Lethargic IITian
Musings of a 20-something lethargic IITian on India and Catholicism.


Tuesday, May 21, 2002  

While on a discussion on an IITB newsgroup (the discussion was on Hindu Goddesses), a certain member of the IITB student community with extremely far right leanings posts (in response to a query I made of another student):


No [you have to accept what he says]. Just because he still follows Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) which his ancestors followed. His statement has obviously more weight than any petty Christian.

and later:

Even a 'Neem' tree can be revered more than the Trinity. My dear this is Sanatan Dharma. We don't have one God and messenger funda.

and finally (because I am an Non Resident Indian), or NRI:

As far as I remember you have stayed in India for not more than 5-6 years. After deducing four years of IIT you are left with just 2 years in India, which I guess might be your childhood years !!!

...and we are discussing Indianness and Hindusim with this chap. Kency, even an uneducated auto-vallah is more Indian then you. You can't be an Indian just because you have an Indian passport. This is not America.

This Country has a very rich and vast culture. And to be an Indian you have to be a part of it. Nobody can teach you this. You have to spend at-least some active years of ur life here to understand this complex society. I am not surprised with your shallow understanding of India, it's society and it's culture. I think you do not deserve to be a part of any debate pertaining to India where true Indians are participating.

If you want to learn something shed your notion of being at par with any other Indian active here and don't indulge in debate. Even an ordinary mess worker is well equipped with knowledge of the culture to which he belongs. He can be your first teacher.


This particular rightist has often attacked me personally in various debates in the past - but then he's always hammered on the fact that I was Christian. As though it were impossible for anyone but a Hindu to be a true Indian. This is the first time he's gone for my NRI origins, though.

posted by Kensy | 8:46 AM
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