My irreverent brother loves India – warts and all. He uses this phrase to bait unsuspecting people, especially those visitors from ‘developed’ nations who are voyeurs and consumers of India’s poverty and mishaps. The minute the unsuspecting victim agrees with the statement, he will launch into a lecture that enumerates all that Indians can boast about. It is a long list. Being a lawyer, he will substantiate his statements with facts.
The pity we have experienced from people ‘who have made it’ has pushed him to develop a sense of humor. Not me though, I am not that sanguine. But it does not bother me much when foreigners criticize India. After all, media, even our own, rarely reports good news. Since their knowledge of India comes from the media, there is only so much they can know. What annoys me, tremendously, is when I hear NRIs, who grew up in India, put India down continuously, with little proof. It is not of consequence that we did not ask them for their opinion.
There are many problems in India and those of us who choose to live here, are aware of them and yet want to live here. I am not above lamenting from time to time about all that does not work here. I would like to walk on a footpath which is not always dug up and breathe in air that is not toxic. But do not send me links to news items especially those that have been reported in the Indian media. We may live in a developing country but we know how to read!
The pandemic has only brought this malaise afflicting NRIs in sharp focus. First, there was speculation as to how India would handle the virus situation. Then there were forwards of reports, some purportedly based on mathematical models, about how crores of people would die. Then came the slew of criticism of how badly India is handling the situation.
It is not the valid criticism that bothers me. It is the focused approach to only seeing what is not so great about India that bothers me. I am sure that people can find some good if they wanted to. Putting down a country to make yourself better does not behoove Indians (even former ones!). We have been brought up on a diet of tolerance and compassion. We don’t tell you that tweets by your head of state make us wonder about the collective intelligence of a whole nation!
Very very correct!! It annoys me so!
Reread it and found it even more relevant today.
Agree and correctly said.
personally they/these are unsatisfied people who couldn’t achieve in their new country what they wanted to be actually..
That’s why the hate their/parents birth country
Absolutely true. Roots are forgotten by most, thank God for exceptions. There are shortcomings and flaws in every administration, we don’t go around telling people how they handled situations. We could have done better but we did a good job much better than many. The media and the politics in our country is at an all time low, spewing venom, discouraging and filling people with fear.
Totally agree with this.
My dear Anuj is the best!!!
There is a famous observation by our late President Dr. Kalam on the conduct of our NRIs, ‘ Why do they spit on the road and footpath when they come to India but never think of doing it in their country of domicile?’
A good question that calls for a psychiatrist.