Emergence of the New Indian

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE

After independence, till about a decade or two ago, introductory conversations between strangers always began with queries of the caste that one belonged to, or the archetypal ‘native place’. If it happened to be common or if they had geographical proximity of a few miles, they often struck a chord of familiarity and congenial bonding.

In the metros and progressive towns, this is passé. Now, the connecting point for youngsters is the university/educational institution they have attended or their place of work.

I am what I am due to various influences — the Hindu ideology of my roots, Sikh leanings due to a grandmother of the pre-partition era, Protestant teachings in school, Catholic values in college and a large number of Muslim friends, all of which have created in me a deep respect and tolerance for all religions.

My head bows in equal reverence to the sound of bells from temples as well as churches; the voices singing the Sukhmani as well as those calling out the azaan; the Buddhist chants or recital of Pratikraman by Jains.

In my friend Nagineh’s well-decorated drawing room, besides a copper embossed plate of the sayings from the Koran that holds pride of place, there is a Buddha idol and a sandalwood ‘Geetopadesha’ in a glass case gifted by her husband’s colleagues. Paintings of Yashoda and baby Krishna reminiscent of her J J School of Art days, adorn her wall. She and her family never fail to make the rounds of pandals during Navratras. She attributes her secular upbringing and lifestyle to her father’s service in the army.

An Air Force officer I know set the stage for an ideally integrated family when he opposed his family’s attempts to convert his Christian bride and years later, he got a Gowda daughter-in-law and half Muslim-half Anglo-Indian son-in-law.

Diyas during Diwali and decorations of Christmas are a common sight within houses where there are children, irrespective of the religion they belong to. On Rakshabandhan, rakhis adorn wrists of all races. I know of a few people who fast during Ramadaan even though they’re not Muslims.

This and many such examples give a rosy picture of a truly secular, new-age Indian. Who knows, if our country had just a North, South, East, West and Central division of states, the lingual divide would have faded out too.

Can we be optimistic enough and hope for a future that will have all the forms in our country without the ‘caste’ and ‘religion’ columns to be filled? Hopefully, increasing urbanisation, inter-caste marriages, ascendance in literacy rates and the spread of education will pave a smoother path for the emergence of a new age Indian who will rise above all divides to establish and strengthen his or her national identity.