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| 9th KIP New Delhi, Gujarat & UP - Feedback |
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Everything was great, because I know and understand that you all tried your best to help us have a better stay… so Thank You All. |
| Created By : Krishita Narayan, Fiji. |
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Gujarat – A nice place with many things to appreciate. I loved the people and the culture for their simplicity, warmth and genuine qualities. |
| Created By : Jaisri Maharaj, Trinadad & Tobago |
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Thank you to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and all organizers for awarding us the opportunity to Know India from a unique perspective. This has been an enriching experience that makes me proud to acknowledge that my roots lie in such a country that is making strides in the international arena, whilst still maintaining it’s rich cultural heritage. |
| Created By : Yashica Phunwasi, South Africa |
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Varnasi and meeting the villagers (in Daveli, UP) were the most enlightening experiences. I was touched that they were able to provide us food even when their conditions was so poor. |
| Created By : Venita Ganpat, Trinidad and Tobago |
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Had a lot of fun, probably the best three weeks of my life. However, the trip was very educational and eye-opening. Had a good balance. |
| Created By : Riki Patel Sharma, UK |
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The perfect Trip. Leader and Coordinator was extremely fantastic throughout the tour. All grace goes out to them. Many thanks to MoIA, all state Governments, Yi and CII.
Excellent Work!!! |
| Created By : Tiagen Peritam, South Africa |
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Know India Programme
by Anil Daryani, USA
"What is it like growing up Indian in America? Is it strange?" This was one of the first questions I was asked upon landing in Mumbai in early September.
I recently had the privilege of spending three weeks touring India with thirty-two other young Indians (or Persons of Indian Origin, as we were called). Through a program organized by India's Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, aptly called the "Know India Program," I was afforded the opportunity to travel through and explore urban, suburban and rural India. I had the chance to see and experience first-hand the industry, development, commerce and trade that is taking place in India, in addition to learning more about the history, culture, traditions, and religion. While the places and people that I have seen will surely one day make for brilliant coffee-table stories that I can share with my friends and family, of particular interest is what I would call my interpretation of life in India vis-à-vis life in America.
As the sole delegate from the United States of America, I felt that I had my work cut out for me in terms of unraveling some of the stereotypes that my colleagues from the rest of the world had about Americans. If my mindset upon my arrival in Mumbai is at all indicative of how I think many Americans perceive our world, then our society certainly has a long way to go in terms of really, truly understanding how the rest of the world lives. For me personally, this sort of self-fulfilling prophecy takes shape in the form of what many of my colleagues would call the ABCD complex (for those of you who are unfamiliar with this term, as I once was, it means American-Born-Confused-Desi). Fundamentally, it is probably what I am and it is also what I often see in many of my friends who are also First Generation-Born Americans.
Conceptually, it may be a bit difficult to grasp. Being born here when your parents are born there, you face the clash of two worlds, East meets West, India meets America, and often times, it feels like, Right meets Wrong. Growing up, it is difficult to discern the truth when what your parents are telling you is drastically and radically different from what MTV is telling you (hence, the 'Confused' part of the ABCD). In India, a son is to live with his parents until he is married; and even after, he may continue to live in his parents' house indefinitely. In America, as I have been told, if your son does not move out when he is 18, the only rational explanation is that there is something wrong with him or he simply does not want to "grow up." This is only one of several examples I could now very easily spout off depicting some of the cultural differences between life in America and life in India.
The real value in my experience is not that I was able to travel around India for three weeks with a group of my friends (although that was a fantastic experience in-and-of itself). However, the real value is that, for the first time in my life, I am able to see the world through my parents' eyes. For as much as India is growing and changing, there are cultural values and ideals that pervade throughout our motherland as well as throughout our Diaspora. Ideals around family, morals, tradition, and history; these are all a part of who we are and where we come from. And as far as I can tell, they are not going away anytime soon.
My return home to California was almost bittersweet. I was just getting used to life in India (and, actually, my Hindi was dramatically improving). But, in life, as they say, all good things usually have to come to an end. Coming home, nothing was terribly different, but I will say that my perception of the world has changed significantly. Maybe it was in the poverty-stricken streets of Mumbai, or perhaps is was the strange sense of calm that overcame me in Varanasi, or maybe it was the sheer excitement of experiencing life in Delhi; somewhere along the way, I started looking at the world through both of my eyes.
The world is much bigger than I thought it was. It is vast in land, languages, people and religion. While this certainly was not my first time out of the country, much less my first time in India, the idea of it is something that had managed to elude me before this trip. There are billions of people, moving, working, and innovating everyday; they are each trying to make their own world a slightly better place than it was the day before. It may seem strange, but you've got to see it to believe it. And even if you see it, if you're not looking, I mean really, truly looking, you might miss it.
I think I see now what my parents saw then; it may be a little rough around the edges, but it's a place to call home. It will take you if you are rich or poor, Hindu or Muslim, white or black. It truly is a land of extremes, and yet it is a society that is quite open and accepting. For as high-minded as us Americans can sometimes be, I think we sure could use a little bit of that over here. |
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