Wat Nadenken (Some Reflections)...

The face reflected in the window seemed to stare right at me, boring into my skull and reading my innermost thoughts. The distortion of the face by passing stations flowing through it did not reduce the intensity of its inquisitive gaze. Shadows cast by the flickering lights in the train and the occasional filtered city light from outside played games with the face giving it more life and form than it actually had. The face looked Indian. I kept staring at it wondering amusedly if the person it belonged to saw my reflection the same way, if he was thinking the same thoughts…

When I first landed in Norway on my cross-European course, I had some presupposed notions on life in Europe. A year in the continent has taught me something though. While some of those suppositions have been validated and others completely refuted, what’s most striking is the completely new perspective I got on India…and my Indian-ness. Read on to find out some of the allegories/ideas/questions the statement “I’m an Indian” gives rise to :)

The Crowds
Depending on which part of Europe you’re in the first image that pops into some one’s mind when he hears India varies. Norway is, well, slightly under-crowded. After all, with a population of 4 million the country’s got less people than Chennai has. Mention India to a Norwegian therefore, and watch him go into a trance as if watching a horror movie…picturing a sea of people, moving in all directions, all talking simultaneously, most of them even brushing against him all the time!! “Brrr…,” he shivers, lets out a sigh and drinks two beers in complete silence. Then comes the reaction. “It must be quite crowded, no?” “Yup,” I say, with a proud smirk on my face. In fact, one of my Norwegian friends visited Delhi airport en-route to Nepal and he still recounts his experience with a glazed look in his eyes. “Chaos, complete chaos! That’s what it was! Do you people actually handle planes there?!” “Yup,” says I, with a twitch of my lips.

The Heat
Once the topic of crowds is discussed thread-bare – which usually takes two hours – we naturally turn to the weather as it’s raining outside. Here all the Europeans stand united. While some of them can understand a crowded city what none of them can comprehend is 40 degrees Celsius at 95% humidity for weeks on end. “The Bible does not mention Hell as being on Earth!” “How many clothes can a guy remove? I go out in my shorts at 20 degrees!” Here though, I cannot smirk my usual smirk. Much to my consternation I find myself sweating on a walk at 20 degrees. The question arises – am I still a true Chennaiite? Scary, very scary.

These were the only comments I could get out of the Norwegians for they are a very shy people and have this wonderful principle (called Janteloven) that simply put, keeps them from talking to others.

Spiritualism
The Netherlands however, is a different story altogether. The Dutch, apart from being tall and perfectionist are a very amiable lot. While I love talking about my country, city and beliefs, sometimes this can be a mite frustrating. “Siddharth? Like the famous Siddhartha who invented Buddhism?” – Guys, come on Buddhism is NOT a technology… “So, are you enlightened? Can you levitate like those fellows with beards who sit in the mountains? Oh, but you said you were from the southern part of India…you don’t have mountains.” Mr. Smirk takes a walk. I indignantly refute allegations that South India does not have fellows with beards. Absence of snow does not imply absence of spiritualism.

Being Vegetarian
Talk of spiritualism naturally leads to religious investigations. For predominantly Christian Europe and Islamic-Christian Holland in particular, to be a vegetarian you either need to be mad or a Hindu. I patiently explain that Hinduism isn’t the only religion in India and even most Hindus are non-vegetarian. Then I go and make the mistake of saying that no strict Hindu would touch beef. I also, maybe willingly, make the mistake of saying we believe in reincarnation. It is here that the conversation reaches its climax. I have three people shouting at me at the same time like I’d just pick-pocketed someone. “So if a Hindu eats a cow, is he born as a beetle or a pig in his next life?” “Can you eat a cow that is not killed but is already dead – I heard they do it in Nepal” – Seriously, give me a break – why in the world would I eat a cow that died probably of lung infection?! “You eat cheese? But doesn’t that also come from cow?” – Explanation: "Cow" is not the same as "From cow." After two more hours of elaborate explanations of the concepts of cows, karma and reincarnation and how these topics are inextricably linked with our lives on earth I’m left in peace…until the word "movie" slips out of my all-too-active mouth.

Bollywood
One topic no Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi can get away from is that of Bollywood. I mention my country to my course-mates only to see two of them break into an impromptu aerobics lesson with palms upraised. “Ah, I know that ugly guy, some Shan or Rukhan or something. And and and…that girl…Aishrai…oh, everybody knows them man.” – Nice. The two people I don’t like are the international faces of Bollywood. Of course, I then have to firmly deny that I know dancing, especially Bollywood style. You-tube to the rescue…

There's a lot more, regarding politics, corruption, poverty (some believe the whole country is in rags) and the fact that I'm most often late for an appointment... but I feel I’ve bored you enough. One question though, that’s very clichéd but is still put to me an umpteen number of times – “How do you say Cheers in Indian, Sid?”

More on the other side sometime later…till then, tot ziens, vanakkam.