I used to think of myself as an Indian....i used to think of myself as a Malayali...but no longer..and i have no regret whatsoever..i just think of myself as a human being...on this pale blue dot that we call Earth. Divisions and Unifications are the way of History..We create borders ourselves and fight about the legality of it all, its so absurd our constant fear of anything thats different. I've had it with nationalism,language regionalism ,patriotism,religious fanaticism.What if all our states were autonomous republics?would it make a difference? What if India,and other south Asian countries fused into a larger nation called the South Asian Republic...?Would it make a difference? What matters are the rights of human beings are upheld ,and the dignity of life preserved...stop the wars ,stop the hatred. Hopefully one day our planet will be one.
This is the oldest game in world history played amongst all peoples on all continents. Is not caste apartheid the most prevalent game in India today?
I am British %u2013 fortunately or not, born in London - (Irish father & orphan mother) %u2013 & u know the Irish have had a hard time at the hands of the Brits historically. Be that as it may I don%u2019t live in the past. I have now lived in India 15 yrs & am married to an Indian lady & have multi-cultural baby. So much for the personals%u2026 Britain is the most multi-cultural nation on the planet & London the greatest inter racial city that the world knows. Like most of us I have only seen the repetitive TV clips of people arguing %u2013 not the actual accusatory remarks. But Ms Goody does appear to have been highly obnoxious & aggressive %u2013 Shilpa has been cool, being paid or not is beside the point. From what I have seen & heard I wouldn%u2019t call the remarks full of hate and fascism or downright racist %u2013 just plain stupid and ignorant because Goody may be as thick as they come. Similar invective goes on the world over %u2013 in all countries amongst all peoples and YES, India has a myriad of problems in this regard. We could bore one another ad infinitum about prejudices we see up & down India, day in day out. I know it well as I employ some 70 Dalits. Equally I have experienced the F off home stuff from some Indians with malice in their eyes. But these incidents are reasonably rare and overall Indians are highly hospitable, pleasant and philosophical people, more so the illiterate amongst us more fortunately educated. So of course there are folks in England & India and any other country you care to name (just travel around and see) who are xenophobic and anti any sort of outsider %u2013 this is FEAR, nothing more or nothing less.
U%u2019ma Shankar SathyaKumar (above) rages on against all the things he hates about Britain yet implores us to %u2018grow up%u2019 because %u201Cour world will become a happy place to live when we love each other in heart and without discriminating anyone by their race, ethnicity, religion, faith, and wealth%u201D. Exactly the topics he has spent paragraphs outlining. Therein lies the confusion%u2026.don%u2019t blame the UK where u are earning your money%u2026%u201Dmake enough money & back home to India%u201D he says!
I forget now but it was probably the great Vivekananda who wrote of loving one%u2019s country. Loving your country and your people is wonderful, because by doing so you have the opportunity to grow to love all people, to love all countries. Therein lies the key to unlock one%u2019s own prejudices. I love India, Indian people, all people all countries %u2013 some may not like me, I can%u2019t help that %u2013 but I must be compassionate and understand why they feel like that.
Fear is the cause of Iraq war, Kashmir and all other problems. It%u2019s not Religion, Racism, Greed, Oil and so on but FEAR %u2013 of %u2018What will happen to me%u2019 %u2018My/our way of life%u2019 %u2018The dark%u2019 %u2018The unknown%u2019 %u2018I feel inferior/I feel superior %u2013 I better not fall%u2019 %u2018I am poor, I must protect my wealth%u2019. All human action & reaction originates in one of only two places: Love or Fear, in Creative or Reactive thoughts (anagram). At its foundation there is no other place from which life may emerge, no other source from which thought, word or action may come from. Of these two, these days, FEAR is the predominant leader which is driving human behaviour. Most of our mental constructions and social conventions are fear based. We have constructed them to protect us from something %u2013 outsiders?? None of these protections work do they? As proof is in the living we are observing. Therefore time and again the same old issue erupts, over here, over there now. It will not stop unless I change, unless u change. More is unsaid than said, more concealed than revealed, more covered than uncovered. We people have created this scenario quite intentionally, fearing that if everybody knew everything about everyone, no one would be able to be, do and have what they want. i.e. not to share. So no blaming me, them, whites, non whites, religion, the dollar, oil, racism, pollution, ism, schism%u2026 overcome fear and rise above prejudice, lead with compassion, rather than be led in fear. All attack is seen by the attacker as a defence e.g. %u201Cwe must defend our American way of life%u201D. See how this Bush%u2019ism is based in fear %u2013 it%u2019s not his fault. He lives in a world which believes in a right or wrong paradigm, this world where there is no such thing as right or wrong - only what works and what doesn%u2019t work. Right or wrong are judgments. We maim and kill with impunity to obtain what we want by saying we had no choice, we have to defend ourselves. The same goes for all situations in anybody%u2019s life, battlefields to bus stops, bedrooms to boardrooms to. Nobody attacks, Everybody defends. We have a crisis & India can go a long way to healing the crisis. She has a history that no other shares, a philosophy that is so timelessly relevant in all ages.
