Over a billion people, more than 700 different languages and
cultures, hundreds of casts and sects and a very unique and illustrious
history; yes I am talking about the country encompassed from three sides with
water and watched over by the great Himalayas itself from the other side. This
is the only place in the whole world inhabited by omnifarious “hoi polloi” and
owing to all these facets, this land is referred to as the incredible India but
talking about its inhabitants - Are they incredible? Well, most of us are
acquainted with this fact and I am echoing it again that we are not. This
wouldn’t sound musical to our ears but there is one peculiarity in our nature that
might again make us alive and kicking and that is our quality of blending in or
rather trying to blend in.
Most of the people of Indian origin residing in a foreign
country go in for the way of living, estranged to most of us in a jiffy and adapt
themselves to their lifestyle. They modulate almost every aspect of their
personality but for their dialect, which undeniably is a burden. This is very
typical of most of the Indian people but our neighbors residing in the same
country and that too in numbers comparative to or more than ours are not
appreciative of this unique attribute that directs me towards a very
conspicuous question. If it is such a rare virtue, why doesn’t every immigrant hold
it? Are they hesitant in adaptation or are they inept? Do they wish to preserve
their own lifestyle in a foreign nation or are they frightened of an unfamiliar
society? I am not in a spot to make a riposte on behalf of our neighbors but I
think that they try to keep possession of their lifestyle and their culture
wherever they go, which I think is admirable. So, are we Indians losing sight
of this very fact that we hail from a country considered synonymous to
incredible or are we right on? Now, this is a million dollar question.
It is good to blend in and to get the hang of other cultures
and societies but we should at least give an iota of a thought before acting. Neither
we should act like our neighbors and stay in our restricted boundaries, nor we
should start singing a different tune altogether. There is a thin line between
these two and we have to pick it out for our betterment. I am not expressing my
anguish but trying to unravel the paramount problem of we Indians.
