I Am An Indian

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A man once asked a friend of mine what made an Indian different from others. She was used to this question as she had met many people from abroad and it was one of those questions that were always hurled at her, at some point in the conversation. She talked about Vedas, Upanishads, Yoga, sadhus, gurus, temples, festivals, tradition, culture, diversity, and values etc. She was so versed with answers that she spoke with élan leaving the man from abroad with awe of our history, diversity and culture. Later, one day when we met, she asked me if that was actually what made us different or it was just the answer everybody wanted to listen. It planted a seed that started growing within us – who were we, as a country.

When we started discussing we realized we had stereotyped ourselves over the years based on how we had been portrayed by others. We didn’t read Vedas; we didn’t read Upanishads; we didn’t really bother much about our tradition or culture; we had lived like kids in any other country; our aspirations were no different from anyone. It seemed to us that we had been stuck to the idea of remote past in words but our spirit had joined the exodus of development the whole world was in. The India of today was like any other country on the planet. Though we said it we didn’t really feel it: something was missing but we couldn’t figure what it was. Was it possible that seeking for a difference was just an illusion and we were similar to everybody else on the planet?

We had witnessed a lot and we often showed pride in it but then every country had been through the same. The raiders, the destruction, the monarchs, the division, the struggle, the independence, the unification it’s a story of every region in this world. Though there is always this strong urge to say we have seen more than others, seeing it critically we know every country in this world have their own story to tell, as real as ours.

You ask any Indian today what he or she wants from life, you would probably get the same answer you would get from a German, French, and an Italian etc. So, it seems we don’t have any difference. We are just like everybody else in our history, thoughts or aspirations. I thought I had reached the end of my wits but one day a conversation with my grandmother rejuvenated my idea of India as a country and I saw something I had been missing till then.

We were having our lunch together. My brother was watching the debate on television between Hindus and Muslims. Representative of both religions were blaming the other. Personally, I detested such debates but I saw my grandmother silently smiling listening to it. I asked her what was so funny about it. I told her that this was the reason our country didn’t develop like many other countries. We were still stuck up in delusion of some grandeur in remote past. She didn’t say anything but kept smiling. After lunch, she asked me if I could come to the temple with her.

As we sat in the garden surrounding the temple, after her prayers she asked me, ‘What is India according to you?’ I said it was a country of confused people where everybody thought they knew what was good for the country. She smiled and said, ‘you know this country is like a railway station. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhist, Britishers, French, Portuguese, they all came to this station from faraway places and the station accepted them. The station doesn’t belong to anyone but people choose their areas. At times, there are little conflicts but that ends soon. This is the only country where xenophobia doesn’t have a translation. “Athiti deva bhavo” has been the rule of this land since the very beginning. It is not some policy for development of tourism. Son, this land accepts everyone and the conflicts you see is just the shifting of people on station to accommodate a new family and the family keeps growing. India is acceptance.’

For many days that followed and it started making sense to me. Whether it was religion or way of life or people of different skin colour, India had made space for everyone. The country had accepted everyone without prejudice. Few people tried to claim on the land but gradually it fizzled away. The journey hadn’t been the smoothest but it keeps accepting as if it has a heart as big as that of the God. Nobody can take a credit for it but the land called India has been gifted with this acceptance unparalleled in human history. It is made, destroyed and then made again but then as my grandmother said it is just a shuffling to accommodate new family and the family grows. It might not be the most affluent family in the world but it is the biggest family in the world. Critics might talk about problems but then is there any family that doesn’t have any problems. It’s a way family runs.

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