The other day I was just watching another popular flick that perhaps triggered some emotion deep inside me that perhaps was not known to me previously as well. We see so many movies and there are often myriad of emotions we experience. Dwelling deeper into the topic and just having a one to one chat with myself, while walking down on the road on my way to the local supermarket, I stumbled upon a quintessential question that took me on a journey of imagination about what is being Indian to the world?
Have you ever wondered as an Indian what it must be like to be an Indian from the eyes of the westener? I remember doing my soft skills presentation for IInd semester MBA and during the course of the end days, we were required to give a presentation. We chose the topic related to India. What makes it worthwhile to mention about the same here is one of those memorable nights, when I was with my friend Samiran Ghosh, one who has great intellect, for whom I hold great esteem and respect and one with whom I really love to brainstorm.
So, while brainstorming we were pondering upon the fact that it is totally something different to be living in India and being Indian from what people actually might think about us. And taking a lead from there as I write now, I am wondering what is India all about to the world? Of course the but natural and the most obvious answer that almost any kid down the road might answer is India “ The land of snake charmer and elephants. But I am sure we are much more than that, aren’t we! India is all about a myriad assortments of dishes served in a food exhibition. It is about culture, it is about color, spice, variety, diversity, religion, beautiful landscapes, and of course the sensual beauty of the Indian Woman. Irrespective of what you talk about, be it the rugged himalyas or the serene backwaters of Kerala, the spicy tandoori chicken of the north or the steaming idli’s of south, the festival of Holi Diwali or the celebration of so called non Indian festival like valentines day or the new years (as claimed by the cultural watch guards of the country who supposedly know what true Indian culture and morality is all about ), you have got to admit that there is something about this land that is so mystical. Spiritual, gourmet, haute couture, women, dressing, aroma. The underlying current that can perhaps make an attempt summarizing this country of ours is the dynamism and vibrancy that sets us apart.
I mean, we have this invisible cloak around us, a garb of diversity and unity, one that exhibits camaraderie, the dynamism and vibrancy coupled with good societal conditions, amazingly strong family ties and bonds of emotions. Brotherhood, humbleness, mother hood and I mean everything. We are perhaps the rare ones who have this amazing capability to see things in a way that is an irresistible mix and balance between materialism and spiritualism. We have often taken pride in mocking the west for its excessive obsession with materialism and useless display of power. We have something that attracts people from all around the world to actually come to us to seek peace of mind, solace, tranquility and serenity.
Any topic, any country, any person, and any thing always have different frames of existence. For instance, as a person, I might be an arrogant ass and a pompous inflated egocentric idiot, but there might be a different aspect that might be known to my friends. A city like Delhi might boast of having wonders for tourists like the Qutab and the Humayun’s Tomb, but at the same time it is also the rape capital of the country. I remember the rape of a Delhi student at the Khooni Darwaja or the Dilli Darwajah.
Call it the irony or the paradox, but there is a definite way of looking at things. And it usually differs from person to person.
Anyways, so the other day, I was just flicking the channels on the tube and I just was lucky enough to catch a movie that was just beginning. It turned out to be those off beat movies, the so-called ventures of the west on the east. The royal perception of the white skin on the colonized individuals of the past. So essentially it was rather, the westernized ABCD Indian movies. (ABCD= American Born Confused Desi for the people who don’t know!!). These movies are supposedly very popular in the current times and in fact quite humorous. Popular artists like Kal Penn and likes featuring in hit flicks like American Desi, Dude Where’s the party, ABCD, Harold and Kumar got to White Castle, Flavors, and the list goes on.
Watching these flicks is usually hilarious and very amusing and definitely a good value for money and the best time pass. But one of these movies actually made my mind think form a different perspective. It was as is for a change I was not in a 100m dash, rather I was going through hurdles, each one increasing in height like a son going through puberty and teenage. Perhaps it triggered something in me that tried to justify certain thoughts and the more I tried, the more difficult the next questins became. I could visualize myself running in the Olympic hurdles and visualize the gradual transition of the normal hurdles into the high jump and going on to the pole vault.
Well you see, I was obviously having a great time watching the flick and seeing how confused Indians were and how different their parents were and how they had to find the way for their self definition and existence. Stuck in a momentary spasm or a temporal dysfunctional distortion, it was indeed difficult for me to imagine what life must be for an Indian born and living abroad. Being imposed the Indian culture by parents on a child who has to live abroad amidst a different lifestyle and perhaps this was the message that might have been intended to be conveyed. Yet, myself being an Indian, I realized and questioned what is the impression and perception that might be conveyed about us to the world by these movies.
As was apparent, in a bid to introduce humour into the movie and to try and make things look apparently very down to earth and real, and also avoiding the gloss usually existent on every typical commercial movie, great injustice is done to not only us but also to people around the world watching these flicks. Indians are not just about being the geeks with well oiled side parted hair. Indians arriving at the US are not people who just come there as orphans or as a curse for the American society. Neither is it true that all Indians of the last generation are orthodox lunatics who totally turn out to be insolent bastards who do nothing but sit down and criticize the world or are scared that there culture might get erased in the foreign land.
Forgive my cynicism and sneering approach, but somehow, as I saw one of these movies, I actually say it as an unjustified attempt to generate popularity and being termed as off beat cinema by actually over hyping and unduly portraying certain facts about Indians which seemed to shout out and asking me to smell the coffee. Understandably, every individual has insecurity about a new environment. Today if yu are aksed to go to a new country and settle down, there are issues that are predominantly existent, that can’t be avoided. If you are a student, you have to adapt to the culture there. Similarly, if you are a working executive, you have to adjust to the corporate culture in that context. Like they say, when in Rome do as the Romans.
So why is it that score of movie have to particularly focus and show that Indians arriving to the US are geeks, who wear thick black rimmed glasses and are always glaring at the girls. Is it not that every one takes some time to settle down and if it is so, then why does it need to be portrayed in a manner that makes it seem to be so derogatory. So what if parents are paranoid over their teenage children. It doesn’t necesaarily require that parents be symbolized to be fetish wearing leather trousers and garner belts with a whiplash in their hands and constantly spreading ill about US and mocking their children.
Undoubtedly, I can understand the theme that might be shown in these movies, yet it is imperative that we understand the kind of image that might be affecting the perception of people who might not know in great detail about us and our civilization. Perhaps everyone might not know about India and Indians, yet portraying various facets and aspects in way to taunt and generate humor and pretending to be making a different feel turns out to be very satirical and sadistic and perhaps a cheap way of portraying things. And I felt so derogatory seeing the depiction of Indians in such movies, which was nothing short of the traditional and conventional thought westerners always have of us.
There is something called drawing a line and I hope I don’t be unfortunate enough to smile with sarcasma nd mock with pity that people have to resolve to cheap tricks to sell movies.
Perhaps we are too evolved to usually let such mediocre incidents pass under our noses as these things really don’t make a difference to us and our sense of existence.