When India rediscovers her oneness, the people will marvel at how they ever have imagined themselves to be separate from anyone or anything else. An upheaval in the present beliefs and values is necessary if we are to produce a society who understand that neither race nor gender nor nationality nor religious persuasion nor sexual orientation nor any other aspect of a person%u2019s individuality should disqualify that person from participating fully in the human experience at the highest level and in whatever way they choose, so long as that choice does not impinge upon the rights or safety of others. What is needed is a revolution. Revolution means to revolve, or turn around and such an idea would turn around much of our reality. Who would deny that we, the Earths people need this. Who is willing to fearlessly participate? I suspect the overwhelming majority will be too fearful to stand up and be counted, too willing to hang on to the outdated paradigm, to defend their things and beliefs and in order to do so, attack. So no thing or no one else is to blame, it is how it is because I and you are how we are.
RE:It is all FEAR
by UmaShankar SathyaKumar on Jan 23, 2007 02:43 AM
Hello Michael,
Thank you for reading my comments. I love India and Britain. I don't hate any country or any race. That's how I have grown up in India. My comments doesn't mean I hate Britain. I care and very much concerned for the country and it's people, where I make my money to buy my bread and butter. I don't have to be a native British to do it.
You said fear is the cause of Iraq war, Kashmir and all other problems. It is not Religion, Racism, Greed, Oil and so on. I am laughing out loud mate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You will be a good politician. Because, you can't provide straight solutions. Tell me what, When I make enough money, I may think of leaving Britain for good and join in British Politics mate.
and ya what about the tolerant india wher leave alone private individuals even the GOIpractises racism at very place from the national museum to taj mahal the GOI has a heavy difference in entry charges for indians & foreigners.here,foreigners are identified by skin color not by passports get it11
RE:racism in india
by vipin bihari mehrotra on Jan 26, 2007 07:43 PM
Dear Nisha t is quite natural to have diferential charges.Indians do not have the identity card so there is no other way.Remember even if you have to visit Nepal, ypu do not require a passport.Other countries citzens need one.A declaration is enough unless you are from other race.Surely it can not becalled recism.
iam a north indian,living in our country's capital.however,due to my dark skin&inability to speak in punjabi which seems to be the lingua franca here most people assume that iam (i)madrasi,i.e.,a soth inian. (ii)a christian(which i am not). so,can you tell me who i should complain to?this racism is a part of our society which tends to get magnified when put under the microscope.this is not to justify anyone's actions but something that exists &is part of basic human nature to pinpoint what is percieved as someone's weakness.
RE:being an indian in india
by Sharath Madavaram on Jan 29, 2007 11:08 AM
If somebody thinks you are madrasi or christian, is it rasicm! do you really live in Delhi?
One of my passions is to identify people by their dressing and facial features to understand the background they are coming from. I am for sure wrong many time, do tht make me racist.
what is wrong is wrong...if it happens here it should be opposed even here. but the thought that racist comments should not be opposed because we have such problems here is wrong. The issue is not Shilpa Shetty...it is racism which thousand of Indians face everyday in the UK.What hurts is the comments that were made only because Shilpa Shetty was an 'Indian'.Take nothing against your motherland...behave like a good son.By the way do you have undercooked food? If not, revolt!!!
