If you have been living anywhere within the Indian sub-continent then you must be aware of the reams and reams of newsprint that has gone into reporting about the ‘racist’ attacks on Indians in Australia.
The international media including the Aussies have however, not been too interested. Infact a friend of mine who lives in Australia only heard about the “horrendous & sustained attacks” when her mom called up to check on her.
I am not in Australia so I don’t have first hand info and I also know that its not OK to comment on things that one has no details of but then again here’s a few other points I’ve noticed.
a) Indians are themselves the most racist people. Any non-north-indian living in Delhi will testify to that. All North-Easterners are ‘chinkis’ and routinely labeled as sexually promiscuous. Nepalis are ‘Bahadurs’ and deemed fit only to guard their houses. All South Indians are ‘Madrasis’ who eat idly-dosa for breakfast, lunch and dinner and Gujju’s are all considered to be 'kanjoos'.
And I’m sure you will agree that all of these labels are racial stereotypes.
Well except maybe for the Gujju one. (And does that make me racist?).
Indians can certainly dish it out but can’t bear it when the shoe moves to the other foot.
b) A few of the attacks in Oz may have been racially motivated but most were not. They were just robberies. And the hue and cry raised in India was totally disproportionate. I have a feeling this will make the aussies even more anti Indian now.
c) Indians who live abroad don’t know how to assimilate.
The Scots don’t roam around the Sydney Opera House wearing kilts, the Indonesians don’t visit malls wearing sarongs, the Japs probably don’t water their lawns in a kimono and a Nepali will certainly not go to a pub to chug a few beers in his daura-swural.
But Indians, hoards and hoards of them, would think nothing of frolicking in the waters off Bondi beach wearing salwar kameez and sarees (though to give them credit, they do bunch them up around their knees). Their men-folk meanwhile, think that a Dora underpant and VIP 'banian' is universally acceptable swim wear.
And before you mention it, I don’t think that is a form of Patriotism. Naaaaaaaa!
d) And finally, Amitabh Bachchan is a fraud. A publicity seeking, self righteous, hypocritical fraud. For someone who is the face of and whose wife is an Member of Parliament from a political party whose very existence depends on promoting ethnic confrontations, this sudden conscious call is nothing short of blatant hypocrisy. Maybe his solution is to get some Aussies and marry them off to a tree.
Think about it.
Till then
Vish
Cmon Bahadur! I don't subscribe to your views on AB. You are talking of an icon of Indian cinema who is one among the few Indians in Madame Tussauds. I know there are other bollywood stars too who share space with him in Tussauds, but to be fair to him we must admit it that he doesn't need propaganda to promote himself. His movies run on his star power so it becomes obvious that the comment on his actions being publicity stunts are not asked for.
ReplyDeleteI wholly agree that racism is second nature to many Indians, though in a different shade. Kudos for trying to give a different viewpoint to racism in Australia and all the best for the Cairo summit.
I agree that AB has made a lot of movies and may even be an Icon but such euphoria at being replicated in wax at Madame Tussaud's is just another sad example of india's colonial hangover. Remember along with AB there, the others are Hitler, Jack the Ripper, Stalin etc....
ReplyDeleteI agree that AB has made a lot of movies and may even be an Icon but such euphoria at being replicated in wax at Madame Tussaud's is just another sad example of india's colonial hangover. Remember along with AB there, the others are Hitler, Jack the Ripper, Stalin etc....
ReplyDeletewow ! i liked the way this subject has been narrated. agree or disagree its a good read n a true read. wink .
ReplyDelete