India - lost and found

India is such a fascinating place to live in. I have always been bewildered by the unassuming ways with which we Indians tend add colour to our otherwise mundane, routine lives.

What I like about India is that we successfully blend our cultural past with our mechanized future. And that’s not just affecting the young work force we see bustling in and out of call centres throughout the day. It is affecting the subha ki chai ke liye fresh milk laane wala doodhwala, the street children who play cricket in the gulleys and the nukkads and also the Pujaris who offer daily prayers in Temples and Shrines.

Wait! Let me elaborate this point… with an illustration you know.

One fine morning, on Marine Drive, when I was sprinting to college (something I have to do each day to reach class on time), I noticed a scooter approaching in my direction. There were tens of cars running in the same direction as well; but what made me take notice of this scooter in particular, was its rider. I observed that the rider was a Jain priest who was heading to the Derasar, dressed in the traditional white attire that is peculiar to Shwetambar Jains.

However, it’s sorrowful that we have learned to overlook such out-of-the-box instances in our everyday lives. I mean, when you are swapping channels and you decide to watch the firangis stroll the colourful markets of Rajasthan or visit the fishing village of the Noila community in Orissa, you see your own countrymen doing wonderfully crazy stuff. Like yogis who have been sitting in Dhyaan since 15 days, tribesmen doing street performance to collect alms, a ragpicker in tattered clothes heading back home to switch on her television set to watch her favourite serial Big Boss 4, et al.

I remember I was watching a serial on Fox History Channel. The anchor was Malishka, the RJ woman and she was touring a remote area in Karnataka. She met this localite who was applying kajal on his eyes with his legs. That’s not all; he was applying kajal with the tip of a knife. That’s correct! Do you ever see something so awfully unusual and dangerous anywhere else?

India is a pot-pourri of various indigenous talents. Unfortunately, India has long forgotten the Desi mitty ka swaad. We have become so dependent on the West that we need their serials like America’s got talent and American Idol, to imitate and then showcase ourselves and our people.

The west’s glamour has had a blinding effect on our eyes. We have nothing but devalued our worth in the World market.

Open up your eyes to all the wonderful people around you. Let’s embrace our people the way we have embraced international chain stores like gelato ice-cream, KFC and Domino’s (forgive the unrelated association. I can’t think of anything else at this moment as I’m starving. But I’m not going to binge on a Mc D burger. I’m going to have daal bhaat. Sounds like a bad alternative? Not to me, not anymore.)

To sum it all up in 2 simple words, this is ‘Incredible India’!!!! :)