Smile with Knowledge

While globalization has changed the equation considerably in the current times, it was but hard to avoid the many experiences one had during those times with the average American who seemed stiff and hesitant to welcome an Indian foreigner into their fold, unless the latter modified their outward behavior and conversational skills to fit into the American mindset. It is because of this discriminatory behavior, that many weak minded Indians found solace in transforming themselves—at least superficially—to adapt to the new culture. Apart from picking up the American accent to make themselves more understandable, some Indians also changed their nicknames, or at least shortened their addressed names to sound more American. So, a Harischandra would become a Harry, a Ghanshyam became a Sam and so on. In general, Indians are probably the most adaptive when they move to a foreign country. Apart from learning a language or accent, they quickly make the necessary changes to their food and dressing habits in order to blend with the locals. Oriyas (people from my home state in India), seem even more flexible in adapting to new environments, whether in other parts of India or outside. In fact, Oriya people seem to adapt so well to a new setting, that they pretty much adopt the new culture into their daily lives, and often end up not making their unique presence felt. Unlike people from other parts of India—like the Punjabis, Gujratis, Bengalis, and even the southern folk like the Andhraites or Keralites—who carry their distinct cultural traits with them wherever they go, Oriyas in general are fewer in number outside of their state and country, and find it easier to just blend into the majority. Because of an inherent cultural barrier, or perhaps as a result of years of cultivated submissiveness, Indians seem quite open in respecting and accepting foreign cultures; or perhaps, it has shattered their confidence to a level where they quietly accept whatever, and do not aggressively make a point to put their own mark anywhere. While there are always exceptions, the reasons for the lack of any loud or unique characteristics of the Oriya persona—compared to people from many other parts of India—may be debatable. No matter what, the very adaptive nature of Oriyas and Indians in general, helps them tremendously to overcome the challenges, and to get accepted in foreign establishments in short spans of time. Of course the current times are changing, and while Indians still find it easy to adapt to new surroundings, they have become a stronger force and are slowly making their presence felt wherever they go. More importantly, given the rise of Indian population in various parts of the U.S. and the world, as well as the American and global dependence on Indian skills in technology, Americans now seem to be a changed species, than what they were 20 years back. While it would be unfair to classify Americans in general to be racist, biased, or uptight, it would also be unfair to those Indians who have often become victims of the negative American mindset, if we did not mention and accept that such a breed of egotistical, arrogant, and racist Americans do exist in the U.S. Even among those Americans that did show tolerance towards Indians or other lowly (as considered by them) foreigners, it was quite tricky to spot the ones who were genuinely good, amidst those that only pretended to be fair and unbiased. It was because of these hidden racists, that the Indian students—especially 20 years back—had to always make that extra effort to prove and set themselves apart. While we went through our own experiences and met several people, especially Indians who related their experiences when they first moved to the U.S., it was easy to see how vulnerable some of them felt, to have changed themselves considerably in order to be accepted into the American system. Of course there were always those Indians who changed their names and habits just because they were in awe of everything American. In fact, quite a few of the students who went to study in the U.S. had gone there not for higher education, but for a chance at a better life. During those times, going to the U.S. was a big deal for many Indians, and a chance to get a job and settle there seemed heavenly. For many, applying for graduate school gave them that chance, and very few actually intended to pursue further studies beyond the minimum Master’s that would make them eligible for a job in the American market. It was always refreshing to meet or hear about somebody who was genuinely interested in taking advantages of the higher standards of graduate education that the American system provided, or someone who did not succumb to the game of changing themselves just to fit into the American populace. There is one incident—that we had heard and often related to others—that demonstrates how biased American thinking was, especially when it came to pronouncing Indian names. There was an Indian guy called Pitamber, who was being called by his American colleague as Pete. Now, our guy objected and asked the American to call him by his full name, since Pete sounded American, and did not do justice to his Indian name. At this, the American colleague made a fuss, and elaborated that since Indians have difficult names, he would not be able to pronounce the full name and had to resort to the simpler Pete. At this, Pitamber reminded the American that if the latter could pronounce September, October and November, there should be no problem in saying Pitamber. In fact, Pitamber is a conjunction of two English words Pit and Amber. Needless to say, Pitamber retained his Indian name, and though not perfectly pronounced the Indian way, at least he did not give in to being called Pete.