You are what you believe in. You are what you protect. Well, at-least I believe it to be so.
Yesterday, just before retiring for the day, I noticed a post shared by a certain friend, or let’s say acquaintance of mine on Facebook. It had something to do with memes on people from different state in her own. Honestly, regional chauvinism in any form disturbs me, disturbs me a lot actually. And the same thing happened yesterday. So, for quite some time last night, I actually kept pondering on this very issue. It’s perturbing that even educated folks believe and propagate bias in the name of language, region and the likes. Sadly, it seems to be rampant in our beautiful country and may be everywhere else as well.
Now, I can only speak for myself and this is what I feel. Bengali is my mother tongue. But that doesn’t mean I would expect someone else, who is a non-Bengali, to speak fluent Bengali, that too with correct pronunciation. Also, it would be extremely ridiculous if I looked at his or her attempt at speaking Bengali, even if broken, as an insult to my mother tongue. So, you see my objection to a meme which perhaps shows a bomb being handed over to a person who mispronounces a certain word of another language? If I did that myself it would only show how small I’m as a person. But people do that, don’t they?
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| Source: freedigitalphotos.net by Rawich |
Secondly, if a non-Bengali living in Bengal is unable to speak the language, it doesn’t give me the right to abuse or deride that person on that basis. If I even did that, it would only show how irrelevant my education has been to my character. I cannot be foolish and bigoted to the point of expecting someone whose mother tongue is not the same as mine to learn it just because he or she has been living in an area with Bengali majority.
Learning and speaking a new language is an individual prerogative and nobody has the right to mistreat on the basis of that. Having said that I would also not go around scoffing some other language just because it is something I don’t know. But do note that verbally insulting a language and mispronouncing it for the lack of knowledge on it are entirely different things. So, when people do the same it not only annoys me but makes me extremely angry too. But the sad part is, valid arguments fall flat on people with such prejudiced thoughts. They wouldn’t even blink an eye-lid deriding a person based on language, food habits, or anything different from their own.
For some reason the love for one’s state is greater than the love for the nation. While it’s extremely good to love and respect your state, getting fanatical to the point of showing intolerance to someone else, well, only reflects your ignorance. I, frankly, have very low opinion of people who cannot think beyond their language, region and religion. Do you know what the worst part of it is? Education seems ineffective when it comes to these folks. Educated illiterates, I call them.
Humans, in general, find it easier to shun anything that is different or anything that they have no knowledge of. It’s like a reflex action. The fear of the unknown, you could say. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the regional jingoism is widespread in this country.
I don’t know what you believe in, but I would certainly like to get your perspective on this. Don’t you think its high time you and I just be Indians for a change and look at each other as humans? And maybe even rise above this idiocy of name calling? There are so many issues which are far more important that need attention. Therefore, why can’t you and I stop bickering over which part of India we belong to? Or, why you love roti and I rice?
Think about it! Let’s make India better, tolerant. You and I need to do it for the future generations. I’m in, are you?
Too serious a post? Well, I promise the next one will be something light-hearted.
Until Next time then!
Ciao.
Agree with you on this. This kind of regional chauvinism create a false sense of ego and act as a barrier in opening up with people from other places.
Couldn't agree with you more! intolerance amongst the so called 'educated'is so much more painful…
I have faced that a lot! I'm brought up in Nagpur and hence Hindi comes more easily to me…but the jibes and taunts I have faced in my early years here in Bangalore for struggling to speak the local language has really put me off the place!
Excellent! something wgich I was ponderung over for months! Glad you wrote about it! Hailing from Kerala and now living in Pune, I have heard all sorts of remarks, "Oh Madrasi? You eat only Idli and Sambar, right? All your food has coconut in it! How can you cook in coconut oil! Your hair is not oily unlike others in your state who are always spotted with oily hair!" Gosh!!! And it comes from educated people- at least they hold a degree! Wish there was no barrier and people accepted and loved for who they are! Sigh!
Good one – i read twice eventually.
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A nice post Nabanita. I find the entire regional division very exhausting. I don't understand why it is done though, is it pure blind love to the region or the fake essence of patriotism or simple plain insensitivity. No matter what the reason is, it is damn annoying for sure..
Totally agree with you. Regional chauvinism gets my goat. This false pride for one's language and a feeling of supremacy about it alienates others and creates a social divide and vitiated atmosphere.
I agree with you there.Such biases create the unnecessary divide between people. I have been in Bangalore for over ten years and luckily I have faced no regional bias. But as a mark of respect for the city that gave me so much, I am learning Kannada and even trying to speak. But not cos I was forced to.
As you pointed out, Education is not contributing in building the character of a person that is the root cause of all problem of educated people. Regarding the uneducated the vote bank politics. These are the main reasons for any of the problems arising based on region, religion and language.
I know exactly which meme you are talking about and I felt the same emotions. It's ridiculous to prejudice against region and regional languages but who can correct a fanatic !!
I'm in even though I'm not from India as I believe I can understand it (to a certain degree of course). 🙂 It certainly is a ridiculous notion and I think it may be due to what you say, fear of the unknown. Shunning that which is different. We are not all meant to be/sound/look etc. the same. In fact, I think uniqueness in customs, language and the like adds to ones personality! 😉 And I love accents and people from different cultures. It's what gives the world colour and vibrancy! <3
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Excellent points my dear – educated illiterates is a wonderful description. In the name of being funny regional jokes are cracked with impunity. They are far from funny and only show up the joker in a bad light.
This is a kind of racism and it horrid. Sometimes I wish we had just one language. Because our diversity instead of binding us together is dividing us more simply because of our prejudices and attitude. I have faced another version of this. When I was in a state where everyone else spoke another language except me. Even on office meetings would be conducted not in English and Hindi but in that regional language and would have to remind them again and again to stick to Hindi or English. The result more often than not were smirks. Oh it wasn't pleasant !
Nabanita, I think the world needs to move beyond nationality as well. There should be only one world nationality and religion – I call it humanism. I find this whole business ridiculous as we all have the same anatomy. So why the differentiation? It's nothing to do with race, skin colour or religion. And everything to do with being gullible and falling for someone who wishes to gather power through dividing people and instilling false notions of differentiation.
Educated illiterates is a perfect term for such people. They can't rise up and above the narrow mindedness of region, religion, caste, creed etc. While our diversity is an example to the rest of the world, these kinds of people are a blot to our society in general.
Totally agree with you. We need to be more tolerant and these memes are never good. I am not sure why are they shared so much. The only place where I would differ is when someone is learning a language that's not his/her mother tongue, the mistakes are not insult. I believe them to be a part of the learning process. 🙂
Agree with you on this.I have had to deal with people from different regions of India and most of them each one considers his/her mother tongue to be the greatest.High time we realise that language is essentially a means of communication and humanity is much more than that