Perceptions

As a kindergartener in London in the fifties, I was referred to as ‘the little Indian girl’. Yes, I was one of a kind in my class! Far from being the ‘exotic foreigner’, my companions found that I walked, talked, dressed and ate like them (with a spoon and fork!); this belied their expectation that I lived up a tree in a jungle, rode on elephants and kept snakes as pets. Far from feeling racially labeled (I was just five at the time) I reveled in the attention and was proud to announce to anyone who asked: ‘I was born in the capital of India.’ New Delhi sounded a little too mundane.

Strange to say, when we returned to India, my Father was posted to a station which found us living cheek by jowl with the jungle. Television, flushing toilets and water on tap were replaced by books, commodes and water by goatskin delivered by the trusty ‘water man’. I did get to spend many happy (and fruitful) hours up the branches of the mango trees in our school compound and yes, snakes, toads and scorpions were frequent visitors to the bungalow in which we lived. I also managed a few of those elephant rides as well! And mutton do pyaza tastes better eaten with the fingers.

I now live in Mumbai – a jungle of quite a different kind. I love to write letters and my correspondents from other parts of the globe usually do express amazement that I can write in fairly fluent English. I still do not consider it a racial slur; on the contrary, I find their ignorance amusing. But only up to a point, and I’ll tell you why.

Do I love my country? Emphatically, yes.

Am I proud of my country? Today, no. Hopefully, a few tomorrows down the line, the answer could be ‘yes’. I will be proud when economic prosperity and the ability to interact at the global level – and that includes being fluent in ‘foreign’ languages – is commonplace for all our citizens. But as long as the large majority of our people are denied a decent education, gainful employment and respectable living conditions which include sanitation and health care, I will continue to wince when friends from outside India applaud my communication skills, because I know that their incredulity is plausible. Those who can read and write are far outnumbered by those who do not.

We have made much progress since that first Republic Day and we have much to be proud of; let not that pride conceal the darkness that haunts the lives of the underprivileged but rather serve as the impetus to bring all our people into the light of day.

Note: The graphic was captured off the Net a long time ago. Acknowledgement is due, but to whom?