The Unindia
India, they say, is the mystical land of the east. The spiritual aura, ancient texts, and architecture from the past just add to the entire mysticism surrounding it. Apart from the overt spiritualism, traveling through the pages of history, the country has acquired many other traits which now qualify as "Indianness".
Having lived my entire life in the Indian India, I was hesitant to visit the utopian ideal we would have had otherwise. My reservations notwithstanding, I ended up visiting this land called Unindia - the much talked about utopian ideal. My experience was disturbing, to put it mildly. One needs to take a good look at Unindia to understand and appreciate the nation we have built.
The train had almost reached Unindia. The window was open. I was staring outside and it took me a good 10 minutes to realize I hadn't seen a single soul defecating in the open. It made me slightly nauseous. I knew I had to prepare myself for more of such disasters.
My friend "not-Shubham not-Gupta/Agarwal" received me at the station. The station was clean - so clean that I missed kinetic friction. Managing somehow, we reached his car. It wasn't an easy journey. My back, which had gotten used to potholes, was not prepared to take in so much comfort in one go. I had to ask my friend to apply sudden brakes few times to manage the crisis. At least Jugaad hadn't deserted this Indian in Unindia!
The next lap of the adventure took me to a theatre. It was some play of sorts. After smoking packs of cigarettes to compensate for all the pollution that was absent, we reached the place. Everyone had their tickets pre-booked. Entry had started and people were in a queue. I had faint memories of how queues functioned and "with a little help from my friend", I managed to enter the theatre. The play was weird initially. But soon, the feeling of awkward gave way to repulsion and disgust.
No open defecation - I managed without shit
No potholes - I had a hack for my back
No pollution - I survived somehow
No chaos - I did not complain
Disgusting display of human emotions in the play - I tried not getting offended
But the ignorant representation of Hindu without saffron and Muslim without skullcap can be justified by no argument of cinematic liberty. Hindus and Muslims have to be stereotyped to reinforce that they are different. A Muslim always has a beard, a Hindu always wraps himself in saffron. There is no other way for them to be.
I packed my bags and was out on the next flight.
The pollution embraced me as soon as I deboarded the plane. I had sure missed my motherland!
Having lived my entire life in the Indian India, I was hesitant to visit the utopian ideal we would have had otherwise. My reservations notwithstanding, I ended up visiting this land called Unindia - the much talked about utopian ideal. My experience was disturbing, to put it mildly. One needs to take a good look at Unindia to understand and appreciate the nation we have built.
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My friend "not-Shubham not-Gupta/Agarwal" received me at the station. The station was clean - so clean that I missed kinetic friction. Managing somehow, we reached his car. It wasn't an easy journey. My back, which had gotten used to potholes, was not prepared to take in so much comfort in one go. I had to ask my friend to apply sudden brakes few times to manage the crisis. At least Jugaad hadn't deserted this Indian in Unindia!
The next lap of the adventure took me to a theatre. It was some play of sorts. After smoking packs of cigarettes to compensate for all the pollution that was absent, we reached the place. Everyone had their tickets pre-booked. Entry had started and people were in a queue. I had faint memories of how queues functioned and "with a little help from my friend", I managed to enter the theatre. The play was weird initially. But soon, the feeling of awkward gave way to repulsion and disgust.
- It was based on a gay couple.
- None of the two was an engineer or doctor.
- One of them was dark complexioned and had no qualms about it. He did not even use fair and lovely.
- They said the word sex out loud.
- One of them was Hindu, other was Muslim.
- Hindu guy neither wore saffron, nor he had a tilak. Muslim guy neither wore a skullcap, nor he sported a beard without a mustache.
No open defecation - I managed without shit
No potholes - I had a hack for my back
No pollution - I survived somehow
No chaos - I did not complain
Disgusting display of human emotions in the play - I tried not getting offended
But the ignorant representation of Hindu without saffron and Muslim without skullcap can be justified by no argument of cinematic liberty. Hindus and Muslims have to be stereotyped to reinforce that they are different. A Muslim always has a beard, a Hindu always wraps himself in saffron. There is no other way for them to be.
I packed my bags and was out on the next flight.
----------------------------
The pollution embraced me as soon as I deboarded the plane. I had sure missed my motherland!
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