IT IS QUITE A SEMINAL FACT THAT SINCE THE ADVENT OF HUMANKIND, MAN HAS ALWAYS GONE GREAT LENGTHS IN SEEKING OUT WHAT HE WANTS, BE IT OCEANS HE NEEDS TO CROSS, CLIMATE HE NEEDS TO ADAPT TO, OR COURTESIES HE HAS HAD TO LEARN ON THE WAY. IT HAS OFTEN BEEN WITHOUT A SPECIFIC AIM, SUCH AS THE TIMES WHEN EXPLORATION WAS THE SOLE PURPOSE, AND YET, SOMETIMES, HAS HAD A DEFINITE GOAL. WHICHEVER BE THE CASE, IT HAS ALMOST ALWAYS CALLED FOR CHANGE AND ADAPTATION, MOSTLY VOLUNTARY, SOMETIMES FORCIBLE. THE REASONS COULD BE MANY, COMMONLY: GETTING AN EDUCATION, THE NEED TO LIVE IN OR EXPLORE A NEW SOCIETY, FIND A LIVING IN A BUSTLING INDUSTRIAL CITY.
WHEN INDIA WAS FREED FROM BRITISH RULE, THE COUNTRY NEEDED AN INDUSTRIAL AROUSAL, NAY, A REVOLUTION. WITH MOST OF THE INITIAL INVESTMENT COMING FROM THE PUBLIC SECTOR, THE GENERATION OF JOBS WAS MOSTLY BASED IN A FEW CITIES, WHICH SERVED AS CENTERS OF GROWTH AND JOB HUBS. IN THE 1960'S AND 70'S, BOMBAY (NOW MUMBAI) WAS THE SINGLE LARGEST CITY THAT ASSUMED THIS ROLE, AND AS A RESULT, PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE NATION CONVERGED UPON OPPORTUNITIES THERE, MAKING IT A CITY "THAT HARDLY SLEEPS". A SECOND SUCH PHENOMENON WAS SEEN DURING THE DOTCOM BOOM DURING THE 1990'S AND THE EARLY PART OF THIS DECADE, WHEN BANGALORE EMERGED AS THE IT CAPITAL OF INDIA, AND ATTRACTED THOUSANDS OF TALENTED ENGINEERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND EVEN ABROAD.
BUT WE NEED TO LOOK CLOSER. INDIA(AS IS AMERICA), IS A MELTING POT OF CULTURES; DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY HAVE SUCH DIFFERING CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES, THAT IT SOMETIMES AMAZES ME THAT WE ARE STILL ONE PEOPLE. IN SPITE OF ALL THIS DIVERSITY, HOWEVER, THE AFOREMENTIONED OCCURRENCES DID MUCH MORE THAN JUST ECONOMIC JUSTICE. THE 70'S CREATED THE "MUMBAIKAR", AS THE RESIDENTS OF MUMBAI CALL THEMSELVES, WHO IS THE EPITOME OF THE UNTIRING AND EXTREMELY HELPFUL PERSONALITY, WHICH ULTIMATELY BECAME THE IDENTITY OF ALL THOSE WHO LIVE IN THAT CITY, ORIGINS ASIDE. A MORE RECENT CREATION IS THE SAVVY "BANGALOREAN", A TRUE COSMOPOLITAN, WHO IS A SHADOW OF HIS FORMER, DEMURE SELF.
THE SAME CAN BE OBSERVED IN OUR CASE, TOO. I WAS THRILLED WHEN A SENIOR EOS OPERATOR ONCE GREETED ME WITH A "NAMASTE" (AN INDIAN GREETING, LITERALLY "HELLO"). I SEE MANY LOCALS AT THE HINDU FESTIVALS ORGANIZED BY INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS ON CAMPUS. WHAT IS ALSO INTERESTING IS THE WAY MANY OF THE LOCALS KNOW SUCH A LOT ABOUT THESE EVENTS, AND ARE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS, GIVEN THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH INDIANS IN MUCH MORE THAN AN ACADEMIC SENSE. WITH BOLLYWOOD MOVIES AT CINEMAS NEARBY, AN HOUR OF INDIAN ENTERTAINMENT ON TIME-WARNER CABLE ON SUNDAYS, THE INFLUENCE CAN BE SEEN EVERYWHERE.
