Why Indians are disliked around the world?

This is an extremely complicated question! Indians in Australia believe that they are being targeted because of their race. Australian authorities believe that Indians have been attacked because of their possessions like expensive cell-phones and laptop computers. Both could be right to a limited extent. Others call Indians, “filthy foreigners“, they are also right. I was 34 years old when I came to America and I have spent more than 22 years in this country, 7 of these in a university environment and 10 on the American main-street. I have yet to find a single non-Indian who for any reason admired any Indian or India. Besides interacting with Americans, White and Black, we had to deal with students from every country in this world. Nobody had any kind words for India or Indians! Why such profound dislike for all things Indian?

Indians are very proud people and often arrogant. We all love to talk about us and India, just like Americans, Europeans and all others do. The difference is that we lecture everybody and try to make others feel that they are unfortunately, stupid! People resent that, as we have very little to show for. The world applauds non-violence but make fun of ‘Mahatma Gandhis’ of the world in their private confines. People may denounce a ‘Tiananmen Square‘, but they admire the Chinese for that. Pakistan may be the epicenter of terrorism but it is lionized as a nuclear power. Russia has been a brutal dictatorship since God knows when, but the President of United States feels obliged to pay a courtesy visit every four years. We live in a hypocritical world where might is right, India needs to learn this very important lesson.

Australia is not really a developed society!

Every time Australians misbehave, Indians seem to be quite shocked by their crude behavior! Just because they are white and talk in some form of English does not mean they are like the Europeans or the Americans. Australia remains a British colony in some respect, protected by an American security umbrella. Its economy is increasingly dependent on supplying China the raw materials like coke and iron ore, exactly the same way African countries used to supply to their colonial masters. With all the infrastructure built by the Europeans and the Americans, Australians have acquired some frivolous and unnecessary trappings of a developed country.

What has happened with Indian students in Australia in the last few days is almost impossible with either Chinese or Japanese students. The reason for that is pretty simple, either country would have taken very serious steps against the Australian government. Chinese students might have even gone on a rampage, attacking the Australian police. Indian students and the government, both are soft targets as far as Australians are concerned. They have rarely experienced India throwing its weight around, except for the last cricket tour by the Indian team! India’s diplomatic mission in Australia is a disgrace and has managed to demean their own country.

Indians are “very very” expressive people!

Indians have been using English language in a “very very” different way for “many many” years now, compared to their western counterparts. We as people are emotional, passionate and vocal in our expressions. As long as we use our local languages, we appear little more restrained like the British. As soon as we switch to English, our choice of words is different than Americans or Canadians. Indians not only choose alternatives to express strong emotions but also add a pair of adjectives before a noun or a verb. The reason for this unique application of vocabulary is the vernacular thought process. We Indians by and large do not think in English. A Bengali thinks in Bangla and tries to translate the thoughts in English. Similarly, a Punjabi or a Marathi, or any other denomination would likely go through the same process. The resultant is something like ‘Hinglish’, a hybrid of Hindi and English.

The majesty of Indian government taking oath of office

Indians should be proud of their democracy and the majesty of its traditions. Last Friday, May 22, 2009, the elected members of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) and the opposition Members of Parliament gathered in the Ashoka Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in central Delhi for the swearing-in ceremony. The historic Ashoka Hall was packed to the capacity, the bugles sounded and the Presidential Guard marched in, escorting the President of India to the chambers. The national anthem was played and the entire Indian leadership stood in honor. Indian President Pratibha Patil administered the oath of office and secrecy to the prime minister and 19 cabinet ministers. The new Congress-led government was sworn in for a second term of five years, with Dr Manmohan Singh taking oath as the next Prime Minister of India. Manmohan Singh is only the second Indian Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to be returned to power following a full five-year term. The Congress party won a decisive mandate in the recent polls and Dr Manmohan Singh has emerged as an honest and a popular leader. This was Indian democracy at its best!

Only cowards use violence as a political instrument

LTTE Chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was one such terrorist who justified violence as a legitimate political instrument. Since the founding of LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) on May 5, 1976, this low-life had perpetuated such destruction and destitution on the minority Tamil population of Sri Lanka that a whole generation would pay a price for his twisted ego. Only a deranged mind would consider such cowards as freedom fighters. Tamilians in general, Sri Lankan Tamils in particular can learn a lot from leaders like Dalai Lama. The Tibetan struggle for independence is not only justified but also moral. It would certainly out live their spiritual leader, the honorable Dalai Lama. He is a true lion for his people, not a coward like Prabhakaran who had the audacity to call his ranks, “Tigers”! Tamil Tigers were simple terrorists.

Sri Lanka is the only homeland for the Sinhala majority population which is not the case for minority Tamil population. If the Sri Lankan Tamils feel discriminated by the Sinhalas, they should either grow up or migrate back to India. They have no right to demand a separate Eelam (Home) for minority Tamils, just like 3 million Indians living in the United States of America can not ask for a separate state in North America. Do you think Indians are not discriminated against in the USA? How are the Tamils treated in the United Kingdom? Can they start a violent struggle in UK for a separate Eelam? Tamilians are very bright people but their politics sucks. Whether it is their politics in the state of Tamil Nadu or Sri Lanka, Tamils are being seen as the Taliban of South India. World would rather have Tamilians like P Chidambaram!