As I chose this name, 'The Indophile' for my blog, I had to stop and wonder if I was even allowed to call myself an Indophiliac. Foreigners who are drawn to India are Indophiliacs. They have a strong preference to live India, live in India than anywhere else, even their own countries. But I can't be an Indophiliac! Even though I have lived outside India for almost sixteen years now, India has not really left me. I am perhaps articulating what every immigrant feels when I say this.
So after over a decade in South Central Illinois, I am as paranoid about winters as I was when I first set foot in this country. I take occasional comfort when the local people, born and bred in this area, also confess to disliking the winters. I try to convince myself that they too are as scared of the winters as I am. To me the winters spell 'hibernate'. I tend not to go out at all during winters. And even after so many years I dress inadequately, huddle into myself and shiver when I go out. I marvel that my young kids bundle up into gloves, hat and scarves, when I seem to require careful thought to do the same.
On the other hand, my urban, English educated Indian self is as comfortable with the books and the thought of the American college town, as any British or American. The Urban, English educated is probably less comfortable and even a little condescending of his compatriots from smaller towns, specially if they were educated in lesser known or local language schools. Sometimes I wonder if I am more comfortable with the British writing than with the American... Certainly I was brought up on British novels. Then again, I have not even visited UK... But is it even fair to generalize this kind of thing? There must be as many ways of thought - formalized or desultory - as there are sentient human beings. But even as I write this seemingly logical sentence, I know there are thought patterns in every generation. Just as anti-war liberalism and strident feminism were the predominant popular thought patterns of the seventies in the United States, unquestioning acceptance of filial edict and a resulting disillusion with their own belief system seems to have been the popular thought pattern of my parents generation in India.
Anyway, this is just a rambling examination, if you will, of what an Indophiliac means. I guess all I wanted to say was, even though in every generation, there emerges a predominant thought pattern, it is not difficult to find a meeting ground somewhere, if there were differing or even clashing thoughts and opinions. And yet, cultural differences will persist. In spite of a common global education. In spite of reading the same books. In spite of the influence of the predominant thinking of the times. In spite of having been taught to think in similar grooves. I wonder why. I still have no answers.
So after over a decade in South Central Illinois, I am as paranoid about winters as I was when I first set foot in this country. I take occasional comfort when the local people, born and bred in this area, also confess to disliking the winters. I try to convince myself that they too are as scared of the winters as I am. To me the winters spell 'hibernate'. I tend not to go out at all during winters. And even after so many years I dress inadequately, huddle into myself and shiver when I go out. I marvel that my young kids bundle up into gloves, hat and scarves, when I seem to require careful thought to do the same.
On the other hand, my urban, English educated Indian self is as comfortable with the books and the thought of the American college town, as any British or American. The Urban, English educated is probably less comfortable and even a little condescending of his compatriots from smaller towns, specially if they were educated in lesser known or local language schools. Sometimes I wonder if I am more comfortable with the British writing than with the American... Certainly I was brought up on British novels. Then again, I have not even visited UK... But is it even fair to generalize this kind of thing? There must be as many ways of thought - formalized or desultory - as there are sentient human beings. But even as I write this seemingly logical sentence, I know there are thought patterns in every generation. Just as anti-war liberalism and strident feminism were the predominant popular thought patterns of the seventies in the United States, unquestioning acceptance of filial edict and a resulting disillusion with their own belief system seems to have been the popular thought pattern of my parents generation in India.
Anyway, this is just a rambling examination, if you will, of what an Indophiliac means. I guess all I wanted to say was, even though in every generation, there emerges a predominant thought pattern, it is not difficult to find a meeting ground somewhere, if there were differing or even clashing thoughts and opinions. And yet, cultural differences will persist. In spite of a common global education. In spite of reading the same books. In spite of the influence of the predominant thinking of the times. In spite of having been taught to think in similar grooves. I wonder why. I still have no answers.
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