Not all south indians are dark please. There are fairer skin south indians also. Not all Indians have big eyes. Some from north east look like chinese so they can't be called chinky's. North Indians always try to make fun of other Indians. They think that all south indians are dark skinned and just because of the accent does not mean you can make fun. Even Indians from East (Bengalis) are not able to speak Hindi properly. People from Punjab do they also speak fluent Hindi. Then there is caste system in India. Also Religion. These are the first questions we are asked in an interview - where r u originally from, what religion you belong to?...... Even about food Indians make fun of their own country people. In North it is roti and South it is rice. If that is what is grown in that state that will be the staple food of that place.
I feel India itself is racist. Low caste, this caste ... quota for jobs....quota for university...etc. About shilpa shetty, I don't think there is racism. Don't we make fun of our own Indians. this is a game for money.
Good that you have dared to admit that even we have regional disputes and racism......but let us be Indian first and and fight together and get a respect for ourselves......and then discuss what ever the differences we have ......look at an american or a mid-east guy you can never say anything to an american or to a muslim in any part of the world they are all one .........when it comes to India first thing is we wnat to give up and say yeah we have problems in our country so say what ever you want.........i watched the episode with out any cuts ......Ms Jade Goody she even dared to say go back to your countries and live in slums .....is that acceptable .......i wouldnt think any north Indian would say that to South Indian .........I am from Bangalore we have many state people we never have any problem apart from minor incident which is common anywhere ........so fight as a country not as individual gain self respect and rest is later .....
RE:Let us be Indian And later.....
by jaidev vasudevan on Jan 22, 2007 01:54 PM
if india had millions of white and african people competing for jobs at every level do you honestly believe that every one would be happy? indians in east africa were pretty racist; it is a well known fact. without a doubt dark skinned southies are looked down upon; i have listened to a female sikh telling a white man that she is closer to white people racially as an 'aryan' as opposed to a dravidian in a pathetic effort to be 'white' shilpa shetty is far more educated and classy than the goody woman. they are together within 4 walls with NOTHING to do except talk. there are huge cultural differences between us and the white people. all these will come out. call it what you like but add a bit of connivance by the producers of the show and this is what you get. as krishnan says the govt. has no need to stoop to get involved in what is a pathetic tv show for morons. please don't feel sorry for shetty, she has a fat check at the end of this and a whole load of publicity. jaidev, southie
RE:RE:Let us be Indian And later.....
by aravind bharathan on Jan 24, 2007 11:25 AM
rightly said jaidev. shilpa shetty had the choice of quitting whenever she wanted to. She stuck on for reasons best known to herself. She must be laughing all the way to the bank.
"If we all could just admit That we are racist a little bit, Even though we all know That it's wrong, Maybe it would help us Get along"
hmmm, u know wt arun...the things uve written r "ideal"...yes, i myself am a little rascist...i tease the english for sm of the things they do...many indians do...but the point that u dint take note of is that we would never ever make fun of them in front a camera which the whole world is watching. This is not hypocrisy. This is reverence. Respect not to make fun "publicly". This is exactly what Ms. Goody lacked. If this is how she chose to behave in front of the world audience, just imagine her without a cam.
But yes. Should appreciate ur work. But would have been even better with a bit lesser "idealism"
dear arun, forgive my north indian brothers if they have misbehaved with you however shilpa shetty herself is a southie,acts in south films.the the very history of big brother does not give a licence to the likes of jade guddy to abuse shilpa racialy.the north south divide in india is neither racial nor it is deep rooted.xcept the food and language the dividing line between the south indians and north indians is very thin.for your kind information there are more dark skinned people in west bengal,bihar and u.p.than in south india.the dark fair divide amongst indians is only to be taken in lighter vein as northies have grown fond of dark south babes in chennai ,bangalore and hyderabad.every one knows "hum kalein hue to kya hua dilwale hain ,hum tere tere tere chahanewale hai"
