“What do you know of India?” he queries.
Ask me about
European history, the Far East, or the Americas – I could probably work out an
answer; I had learned about those in school. But India? Who talks about India?
Brows furrowing, I
picture a brown-skinned woman with coarse raven hair in her colourful
traditional attire (what is that called anyway? I had never bothered to ask).
She inhabits a sweltering, overcrowded country whose streets are full of aroma,
that of an assortment of exotic spices. A leisurely strolling cow halts a
mile-long traffic. … Needless to say, none of these made for a satisfactory
academic answer.
Yet, India is
not too obscure a country; I am bound to remember my encounters with her
throughout my life if I try… So I do.
If my life were a railroad track…
Station 1: Early childhood in Korea
I am born in Korea, a highly homogeneous country.
Naturally, humans as I know them are yellow-skinned, speak Korean, and flaunt
black hair. I am acquainted with the term “foreigner”, but lack a conceptual
understanding of “race”. Case in point: I equated the term “foreigner” with “American”,
if my memory serves me correctly. It follows, hence, that “India” and “Indian”
have yet to exist in my vocabulary.
Station 2: Kamloops, British Columbia
I arrive in Canada to find myself suddenly hyperaware of
my “otherness”, bombarded by the incessant question, “where are you from?” At
the same time, paradoxically, I fail to recognise the “otherness” in my new friend,
Rajkiran. She is my first “encounter with India”, although it will take me to
this day to realize it was so.
Station 3: Back to Korea for preadolescence
No word of India.
Station 4: Immigration to Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
I learn about racial distinctions, stereotypes, and
prejudices as they are hurled at me in the white-dominated environment that enveloped
me. I am confused by the second generation Indian students mocking their own culture.
I begin to wonder if the characterizations are indeed true. Video clips of
Russell Peters exacerbate my suspicions.
In grade 9 history class, I encounter India in an
academic context: history class. I learn about British East India Company, the
Sepoy Mutiny, and Gandhi’s non-violent independence movement (of course, I had
known about Gandhi prior to taking the course as well). However, my acquired knowledge
on India is “static”. That is to say, I do not know in what ways the historical
events are relevant to the present-day India. As a born and raised Korean, by contrast,
I understand the significance of our history and how it continues to shape our
culture and identity today.
Station 5: High school student
Suddenly I am amidst many students of ethnic minority
groups. A sizable portion of the student population has Indian roots. Alongside
cupcake fundraisers are samosa sales. On multicultural days, Bollywood Club members
showcase their dance moves in their dazzling traditional clothing. Indian
culture nonetheless remains elusive to me, perhaps because we all seem to be
Canadian before anything else.
Station 6: University student armed with BBC app
on smartphone
From snippets of news, I learn about shower gels being
used by Indian women that supposedly whiten skin, but end up causing scars
instead. I reflect on the lingering effects of colonialism.
I hear about acid attacks. A woman being paraded on the
street naked for some personal vengeance. And more recently, the notorious
Delhi bus gang rape and child rape cases. A foreign tourist being raped while
her husband is beaten and tied up. I gauge the level of gender equality in
Indian society, or more appropriately, ‘inequality’.
I hear about electricity shortages, electricity piracy,
and poverty, and then I learn of “Gold Man”. I learn about castes.
I learn about corpses being dumped in the river, yet
there are proposals to establish a Playboy mansion (which are rejected by government
officials). I picture a religious and socially conservative society, but this
picture is distorted by images of Bollywood actors and actresses who evoke western
media.
Station 7: Present day – ENGL123 student
So where do all these influences and encounters leave me
now? Well, my understanding and knowledge of India are nowhere up to par with
where I would like them to be. Certainly, I have had glimpses into Indian
society, but they are no more than mere glimpses. For this reason, I am all the
more looking forward to learning about India in depth in our ENGL123 class.
Picture Sources:
Good blog – I enjoyed reading it. The visual is particularly effective. Good work.
ReplyDeleteI hope you will discover there is more to India that the negatives you have already discovered.
Here's my take on Canada by the same method!
1. Massive discrimination against peoples who were conquered and then subjugated by white people, who used blankets impregnated with smallpox to attempt genocide.
2. Terrible poverty in many reservations.
3. Great inequality in the country, little discussed by governments and the press.
4. 1 in 7 children living in poverty in Canada (true, by the way).
5. Nearly a million people using food banks in Canada.
6. Complete disregard for environment and international environmental agreements.
7. Oil Sands the largest man-made object visible from space.
8. Government forcibly silences government researchers and scientists.
And so on…
Thank you for your comment! You raise a good point, and it made me realize that I had neglected to illustrate one of my reasons for mentioning the news snippets. I had wanted to reveal not only my lack of knowledge on India, but more specifically, my lack of a well-rounded view of India. News media did give me some knowledge, but a skewed one because of its bias towards reporting negative news. Therefore, I am anxious to learn about its culture and its people in a comprehensive way, such as through this class.
DeleteMuch of the information on Canada you shared is new to me so I am glad that you did! I just became a Canadian citizen today, and it goes to show that I have a lot to learn about my newly adopted country.