COMING TO A WHOLE NEW PLACE, FAR AWAY FROM HOME, IS NOT EASY. IT TAKES QUITE A WHILE TO GET USED TO NOT FINDING YOUR MOTHER AT THE OTHER END OF A LOVING CALL, OR THE FAMILIARITY OF THE FAMILY HOME. BUT WITH THE PASSING OF TIME, YOU REALIZE THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL, AND HOW CULTURES PERMEATE INTO OUR EXISTENCE, TO MAKE EVEN A NEW AND INITIALLY ALIEN PLACE SEEM LIKE HOME. THE BEAUTY OF MIGRATION TRULY LIES IN THE INTERMINGLING, NOT THE MOVING.
WHEN INDIA WAS FREED FROM BRITISH RULE, THE COUNTRY NEEDED AN INDUSTRIAL AROUSAL, NAY, A REVOLUTION. WITH MOST OF THE INITIAL INVESTMENT COMING FROM THE PUBLIC SECTOR, THE GENERATION OF JOBS WAS MOSTLY BASED IN A FEW CITIES, WHICH SERVED AS CENTERS OF GROWTH AND JOB HUBS. IN THE 1960'S AND 70'S, BOMBAY (NOW MUMBAI) WAS THE SINGLE LARGEST CITY THAT ASSUMED THIS ROLE, AND AS A RESULT, PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE NATION CONVERGED UPON OPPORTUNITIES THERE, MAKING IT A CITY "THAT HARDLY SLEEPS". A SECOND SUCH PHENOMENON WAS SEEN DURING THE DOTCOM BOOM DURING THE 1990'S AND THE EARLY PART OF THIS DECADE, WHEN BANGALORE EMERGED AS THE IT CAPITAL OF INDIA, AND ATTRACTED THOUSANDS OF TALENTED ENGINEERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND EVEN ABROAD.
BUT WE NEED TO LOOK CLOSER. INDIA(AS IS AMERICA), IS A MELTING POT OF CULTURES; DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY HAVE SUCH DIFFERING CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES, THAT IT SOMETIMES AMAZES ME THAT WE ARE STILL ONE PEOPLE. IN SPITE OF ALL THIS DIVERSITY, HOWEVER, THE AFOREMENTIONED OCCURRENCES DID MUCH MORE THAN JUST ECONOMIC JUSTICE. THE 70'S CREATED THE "MUMBAIKAR", AS THE RESIDENTS OF MUMBAI CALL THEMSELVES, WHO IS THE EPITOME OF THE UNTIRING AND EXTREMELY HELPFUL PERSONALITY, WHICH ULTIMATELY BECAME THE IDENTITY OF ALL THOSE WHO LIVE IN THAT CITY, ORIGINS ASIDE. A MORE RECENT CREATION IS THE SAVVY "BANGALOREAN", A TRUE COSMOPOLITAN, WHO IS A SHADOW OF HIS FORMER, DEMURE SELF.
THE SAME CAN BE OBSERVED IN OUR CASE, TOO. I WAS THRILLED WHEN A SENIOR EOS OPERATOR ONCE GREETED ME WITH A "NAMASTE" (AN INDIAN GREETING, LITERALLY "HELLO"). I SEE MANY LOCALS AT THE HINDU FESTIVALS ORGANIZED BY INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS ON CAMPUS. WHAT IS ALSO INTERESTING IS THE WAY MANY OF THE LOCALS KNOW SUCH A LOT ABOUT THESE EVENTS, AND ARE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS, GIVEN THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH INDIANS IN MUCH MORE THAN AN ACADEMIC SENSE. WITH BOLLYWOOD MOVIES AT CINEMAS NEARBY, AN HOUR OF INDIAN ENTERTAINMENT ON TIME-WARNER CABLE ON SUNDAYS, THE INFLUENCE CAN BE SEEN EVERYWHERE.
COMING TO A WHOLE NEW PLACE, FAR AWAY FROM HOME, IS NOT EASY. IT TAKES QUITE A WHILE TO GET USED TO NOT FINDING YOUR MOTHER AT THE OTHER END OF A LOVING CALL, OR THE FAMILIARITY OF THE FAMILY HOME. BUT WITH THE PASSING OF TIME, YOU REALIZE THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL, AND HOW CULTURES PERMEATE INTO OUR EXISTENCE, TO MAKE EVEN A NEW AND INITIALLY ALIEN PLACE SEEM LIKE HOME. THE BEAUTY OF MIGRATION TRULY LIES IN THE INTERMINGLING, NOT THE MOVING.
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.