Chapter 2: My love triangle with Bharat and India

Being overwhelmed with the response that I got for Chapter 1, I find myself sitting at Starbucks with a mug of hot chocolate while rains hint at another downpour. I could have been sitting in my room writing away but then since this chapter is about India, I decided this was a proper setting. Is it the smell of coffee with people involved in their work or is it the independence associated with working with your favorite cup of brew?! I would take the later.
This is not about coffee and coffee shops or any other affiliations to my favorite brew. This chapter is about India.
Independence and freedom are the two words that I associate with India. I have been brought up in India and different cultures of it. Before this article, the concept of India was plain and simple and there was nothing striking about it. I took it for granted as we do with familiar things.
The general conversation that I have heard is criticism for her. India is dirty. India is corrupt. India is crowded. India is slow. That’s how critical we are. I too have contributed to this discussion on many occasions. Maybe she is like that. Yes, ‘She’! This step onward India is feminine. Why feminine? I believe there is some power that you evoke when you associate a country as feminine rather than a tangible definition.
Moving on to India, I enjoy the freedom to be whoever I want to be. That might not sound much but it is a lot when you look at the options which Bharat offers. Constrained to society norms and resource availability, not much is offered for an aspiring singer. I on the other hand went from an aspiring astronaut to studying a course on biotechnology, graduating as a Mechanical Engineer and going on to be a doctoral candidate in Technology & Development. Some of you may disagree saying that I was brought up in a more progressive India where my parents gave me freedom and that this region is kinder to woman. I would politely differ. My parents did not give me freedom, they taught me independence! And there lies all the difference. India offers the same amount of opportunities to everyone. It is how we look at it. A person from Bharat will tell you the exact value of it.
Life is simple, shopping is therapy and eating is comforting! I have all the options available being a citizen of India. Maybe not the options like shopping on Fifth Avenue in NY but it is a therapy nonetheless. I grew up watching Friends sitcom, so sitting with a pizza or eating out of the box in front of a screen with friends is a frequent habit. Does it mean I shift to US, nope! When the world is pouring in to India, I cannot lose my place and move out of India.
As a fairly, intellectual person, people are surprised when I do not have aspiring dreams to shift out of my country. Does the traffic bother me, does the state of country bother me, and does the filth bother me? Yes, but opting out would be simple.
India today is a beehive of cultures and intellects that is coming together to embrace our tradition and keeping up with the world. There is immense opportunity for the brave and experimental. India today is about online dating vouched by parents. It is about women driving SUVs in sarees with a pair of sunglasses and rocking it! It is about doing ‘Pooja’ on your laptop during Dusshera! We are partially inspired by the western world but more driven by our culture. That’s the India which is more exciting and frankly appealing.
So do I love India? Absolutely! She is exciting, loving, diverse, colorful and lively with her own issues. The thing is that as citizens of India, we do not help her sort out her issues and expect someone else to come and glorify her before appreciating her, ourselves. One just needs to open their eyes fully to truly embrace the warmth that India truly exudes. She provides the mix of the traditions with the call for globalization. Frankly, I like the quirkiness and mix of the both worlds. Am I completely besotted with India or is Bharat calling me? Wait for the final chapter in this series.