God watching out for us, only a manifestation of almost poetic sporting ability seems to be true divinity. This isn’t mere cricket – for the majority it is a religion.
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