Yes, so to cut straight to the point, continuing from where I left off my last blog...(hahaha, now u'll have to read it won't ya? ). yes so, nationalism, or whatever that thing I'm reffering to is called. I have been wondering if maybe its place is changing if not weakening.
India. People work all over the world, and country now is far from a criterion, its the offer. In fact, if at all people opt to move to a country where they have a better market for their line of work, whatever it might be. First generation, second generation, third generation born and bred abroad indians(if you can call them that) with absolutely displaced loyalties, or none whatsoever. Every Indian above a certain economic class is sure to have atleast a couple of relatives "well" settled in sum "phoren" country. And what I believe really kick started this discussion I've been having with myself is marriage. It used to be inter region (lets not speak of relegion, it's more or less irrelevant here) marriages withing India. And the children of those combines. Half bengali half malayali. half punjabi half Kashmiri. Then came the one quarters, one sixths eighths and so on and on, till now it's no longer quaint to come across what we like to call a true Indian, or in more amusing terms ek batta chabbis sabkuch. Surely such a person can't owe allegiance to any one part of India except ofcourse the place he lives in, which would also be rather tough if he keeps moving like mots people today.
And now it is inter country, which inevitably brings with it inter relegion, inter culture, inter colour, the works. So extrapulating from what we found on the indian scene, are we to find sum time-distance from now, a true world citizen. And that doesn't sound like such a bad thing. does it? Complicated, difficult to conceive more than a handfull of them, but still doesn't sound particularly objectionable.
Yet, I suppose its human nature, opposing change. So like we had for the once unusual inter regional marriages there are those who find it a tad unnatural and mebbe sad for an indian to marry a say a "firang". After all, their children can't be called Indians anymore, nor can they, if it comes to it, what happens to our indian culture of which we are so proud, is it to sadly disintegrate, a lamment we heard, perhaps not so long back, in a smaller but not so different context.
So that brings me, to the conclusion of a blog, that I found rather interesting to write, I wonder how it reads though, and I at the moment, am much too worn out to find out.
Anyway, a bit on the lighter side now. I went for a debate recently, speaking in front of people after a year, wasn't easy I must admit. I found out in the morning that it was to be all of 3 minutes, which was rather a rude shock, considering I had been hoping to cut down my 5 minutes worth of matter to four(which we had earlier thought was the time ).
Anyway, thanks to the fact that I am not in the habit of writing and learning up debates, it was not so difficult for me as perhaps it was for my team mate.
Still I discovered comehting funny and at the same time scray about myself. At about 2 minutes when I was halfway through what I had to say and they rang the firts warning bell, While looking all around the audience, as a good speaker must do, I spotted in the extreme right corner of the hall a gentlemen who's hair(style) I thought rather odd. I wondered to myself if he was wearing a wig, simultaneously, I made my first slip in the debate, repeated a word twice(and not for effect). From then on there was no looking back..no matter how I tried to shake off wigs and all other amusing matters of hair, and concentrate more on how sports was not a profitable proffession in India, I could not. I blundered a couple of time, not too noticably I hope(and I have been told), but still there I was, taking in with my sweeping glances all the varied hairstyles people had and wondered how never before I had noticed the great and amusing vareity!!!
sighh...this is a very bad thing to happen, belive me it is...
I wonder if anyone noticed my smile(actually a supressed fit of laughter) as I stepped down the podium, having just finished scrutinizing my interjectors rather normal hairdo.
Must not should not happen again (But it was fun, I can't deny)
Amen
PS
na·tion·al·ism n.
Devotion to the interests or culture of one's nation.
The belief that
nations will benefit from acting independently rather than collectively,
emphasizing national rather than international goals.
Aspirations for
national independence in a country under foreign
domination.
