Note: We do not want to sound 'racist' and we strongly condemn it, but through this article we are trying to highlight the plight of some 'Originally Indians' facing partial treatment by India!
If you're an Indian... can you tell yourself in one sentence what does India means to you? Just one sentence to be precise!
A nation full of diverse culture & traditions, forts, cuisines, art... heritage & much more!
Ask anyone around you, are they 'racist', and pat comes a reply 'NO'!
Then why do you address South-Indians as 'Madrasis' or North-East natives as Chinese/Nepalese? No need to nod your head in denial... admit it deep down somewhere you called them these!
We are not picking on anybody or blaming someone...we are just showing a mirror to the society, full of individuals living under false notion that other's do it but not them.
In India there is a general trend of stereotyping people, where we categorize a name for things that seem to be a little foreign to us (in terms of understanding).
In other words we want to remain ignorant to the fact that most of us call South-Indians as Madrasi, Northeast folks as Nepalese or Chinese for that matter, but is that it? What about calling ‘Garba/Ghumar' the same thing or addressing people belonging to J&K as 'Kashmiris'?
As a matter of fact, there are totally two different kind of communities living in J&K, one that resides in Jammu and other in Kashmir; and they both have their own language, cuisine, and rituals.
Here we are going to bust few myths which often blur our understanding about Indians:
1. Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu is completely different from Kashmir, be in terms of climate, demography, language and culture. Where Jammu more or less observes the same weather conditions as we observe in most parts of North India, Kashmir valley is colder and observes sub-zero temperature.
Dogri and Punjabi are widely spoken languages across Jammu, while Kashmiri language is spoken within the valley or people. Jammu is more connected with the rest of India, whereas Kashmir is at higher elevation and it oversees the better part of Himalaya.
So they both are totally different! And it would be polite if you respect their respective lifestyle.
2. North-Eastern states
Most of us have developed many a pseudonyms for people coming from North-Eastern parts of our country. Okay, it is difficult to distinguish between a Sikkimese and a Mizo, but at least we can have the basic decency of asking them and not judging them by their appearance.
Also North-Easterners are more athletic and agile, and have a great taste of music. So, they are not Nepalese and Chinese, they are Indians like us.
3. Odisha and Bengal
Odiyas and Bengalis do have some commonalities in their dialects and culture, but terming them as one people will be doing injustice to their diversity.
This may be news to some, but Oriya literature is older and deeper than the Bengali one. Bengali literature evolved during English occupation, but Oriya literature is considered second only to Sanskrit in terms of depth.
They have different dance forms also.
4. South Indians
We also have developed pseudonyms for our South-Indian brethrens, like Mallus and Madrasis, and while coming across any South Indian, we often conjure tacky topics like their flicks, foods and Rajnikanth. There is a hell lot more to them than just this.
South Indians are considered the most intelligent people in the world. A Malayali and Kannadiga have as many differences in their culture as between a Bengali and a Punjabi.
We need to understand they speak different languages, they eat different foods. So in nutshell, we need to explore and be more diverse in our outlook.
Most of you must have watched a recent video on South-Indians! if not watch it here...
Dare to call any South-Indian a 'Madrassi'? Watch this funny video now!
5. Rajasthan and Gujarat
Gujarati and Rajasthanis are the most successful people in India, they are widely considered to have sharp entrepreneurial acumen.
They do have different cuisines; Dal baati is popular among Rajasthanis, whereas ‘Meethi Dal' is a trademark food of Gujarat. Dandiya is the folk dance of Gujarat, whereas Ghumar is Rajasthan's ancient dance form.
The basic decency we can show is by respecting their culture & exploring their rich diversity in terms of clothes, cuisine, art, music etc. The least we must do is stop judging them….
