Last month, my cousin gave birth to a son. Why on earth am I talking about such personal information that no one else would care about? Well, its because this kid is unique.
- His name is Sean Jagannath _____ (er... his last name is Belgian, I can't spell it)
- His mother (my cousin) is an Indian brought up in the US by parents who are Telugu and lived in Tamil Nadu until they shifted to the US
- His father is a Belgian who studied in the US. My cousin fell in love with him in grad school and they got married.
- That makes Shawn half Hindu, half Christian; half Indian, half Belgian
- He will be living the next few years of his life in the UK where both his parents are doing their postdoc. In all probability he will live a good percentage of his life in the US, though.
Call me unpatriotic, but I don't think this child could live a regular life anywhere in India. However, in the US or in England (where they are now), I think he will be accepted without fuss. But times are changing, and the world grows less narrow minded. The only thing I fight for is to break insularity wherever I see it. I'm not always successful, but I see a whole generation of aware youths taking up various causes, shattering biases everywhere. I believe Shawn will have a happy existence. And I pray that equality will be more than a myth in our own country... someday!
Cheers,
Prashanth.
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10 comments:
Yeah, it's amusing how some Indian folks (even in the US) in can't accept marriages outside of their clan or caste.
The world is now flat but some folks never change I suppose.
He isnt gonna feel a thing until some narrow minded India goes up to him and says something odd about his family!
Well, I really hope that the upcoming youth.. (including you, prashu) will be able to create a revolutionary mode of accepting and encouraging such.
The true form of integration in India will only come if we do inter-caste marriage. (I know this is quite a narrow-minded perspective)But, lookin at it from a macro view.. I would really like India to face less local social problems so that it can focus more on developing as a whole. Perhaps, this is the first step towards it.
This boy will be proud that he is part of an universal family. His mentality will be one of 'dont-care-what-native-u-are'.
I hope the new generation comprising us.. can work towards an inter-caste or inter-clan marriage within INdia! Then, we can talk about these inter-national marriages! :)
Hmm on hindsight somehow I felt more conscious of my identity, rather the lack of it, when I was in India than when I was in the UK. Outside I was just Asian/Indian and people didn't bother any further than that. Coming to think of it, its so much easier to fit into the larger scheme of things: how about introducing oneself as 'Hi I am a human being!'
I think such things are less accepted in India simply because there are not to many foreign nationals in the country. I think inter-caste marriages have really picked up in India. People are a lot less conscious about these things.
Even arranged marriages seem to be less caste driven. Atleast, from what I have been seeing.
Kirthi,
That's very interesting! Here, there are enough Indians around me that I don't feel very different in that way.
Everyone,
I don't know why you guys are talking about marriage when I am talking about simple acceptance as an equal. You guys been watching too many hindi / telugu / tamil movies? :P
its soooooooooooo cold...
do somethin... my hands need to type properly.. witout shiverin...
Where are those hot air balloons that u promised Sp?
Oh please... the temperature here has been below freezing for so long that I'm wondering when I'll feel the warmth of the sun again. I'm the one who needs help!
prashu?
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