From: pagrawal@portal.hq.videocart.com (Pankaj Agrawal)
Subject: Re: being asian-indian/american
Organization: VideOcart Inc.
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 18:40:33 GMT

loca@netcom.com (John Hoag) writes:
: vagarwal@dis9002.shearson.com (Virendra Agarwal) writes:
: 
: > You may be NATURALIZED or BORN citizens of United States which gives all
: > legal rights to be an American but "European American" still consider you
: > an "INDIAN".  What I am trying to convey is : If you are European , you
: > can assume citizenship of any country you like immidiately and be accepted
: > as citizen of that country.  If a European steps on U.S. land , he/she is
: > assumed to be American, if steps on Australia is Australian, if steps on
: > South Africa is South African (If there is Gold - Europeans are willing to
: > become AFRICANS).
: > 
: > Non-Europeans maintain their citizenship of their origin while "Europeans"
: > change their citizenship like lizards change their colors and get
: > accepted.  No matter how much you try to convince your fellow European
: > American friends that you are an American,British,Australian....by virtue
: > of birth or otherwise. They will only laugh at you in their hearts.
: > 
: > ----- Good Luck -- Virendra
: 
: Them's hard words, Virendra.  You must've run across quite a few ignorant
: European Americans in your travels, which I'll be the first to agree, is
: not hard to do.  But be sure to leave some room in there for exceptions,
: even if you know they're relatively rare.  They count, too.
: 
: Ever since I was about 20 (I'm 41 now), I've wanted to go to India.  Maybe
: even move there.  I'd have to see how things go.  But I've never in my
: wildest dreams imagined that Indians would accept me as an Indian.  Why
: should they?  I'm clearly a European.  We're talking race, here, are we
: not?  Races do exist.  The important thing, to me, is that people of  
: different races respect each other's differences.  They don't have to
: pretend that differences don't exist.  The differences are just the tip,
: the commonality is the iceberg.  
: 
: But respect is the ideal, sad to say, not so much the rule in everyday
: life.  And I'm afraid that's true in many cultures.  I'm sure it's hard
: not feeling accepted in a country that is dominantly of another culture
: than one's own.  I can imagine feeling that way in India.  But what I look
: for is individuals who are really pretty much all-there, awake,
: compassionate, lively, thoughtful, intelligent...  There are people like
: that everywhere.  They may not be in the majority, but they come in every
: culture.
: 
: But India... What can I say?  It's a land steeped in my religion.  Gotta
: go there at some point in this life.  I hope folks are nice.  :-)
: 
: 	-- John Hoag (loca@netcom.com)
: 

I agree with John whole heartedly! I do understand where Virendra is coming 
from also. But there is no need to be so cynical. I think the problem of 
identity arises from our own insecurity as human beings. Why do we want to 
be labelled as Indians, or Americans, or anything, legally, socially, or 
otherwise. Why do we want to assert our nationality or culture in any way. Can 
we not just live as good human beings and not even care about these 
differences. Sounds idealistic, but not impossible. 

I was shocked, to see the attitude of many Indians in this country towards
blacks ("Kallus"!). In India, at many institutions like Roorkee university
and in Pune, there have been many many cases of violent clashes between
black African students and local Indian students. Intolerance is everywhere,
as John rightly observes. Unfortunately, a majority of people everywhere
do not live deeply enough to go beyond the differences to find the underlying
commonality. But fortunately, there are some such people everywhere, and 
I personally think that this segment of population is growing everywhere.

To me the only way to live is to be oneself, without asserting oneself as this
or that. It is enough to be just human. When I am at ease with myself, I accept
and I am accepted. All labels are meaningless.

As for John's trip to India, good luck! I can't guarantee all the people there
will be nice, but you will meet some.

-Pankaj

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Pankaj Agrawal

pagrawal@code.hq.videocart.com
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