Paratha Vs Idli
I remember my school teacher asking my friend to describe India in Minimum words, his answer was” Unity in Diversity”. The teacher was really pleased to hear the answer and so were we. Now almost 10 years after that episode I realize that we had a false impression about our motherland.
Living in a so called cosmopolitan city of Bangalore I have realized that we heterogeneously live together but we are not united. Many north Indians don’t like the south Indians as according to them they have inedible food, they lack “taste” and they are not friendly. On the other hand south Indians feel that their culture has been contaminated because of the heavy influx of the “Outsiders”. The root cause for this issue is the difference between the two cultures. When these very people go abroad they fall in love with the alien culture there, to the extent that they start transforming themselves to be what the foreigners want them to be.
We are magnanimously tolerant to alien cultures but when it comes to adjusting to regional Indian cultures, we crib. Parathas and Idlis, both taste great, let us not argue which is better.
Living in a so called cosmopolitan city of Bangalore I have realized that we heterogeneously live together but we are not united. Many north Indians don’t like the south Indians as according to them they have inedible food, they lack “taste” and they are not friendly. On the other hand south Indians feel that their culture has been contaminated because of the heavy influx of the “Outsiders”. The root cause for this issue is the difference between the two cultures. When these very people go abroad they fall in love with the alien culture there, to the extent that they start transforming themselves to be what the foreigners want them to be.
We are magnanimously tolerant to alien cultures but when it comes to adjusting to regional Indian cultures, we crib. Parathas and Idlis, both taste great, let us not argue which is better.
posted by Shantanu at
5:48 PM
3 Comments:
well, i guess there IS unity among us, but it is manifested only in the time of crisis. (tradition right from mahabharat times, eh? "amhi sagle 105...")
so if there is something like kargil, you can see entire india united against opposition. sadly, there are very few factors those can unite us....
By
M, at February 12, 2006 4:03 AM
@OM: I agree with u that we need an issue or a cricket match to manifest unity... i wonder y do we need some reasons to be united...
Thnx for visiting my blog!!!
By
Shantanu, at February 13, 2006 10:21 AM
I agree with shantnu!
we sjouldn't need reasons to be united... That have to the default attribute and rest every thing can be seen as an addon.
The Parantha Vs Idli id a duel that won't end.... coz' these are two different things but the real matter that matters is that if the duel goes beyond the dining table!!
It's good to Endorse and like your native things but the spice of life is in being open to variety.
By
Anonymous, at September 26, 2006 7:33 PM
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