Oh! You’re Indian? You must talk funny like Raj Koothrapali.
Well, yes I’m Indian. But no, I don’t talk Like Raj Koothrapali. For those who are accustomed to The Big Bang Theory, You know what I am talking about. To those who aren’t, Raj Koothrapali is a character from the famous American show, The Big Bang Theory.
We always assume stuff on the least of information but is that the way to go about? It’s demeaning at every level to assume something about someone without even knowing what the person is all about.
I’ll share a short story of my own life. When I shifted to Germany, it took me some time to settle in. I made friends and suddenly one day one of my friends asked me, are you sure that you’re Indian? I mean you don’t talk with that funny accent. That day I was a bit taken aback. It kind of forced me to think, why people stereotype others even before making an effort to know the person. Have I done it myself? When I circumspect in solitude, I realize, I have too. We often do that.
Punjabi? Must be fun loving. Bengali? Must eat fish and wear monkey caps. South Indian? Must have a huge name with a weird accent. Well, when Indians themselves have such varied opinions about fellow Indians, why do I even think about foreigners? Well yes. There’s a lot of truth behind stereotypes but sometimes it becomes more than just a stereotype. Sometimes it is a sort of a racial slur too. You want examples? How many of you call people from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura as “Chinky” or “Chinese”? When you say these for people from our country, doesn’t it take away your right to call yourself a “Proud Indian” when a certain Mary Kom wins the world championship in boxing?
For people living abroad, it’s a collective definition of Indians which varies from place to place. For example when I made a trip to Chicago, they asked me if I eat anything other than Curry. I was dumbfounded! I mean yes, Indians love curry but certainly that doesn’t mean that all we eat is curry. But that is the common perception about Indians in the International forum. Wait for this, people also think that India is all about poor people living on the streets, dying because of the lack of food. Not every Indian is a rapist. Not all Indians wobble their head while speaking. Not all Indians have the accent. Not all Indians are shy to speak to the opposite sex!
It’s not surprising when people think like that because even we at sometimes make huge statements without thinking. He’s Muslim. He must be a terrorist. Well, people who think like this, you need to know, If one person from your religion or country does something wrong, it is not a trend to follow. The people who went wrong are wrong even in the eyes of their own people. Hitler went overboard but his intentions were for making his country a super power. But his methods were wrong, so he was condemned! Not glorified, no! Similarly just because an Indian is being portrayed in an American Comedy Show, where he is talking and making fun in the way his script demands, doesn’t make all the Indians exactly like him. Just because one went wrong don’t judge the whole group in the same manner. It’s demeaning and disgusting. As for all you Indians out there, it’s time to rise and take a stand against it. Don’t stereotype and don’t let others stereotype too!
