What is it that makes us (typically) Indian
What is it that makes us (typically) Indian Is it our head wiggle — a characteristic that Hollywood films can’t stress on enough, our tendency to show up late at an event, or is it our itch to trace one’s roots by the surname even before we’ve finished shaking hands
According to panelists at the ongoing Tata literature Live!, festival it’s all of the above and none of the above. The session called ‘Asli Desi Kaun’ had a panel of speakers from mixed backgrounds with their unique perception of what being Indian means. Historian and author of The First Firangi, Jonathan Gil Harris, Indian actress of French descent Kalki Koechlin and author of The Smoke is Rising, Mahesh Rao, brought up on three different continents. The session was chaired by Anuvab Pal. Harris said, “To be authentically Indian is to be a little unauthentic. Because India has always been open to migrants and that’s because India has a strong history of being tolerant and intolerant at the same time.”
Having spent a lot of time in India himself, another peculiar characteristic that Harris points out, is our tendency of linguistic negotiations. “People in India start their conversations in a particular language and end it with another. So if a sentence starts in English, it’ll go on to include Hindi, Punjabi and Bhojpuri, if you will! Indians twirl a lot and never stay on one track. Something that reflects in the road discipline which I have begun to enjoy to be honest.”
Anuvab Pal reiterates the question about Indianess wondering why Europeans appear in Chiragdin ads and why the bride in an Indian wedding sequence is most likely from Azerbaijan. Kalki Koechlin says it’s a question that has hounded her always. “I am not passionate about identity because I think at the end of the day we’re individuals. I have a tough time convincing Indian people that I’m Indian and I have a tougher time convincing Europeans that I am Indian,” she says adding that her origin has had a lot to do with the roles she has bagged. “I was always this hippie, dodgy, druggie character until Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani came along. That’s what got me into a desi mould and made me the girl that parents would like to introduce to their sons.”
Author Mahesh Rao who has lived at different points of time in Kenya, UK and India says he first encountered Indian stereotyping as a teenager in London. Even though at the time, he didn’t realise what it was. “I was at the metro station reading a book when a white boy walked up to me saying is that the Kamasutra you’re reading I was offended, but only because I was reading Dostoevsky and the boy didn’t appreciate my exquisite taste in literature. Only much later did I realise what it was.”
Rao pointed out that what was also typically Indian is veneration for the pale skin, possibly as an offshoot colonial hang up. He ended on a positive note saying grappling with identity is possibly a very good thing. He said, “The fact that you are grappling and have to think about where ‘home’ is means you have a privileged background. For most people, home is where they live and work. To have a home away is a sign of a privileged life.”
