prasad1
Active member
There are some things we all know about the first-genera on Indian Diaspora, particularly in the
US.
No one loves the classical arts like they do, for instance – their children are trained in Indian music
or dance, some times both, just to keep all options open.
Typically, the parents hope their offspring will become famous artists – ideally, while also being
successful doctors or engineers – and invest heavily in the pursuit of such fame.
If they’re not good enough to become famous, there is a decent chance that a long list of
extracurricular activities will look good on a resume and help them get into an overpriced school.
And if they’re not good enough to impress the overpriced school, they can perform at the Hindu
festivals celebrated diligently in Indian households in the Bay Area and beyond, and prove that
even if their families have left India, India has not left their families.
We also know they tend to be disconnected from the realities of India, which to them is the home
of aging parents and socialism. That is why, nearly thirty years after India opened its doors to
foreign products, people with Indian faces and American passports continue to bring giant bags of
supermarket-bought chocolates for the relatives who didn’t migrate.
We also know that the easiest way to find the India of the 1980s twenty years into the new
millennium is to travel to Indian-dominated neighborhoods in the US. True story: I’ve seen Cibaca
toothpaste, Cuticura powder, and Gopal toothpowder at a family-owned store in Queens. I don’t
remember when I last saw those in India.
We also know that the Diaspora excels at importing all things Indian and supersizing them to
American taste – religion, food, and heads of state.
...........................................................................
One of the salient features of the Indian immigrant is his keenness to adopt the ways of the
the country where he lives, while also being paranoid that he might assimilate too well, so well that he
forgets his own prejudices.
The Indian Diaspora which filled an enormous stadium has proven that its constituent immigrants
can tread this fine line.
America loves a school dropout as long as he is successful at what he does. Universi es o?en invite
Silicon Valley successes to whom they once denied degrees as chief guests to address students who
did manage to get their degrees.
Indians don’t love a dropout. They like people to study for as long as possible, while their parents
slog away, because every degree adds to the Success Story, irrespective of whether the degree holder
has earned anything other than his degree or not. And for as long as someone refuses to make his educational qualifications public, the Diaspora can afford to love him.
He is, after all, being modest.
www.sify.com
US.
No one loves the classical arts like they do, for instance – their children are trained in Indian music
or dance, some times both, just to keep all options open.
Typically, the parents hope their offspring will become famous artists – ideally, while also being
successful doctors or engineers – and invest heavily in the pursuit of such fame.
If they’re not good enough to become famous, there is a decent chance that a long list of
extracurricular activities will look good on a resume and help them get into an overpriced school.
And if they’re not good enough to impress the overpriced school, they can perform at the Hindu
festivals celebrated diligently in Indian households in the Bay Area and beyond, and prove that
even if their families have left India, India has not left their families.
We also know they tend to be disconnected from the realities of India, which to them is the home
of aging parents and socialism. That is why, nearly thirty years after India opened its doors to
foreign products, people with Indian faces and American passports continue to bring giant bags of
supermarket-bought chocolates for the relatives who didn’t migrate.
We also know that the easiest way to find the India of the 1980s twenty years into the new
millennium is to travel to Indian-dominated neighborhoods in the US. True story: I’ve seen Cibaca
toothpaste, Cuticura powder, and Gopal toothpowder at a family-owned store in Queens. I don’t
remember when I last saw those in India.
We also know that the Diaspora excels at importing all things Indian and supersizing them to
American taste – religion, food, and heads of state.
...........................................................................
One of the salient features of the Indian immigrant is his keenness to adopt the ways of the
the country where he lives, while also being paranoid that he might assimilate too well, so well that he
forgets his own prejudices.
The Indian Diaspora which filled an enormous stadium has proven that its constituent immigrants
can tread this fine line.
America loves a school dropout as long as he is successful at what he does. Universi es o?en invite
Silicon Valley successes to whom they once denied degrees as chief guests to address students who
did manage to get their degrees.
Indians don’t love a dropout. They like people to study for as long as possible, while their parents
slog away, because every degree adds to the Success Story, irrespective of whether the degree holder
has earned anything other than his degree or not. And for as long as someone refuses to make his educational qualifications public, the Diaspora can afford to love him.
He is, after all, being modest.
Why the Diaspora has so much love to give
And for as long as someone refuses to make his educational qualifications public, the Diaspora can afford to love him.
www.sify.com
