From: bkannan@ha06.eng.ua.edu (Balaji Kannan)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Re:People of Indian Origin and Indian culture
Date: 31 Jul 1992 00:01:13 -0500
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


srini@IREQ-NUM.HYDRO.QC.CA (K.Srinivasan) writes:

bkannan@ha06.eng.ua.edu (Balaji Kannan) writes in soc.culture.tamil
bk>  Strangely, most of these Mommy-Daddy
bk>  language-sheriffs wouldn't mind living in the land of Mommies and
bk>  Daddies, lusting after the Mommy-Daddy Culture while lecturing the
bk>  rest about the evil-effects of the same. Talking thru both sides of
bk>  the mouth!!!. 
bk>      Anbudan,
bk>      Balaji Kannan

>s.c.indian is more suitable for this discussion.
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    Aanhaan! The self-styled Sheriff again! Have the courtesy
    to ask me before you lift-off material from *my* post in another
    group and place it here. 
 
    Will you? Please!


>The above statement seem to imply that those of Indian origin living
>in north america, should abandon their native culture, and as a
>consequence also reduce links to India, eventually.

     If it strikes you [seems] that the above statement[mine]implies what you 
     have said here, either you are deliberately trying to append meanings
     to my statements or just maybe......
 
     Please read that statement again. [Keywords: lusting, while]

>IMHO,
>(1) The main reason one has decided to live in the 'land of mommies
>and daddies' is to make money. Why not admit the true motive?

     To many, yes. Maybe you are one of them. But people might have other
     reasons too you know. Maybe you haven't thought about it.

>(2) There is nothing wrong and no need to feel guilty if one wants to become
>'rich' in a capitalistic society.

      Did I ever say that? Or even imply? 

>(3) Living abroad and contributing positively to the betterment of the
>'land of amma and appa' is better than living there and spending the
>life 'complaining' or else 'grabbing what you can get'.

>I have met people, who loudly announce, "I love india, would never
>live anywhere else". Yet admit, they deal in all corrupt practices
>and cheat their fellowmen. Is this considered more 'patriotic'
>than one who 'makes his life abroad' and spends in India.?


     What has all this got to do with what I said?
     Mr.Srinivasan, did I ever question your or anyone else's patriotism?

>(4) Most Indians living abroad, eventually pump back into Indian economy
>more than the cost of their education, if they recieved it in India.

     So? 

>(5) Respect for 'amma appa culture' among Indians living abroad, helps
>in maintaining this link, which is beneficial to the 'land of amma appa'.

    No doubt. But the question is whether one has to be paranoid about
    everything that is not "amma-appa". Whether the "pristine purity"
    of a language/culture has to be fanatically defended is moot. I am
    a fuddy-duddy traditionalist myself. But I do make allowances and
    where/when I can't [I don't like some of the things I see here.]
    I won't make loud pronouncements about these.  Every person
    has his judgement to help him decide what is good/what he needs
    and  oftentimes we settle for things that help us survive in this 
    world. So crying  "He is ditching my culture, He is ditching my 
    language"  at the drop of a hat won't help much. Pride in one's
    culture/language/tradition is great. I too love that. But I don't  
    think one has to seal himself to cultural or linguistic incursions, 
    particularly to those [values,ideals etc.] that have Universal Appeal.
    
    I do agree with you though that local languages are being neglected,
    sometimes for no rhyme nor reason and that might not be a healthy attitude.
    But when the local languages have very little to offer, it is pointless to 
    blame Indians for lusting after English. Maybe people are misguided when
    they carry things too far. But this appeal of English is UNIVERSAL.
    Or is it pseudo-appeal??

>(6) The 'mommy-daddy culture' in India is for whose benefit?

     Who is to decide this? 

>I do not see any 'talking through both sides of the mouth' here.

     When you haven't even gotten the import of what I said, it ain't
     surprising that you couldn't see this. 
    
>K. Srinivasan  srini@ireq-num.hydro.qc.ca

     If you find "mommy-daddy" SO disgusting, you should also feel that
     wearing underwears,pants,coats instead of a komanam, vetti/kaili
     mundaas etc. equally disgusting. I am not sure you would feel this
     way. I will not tell a person back home not to sport the dress
     that he/she finds  attractive enough to wear while I am sporting
     these myself. And even otherwise probably.
 
     Regarding this person in Kerala who resorted to humiliation[extreme]
     by shaving off a kid's head,YES,I find that despicable. And still
     could be understating. 

     To another netter who felt annoyed:

           No one ever clipped your freedom to express
           yourself. But don't expect people to
           "aamaan chaami" [Yes,Sir] everything you say.
           Just as you feel like criticizing, give room 
           for others to do the same.
 
  
     regards,           
     Balaji Kannan