We, the People

An Indian friend of mine who recently became an American citizen talked of the ambivalence she was feeling. Nothing had really changed in their lives (except for the ease henceforth in getting a hundred visas) but it was the thought of giving up the Indian passport that had caused a huge pang. A tenuous link with India, she felt, becoming seemingly more fragile with this final step.

A decade, or many, of living abroad does that to you. Nothing is as clear cut anymore about where one belongs. For so many expats, India is now a place where our families live. For others, it's roots that beckon, but only as a perpetual dream. They are comforted by the possibilities; warmed by the thoughts of returning....some day. Then there are those, who have escaped to seek out the greener pastures.

And yet, India lives on in most of us. Same food, lifestyle, movies; often, the same values too. More than a habit, what keeps us is the comfort we find in the familiar. What has been, will be.

But there's more. This firm possessiveness one feels about India and all facets Indian. I still shake my head at every test and one-day debacle. I still burn when I read of the senseless acts of terror and ridiculous ethnic strife. I cringe at the bumbling political gaffes. I'm saddened when it takes a foreigner to point out the scope of disease and despair.

Like so many of my peers, mine might not be the chest thumping, tri-color waving brand of patriotism, but in my own way, I feel. More strongly, in fact, now that being an Indian is something I no longer take for granted. Looking from the outside within, I take pride when I see Indians in Fortune boardrooms, or simply in mainstream TV ads. Or when Tata buys into an auto megalith. Or when the world's largest steel company has a Mittal in its name. When I think of the family and social structures that endure  and support. Or even when non-Indians tell me how much they loved their visit to India, and how wonderful the people are. Vicarious, I know, but pride nevertheless.

I may have left, but I haven't gone all that far.

To me, in the sporting world, the Indian quest for Eldorado is still personal. Tonight, I'll rejoice in the sight of the orange, white and green lights atop the Empire State Building. At every opportunity I will explain, with patience and perseverence, to my international friends why their lop-sided view of India needs another look.

My feelings for India exist on so many levels - it's the land of my birth, my heritage, possibly my legacy. But it's also the place where so many of my life's cherished memories belong. I'm excited seeing the malls and freeways when I visit, and yet remember the second class train journeys with affection. Old musty bookshops, the haze of summer afternoons, road-side chaat shops, dussehra celebrations, curious Auntyjis. The tug of family and friends. All of this makes me who I am. Colors, crowds, chaos - those are the images that are forever a part of me. By myself,  I may bemoan a lot of things about India, but I will defend them with passion to outsiders.

And with eternal optimism I will wait for the day, when India will have world class cities; when monsoons and droughts will not dictate lives. When Bollywood will have its place under the sun; when India will win the World Cup - in Hockey too.

You can take a desi out of India. The question is, can you take India away from him?

~~~

On the day of her Independence, here's to India, as Nehru spoke of her - our much-loved motherland, the ancient, the eternal and the ever-new.