THE INTERNATIONAL - International Indian

[ DEsH Aur DiAsporA ]
Are Diaspora Indians
Different?
How do we change when we leave our country? Or do we resist change and cling to the
old ways we were used to back home? Do we eventually realize change is inevitable and
how do we cope or adapt? How do we get the best from the different worlds we move in?
TII interviews NRIs who have moved around the globe and picks up their insights.
“A cultural revolution is a decisive break from the shared
meanings of the past.”
- Sociologist Daniel Yankelovich
[ By FrAnk rAj ]
Living abroad for nearly four decades now I often ponder
over what happens to Indians after we exit India and the
many ways our lives are transformed in our videshi home
away from home. Life outside our country is so different. In my
own case for the most part I am glad I adjusted in some important
ways, but there are also parts of my Indianness where I have
steadfastly avoided or resisted change. Some obvious aspects
are language skills, for instance - my diction is much clearer for
interacting in international work environments, East or West I
am comfortable in my skin and I can adapt but I keep my Indian
accent for the most part. Indian food is no longer my exclusive
preference but I must have the basic dal-rice combination regularly
(preferably with achar, papad, sabji and fish fry!); the lure of India is
constant and so is my yearning to return, though TII’s existence
will always require one foot to dangle in the Diaspora. When it
comes to faith in the Creator I’m convinced being in community
with all nationalities and respecting people of all backgrounds is
important in our common search for the Truth. I still long for the
kind of friendships I’ve had mainly with Indians and the longing
for my childhood yaars and scattered friends in Delhi, Chennai
and elsewhere never leaves me.
Indians are now so far flung across the world and their experiences
so varied that a magazine like TII is ensured of a constant stream of
diverse worldviews to evaluate and gain insights into how we cope
as residents of a global community. TII interviewed a cross section
of individuals to find out more about life in the Indian Diaspora.
Among NRIs the world over, the American desi is probably more
caricatured than anyone else but until recently the US was also the
Anil Kumar with his son Vikram: We are what we allow people to think of us
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THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN