To every Indian :)

I recently saw a documentary about a real-life incident, where one of the characters says, “They are Americans we are Indians”, when asked for his help and that got me thinking, what is it that we Indians have for Americans? Respect? Fear? Faith? At the same time, does that imply that our country is not up to the mark & cannot be for that matter? That particular dialogue also opened doors on the commercial and industrial value of India. Every company sees a prospective future in our country, in our people, in our land, in our resources and yet we don’t believe in ourselves.

“They are Americans, we are Indians”… a sentence that describes the base & foundation of the Indian psychology. Why is it that an Indian thinks he has the right to litter & spit on his motherland when the same Indian becomes a strict disciplinarian in a foreign country? I have personally seen many people who take their country for granted. Why is it that we associate a developed nation like America with perfection and luxury while everything ‘desi’ isn’t good enough and can never be on par? It’s an inherent mentality of every Indian-and he wonders why India isn’t developed yet! We Indians also have a tendency to blame -it’s never our fault and quite admirably we always find someone or something to point a finger at-here the government becomes the scapegoat. Is it entirely our government’s fault? Isn’t it the people who elect the government in a democratic country? It is a vicious circle, of responsibility, of blame and of freedom. We like using big, fancy words like, “corruption, illiteracy, poverty” & blame them as if we are not a part of it. It is equally, if not more, the fault of a person who gives a bribe to someone taking it. There are rules everywhere but Indians have a feeling they can get away with anything as long as they are in India. Indians find solace in the fact that they are not alone in the rule breaking, they are okay with it and they are doing nothing wrong as long as they are not the only ones doing it, as long as they have company.

Change cannot happen in a few days, so the impatient Indians jump at every opportunity to work for the Americans and dream of luxurious & comfortable life that they lead and promise. Why do we value them so much, is it because we subconsciously feel we are inferior? Is it the government that compromises with our lives, our future, our hopes sometimes, or is it just us, each & every Indian who is responsible for our own country’s progress?

These are some questions to ponder upon. Some things that I hope every Indian would think about. And someday, may be a little far from today, we’ll have the answers as to why that gentleman said that in that particular situation in that movie… Because we Indians are no less to anyone-we are as capable as anyone and we are as intelligent as anyone-we just need an awakening.