I just read this blog post by a friend and I recalled those times when I was the butt of a crass joke because I was from a geographically different area that they knew nothing about. Like the time when I had just moved from Delhi to Maharashtra for my LL.B and my landlord’s son joked about how we North Indians (his exact words were ‘you Punjabis’, meaning everyone from the North is Punjabi) were ill-tempered and ill-educated. Or how one annoying schoolmate used to call me ‘Chinki’ (Chinese) because I hailed from Uttarakhand. Or when someone passed a snide remark on how Garhwali sounds similar to Gharwali…. Ugh!
Ours is a diverse nation, and though we’d like to call ourselves a ‘secular’ people, we are anything but that. Our parochialism holds a sway over us so strong that even the educated amongst us (like my landlord’s son who was an Engineer by profession) are guilty of perpetuating stereotypes. Take for example the parents of a Punjabi girl who advise her not to seek a Madrasi boy, or the Tam Brams of Tamil Nadu who take pride in what the term stands for, or the notion that all Bengalis must be slow, and all Gujjus must be money-minded.
We even have biases on sheher-wala and gaon-wala!Joking about it is fine, but only as long as we keep track of the humor in those jokes. When these stereotypes start affecting our judgment of people or cultures, we become petty and biased. That’s not what a ‘secular’ nation is. That’s not what a civilized nation is.
This post may be humorous, but the thought that provoked it is anything but a joke. Try not making light of this one…
Hey guys how are you doing!!! I dont care honestly, but mum said be nice. So……. Here’s a humorous battle between momos, vada pav and litti chokha
You know the amount of content out there about Delhi vs Mumbai is more than the population of both the cities. so, everytime delhi guys makes fun of mumbai folks or vice versa, I find it amusing. I really find it amusing, coz I ain’t from either of the cities.
I from a developed part of this country, the progressive part. BIHAR.
And boy, people are jealous. Whenever I tell them I am from bihar, they act like they’re scared but they are actually jealous. That’s why they hate us.
We are a racist country, you gotta accept it. Everytime a person tells where he is from, a follow up question is there, depending on where, he is from.
Like if you say…
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Hmm, perhaps it’s ok to glorify your place. But not at the expense of another
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Yes, absolutely not.
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It’s so sad like when Assamese are constantly referred to as Chinki and same for Bhaiyas. I am one indeed. As long as the jokes are done in a healthy way but when hatred and prejudices permeate everything, it excludes humans. I agree with the strong point you make. Do watch the KBC Kohima ad on what it means to be an Indian.
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I agree with you wholeheartedly. I’ll watch that advertisement for sure now that you’ve mentioned it
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I guess its a part of human nature. such practice happens everywhere like in US Jews and blacks are commonly targeted in jokes. I’m not justifying such actions but I feel it says a lot about our mindset
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That is true. It’s a universal problem but I can only comment on biases that I’ve personally encountered. And it’s no excuse that it happens everywhere. Why should we do it, is the question to ask yourself when you find yourself compartmentalizing people on the basis of labels. As an educated people, we shouldn’t.
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well said. As I mentioned I don’t think anyone should engage in such things but these are rampant across regions. Educated or uneducated….all are same when it comes to such acts.
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That’s true. We are humans, not gods.
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I guess that’s something we all have to accept and live with.
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The fact that we aren’t God’s and hence susceptible to flaws? Yes, but we must try to change for the better is my point. Just because it’s done somewhere else or is human nature is no justification for it. Bigamy is a practice that still exists in numerous parts of the world. But it was abolished too. This can be changed too, if we try. Have a happy day 🙂
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Sure we can.
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Glad you agree 😁
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👍
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This kind of compartmentalization is universal. Perhaps it starts from our class rooms – “we” and “they”. The dislike we show towards some one different from us is only the extension of our class room behaviour. It is no secret that people from North India hate the people from the south ( “Kala adhmis”, aren’t they?).
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You are absolutely right Sir. It starts from home itself. And you’re right on pointing out how North Indians point out all South Indians as Madrasis. But we must, if we want to call ourselves a secular nation, shed these notions of ‘otherness’… Or else there’s no point in chanting the phrase ‘unity in diversity’
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This comes down to the basic human nature of crfeating an Us vs Them narrative. First countries, then states, then districts, communities, even lanes are used to further this mindset. Where will this end?
I’ve seen and faced my fair share of, let’s call a spade a spade, racism and regionalism. And it still comes up from time to time.In Arunachal, all non-tribals (people who aren’t from those states), are Biharis, even if you are from Tamil Nadu. I touched upon these themes in a two-part post I did last year, Bullying as a social tool. And much as we glorify ourselves, we are deeply racist and casteist as a nation. And it is a shame!
Nice post, though. Keep writing. 🙂
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Yes I remember those posts. Those were among the first I’d read of your works when I started following you. I didn’t know there was such a distinction in Arunachal Pradesh. And why ‘Biharis’? Bihar is FAR away from AP! But you’re right, it comes down to us and them, even if the ‘them’ refers to people in the next flat.
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Were they the first? I honestly don’t remember.
Why Bihar? No idea. Maybe Biharis were the first non-tribals that arrived there. Maybe there should be a branch of linguistic studies devoted to this, Biharipology. 😛
And yes, it is always Us vs them, always.
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Oh! So there’s no apparent reason? That’s really racist. And to think we always think that tribals are at the receiving end of racism. This just goes to prove the point that it’s human psychology to always differentiate between us and the. , like how you said, ALWAYS!
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Yes, when in majority, discriminate.
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😦 😦 That is a sad mentality. Wonder when it will change, if it will.
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Would take a long time, if at all.
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Right! 😦
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Oh, looks like you’ve been busy on your blog. I’m coming over in sometime 😀
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