No, “You Don’t Have An Indian Accent” Is Not A Compliment
Will we ever embrace true diversity for what it is?
I was at a networking event recently where someone passed this remark.
It was an innocent observation but I was taken aback by the exclamatory tone with which this person said, “You don't have an Indian accent at all.”
In case it isn’t obvious, I am from India. I was born in Mumbai.
However, I have lived, worked, and studied abroad since I was 16.
My English has become a neatly amalgamated version of British and American English. I switch between calling the footpath a sidewalk or a tea time cookie a biscuit. It depends on my mood.
It also largely depends on whom I am talking to.
That is one of the main reasons why over time, my Indian accent evolved.
Or rather completely disappeared as this person noted.
This comment struck a chord with me and quickly went from a harmless observation to borderline offensive to something that got me thinking about my cultural roots and our definition of diversity at large.
Firstly, identifying that I don’t have an Indian accent implies that there is one monolithic Indian accent that a population of 1.4…
