Without delving into the details of convoluted histories of racism, this article is an impersonal view that looks into the present crises driven by the condemnable, bitter and ugly faces of racism, which recently has conspicuous presence in national and international media as “curry bushing”. It has become a popular jargon with the recent spate of violence in Australia that has spread its ugly tentacles to South Africa and other parts of the world.
Emigrant Indians in Australia are accused of being as “herd mentality”. Even in countries with a more lenient view towards emigrants such as Malaysia, Russia, etc have shown an unbelievably indifferent attitude towards Indians. But why not the same barrage of hatred towards people of other Asiatic origin? We, Indians, are accused of being confined to our own people and culture even in distant lands. That’s true if the cultural baggage we Indians inherently develop can not be left behind us as we geographically displace. There is no point in getting assimilated in a cultural melting point of a broader society where such mean and parochial view does not hold utmost importance.
The time has come for self introspection. I would not analyze from the perspective of international communities (may be later) but from our own demulsified societies. It is well known that people in the centre (or capital) are in more advantageous position than those who live in the periphery. They reap the benefits of all national developmental and social upliftment policies. This gradually results in the development of a superior feeling. And, in acute cases, into “megalomaniac,” originating from misconstrued sense of being superior to others.
A few narratives from my friends and colleagues’ experience here in Delhi will evince how retrograde views the mainstream society has inculcated towards the people of other regions, especially of the Northeast. Though Delhi claims to be a cosmopolitan society, I have failed to see any trace of cosmopolitanism among most Delhites. The non-natives (I mean neither brown nor black skinned) are subjected to constant humiliation and distrust. I have been in Delhi for more than a decade and painstakingly failed to connive native’s view towards their own Northeastern counterpart as an inherent, integral part of India. Recently the topic sprang up when a few old friends and I gathered together in a social occasion. They narrated many such incidents and strangely both the well educated and illiterates are involved. A friend said, “…being in a multinational company of repute, I am wonderstruck at my colleague’s remark who boast of being in a significant position. His colleague’s remark was “you people from Assam, Manipur, Nepal and China are same in looks”. And when he tried to explain physiognomical differences of Northeastern people his colleague did not bother to listen and commented sarcastically, “No matter wherever you come from, Assam, Manipur or Nagaland, you all have same physical characteristics.” Had it been a comment from someone illiterate and mischievous from amidst the urban village (similar to a remote village in far flung areas where education is a distant reality), I would not refer here as an example of discussion. Now, if we analyze the background and history of these people we will find most of them are highly educated and of effluent family. Why then such meanness in their mind? Does the lexicon of mainstream India revolve around Kashmir in the north; Bihar, Bengal and Orissa in the east; Gujarat and Rajasthan in the west; and Kerala in the south? In Delhi where undoubtedly the best educational institutions from schools to universities exist, geographical ignorance and cultural diversities about India would in no case be convincible and acceptable. Is this because of their feeling of superiority (which I term as damnably fallible) being in the capital of India? Or simply oblivious to the world outside of their own. Being posited in the centre without any comprehensible sense of their being is worth comparable to barbarics in no-no hinterlands.
This is not a berate from someone who holds a distrust or a diabolical view of Indian society, but to remind people of an India wherein a confluence of multicultural and multiethnic society has flourished from the Harappan or Indus valley civilization.
Weconscious has come up by combining two words “WE” & “CONSCIOUS”. Thereby meaning, we the people who ought to be conscious about our rights & duties. We Conscious is a pious effort to highlight, show, and educate people of the various monsterheads of corruption, moral degradation and gross civic negligence that are rampant in our society. It’s an effort to highlight the illegalities we suffer on day to day basis.
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We are more racist than anyone else. Can you imagine ‘Fair and Lovely’ adverts being aired in the West?
It’s not only about adverts. Lower caste people are not allowed inside the temples till date as well. We have liberated ourselves for our convenience only. We are yet to liberate our minds from the typical mindset of discriminating people on different grounds.
in fact most of people are in all over the world narrow minded and idiots. i also hold the view that indians are the most racist people in the world. delhi people’s treatment of northeast people show their stupidity only in fact i have some wonderful friedns like u from the northeast. in fact “prejudice is an excuse for not taking the pain for learning”
True, we are devided, thats the hard truth we have to accept, not going far and giving so many instances, just see during our election period, how our leaders and people vote not on the basis of merit but according to cast, religion and creed… really sad for India.
Not only politicians but the participants in reality shows do the same thing when they ask for votes.
We “Indains” are the real hypocrites, can see the example of “Racism” in own “Maharashtra”(b/w UP vs MARATHIS).
These ppl didn’t understand that first we are humans then we belong to some RACE.
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