Quote:How do you feel about Indians becoming Americans?
I guess you are talking about immigration and brain drain. This matter is very close to my heart and I have been chewing over it for quite some time now. The immigration of Indian intellectuals to the West over the last couple of decades has increased manifold. This outflow of Indian talent has enormously beneffited the West. Most of these immigrants are either IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) graduates or
MBA pass-outs. They are lured into the United States (and other developed countries) by the attractive pay-packages the American companies offer. As Visa, Green Card and stuff is taken care of by the company officials, these youngters don't face any difficulty moving out of the country. Subsequently, they become American citizens. As is evident, India faces huge losses not only in terms of money but in terms of human resources also. Ironically, none but India has to be blamed for this. If they are so willing to keep the native talent within the boundaries of the nation, why are the IITs (There are seven IITs) allowing US based organisations to 'pick' from their students.
Quote: I mean what do we have to be to be considered a "true" Indian?
Being a true Indian implies that :
1. You respect your country. Atleast do the favour of standing up when the National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana) is playing.
2. You behave as a responsible citizen. Don't litter on the roads, pay taxes, don't cheat on the people if you are politician etc.
3.You continue to do favours (monetary and otherwise) for your country if you are not an Indian National and live overseas.
4. You respect the Indian culture and don't indulge in anti-social acts that defy Indian traditions. (But, yes, you should always raise your voice against orthodox customs that hinder the country's progress. For e.g. Female foeticide, Dowry etc)
5. You earnestly capitalise on all the citizen rights that the Constitution has granted you and in return, follow all the civil duties that the Constitution expects of you.
And there are many other things, of course, but these are the basic ones.
Quote:I am of Indian decent and when I see some of the now-a-days Indian movies I am ashamed because they are more American than Indian.....not that I have anything against Americans it's just that what is considered the Indian culture or tradition?
Uh, yeah, current Bollywood .......its all about sex, smooching - all the stuff borrowed from the West. But, you can choose not to watch these movies. There are some very good movies being made like Rang De Basanti, Black and very recently Krissh. Though some of these movies might have been inspired by Hollywood movies, they are very 'Indian' in themselves - No nonsense stuff! If you are really interested in getting a glimpse of the 'real' Indian culture, try and get some old Indian movies to watch. Mughal-e-Azam, Mother India, Saahab Bibi Aur Gulam were good movies with a lot of cultural flavour. And, if that doesn't satiate you, why not come over to India itself and visit the rurals - a lot of foreigners do that to 'understand' the real India - the India behind all the hype.
Remember, though, that the current movies reflect the contemporary Indian culture - which is more westernised than it is Indian. We Indians have changed with times and so have our movies. No problem. This evolutionary process shall continue, but, yes, our directors should take on a more responsible stand as far as depiction of moral uprightness in movies is concerned.
You are of Indian descent. Don't bother too much with this 'being Indian' thing. But, by all means, contribute in some way to the upliftment of your ancestral land. And then, you would have proved yourself to be A TRUE INDIAN.
Finally, I would say that I am not against immigration. Life in India is maligned with crime, pollution, corruption, cheating and terrorism. So, if someone wants to go out and have a better life, its OK. If you think you can't achieve certain things in India, go. Go, no probs. Kalpana Chawla realised very early in her life that her dream to be an astronaut would never be culminated in a country like India so she went away to the US. But, she always acknowledged India's contribution to her life. So, like Chawla and numerous other responsible folks, acknowledge India and do whatever you can to return that favour.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace