After the October 7 attacks, Israel imposed a complete siege on Gaza, blocking food, water and medicine, before eventually allowing some deliveries
I'm confused, but, clearly, my Indian-ness doesn't define me. In fact, I'm on a soul-searching mission myself:
I don't believe I'm distinct by virtue of being Indian. I wouldn't want to be naïve - or supercilious - enough to state that "we're" different from others. We aren't. I find like-mindedness among other nationalities and, therefore, feel close to them; I cannot "identify" with many of my countrymen, and feel distant from them. In a globalised world, it's difficult to pinpoint Indian-ness.
To make matters more complex, Indians constitute 1.3 billion of the world population (yes, 17.5 per cent of present-day homo sapiens are Indians), but there's no flattening out the Indian DNA. People from all corners of the same country claim to be different from each other - culturally and aesthetically - which makes everything incredibly convoluted. Yet, we are asked to "behave" like "Indians": cue to, "In India, this is what happens." someone will invariably drone on in a superior tone, and will lose me completely. "We" cannot have 1.3 billion Indians parroting (in unison), hello, I feel Indian. Not feasible. Because what I mean by identity in a north-eastern corner of India will not be similar to what you mean by identity in its southern-most reaches.
Exactly three days after the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of Indian independence, let me just say it out straight: I don't have a clue as to what it means to be Indian. And I hate cricket, so I don't even experience the tiniest wave of patriotism whenever India beats a handful of (okay, 12) other countries and emerges "world champions".
Having said that, I do, on many occasions, go through some unexplained, mysterious motions; they're probably in my DNA. Ingrained. Search me.
sushmita@khaleejtimes.com
Sushmita is Editor, Wknd. She has a ?penchant for analysing human foibles
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