Saturday, March 15, 2008

BEING rootless

“But, for the final time, I'm not from Kerala, my dad is. I'm not from Andhra Pradesh, my mom is. I'm from Delhi, yeah? That's the only city that can lay claim to who I am and what I do. So, I'm sorry that my ancestors and yours came from the same place, I don't!”

“I like the concept of being a global citizen. I don’t yet subscribe to the theory of growing roots and getting old in one place, living there for the rest of my life. Maybe, I’ll change my views once I get older. Maybe, I won’t.”


Two same kind of perspective came out from two most famous Indian blogger. And seems like this perspective widely accepted and reflection of 21century young generation of India. So we can assume that post independence generation doesn’t believe in regional nationality or no more comfortable with this kind of identity. Yes, it is mostly educated and privileged generation of any metropolis or city culture of India. May be new identity are growing as mumbaiya, puneite, delhity, etc. and this bound to happen because it fulfill some ideas of corporate marketing. Mostly for fitted to consumer society.

In India with diverse culture, different languages, the situation about identity level is complex. We have layer by layer overlaping of identity of any Indian. An Indian, then religious identity like Hindu Muslim, Christian etc. then with a regional identity (like Marathi, Bengali, Bihari etc.) or new kind of metropolis identity (mumbaiya, puneite, delhity etc), then again dalit, Brahmin, kayastha etc, then again tribal, non tribal etc. and its goes on deep to core or may be to no end. In India we have identities like this way. So the question is where to fit oneself with situation or where someone belongs to. Of course with globalization, whole cooperative culture build a ground with modern tempo that new young generation feel suit to them or more comfortable with it. Now an identity of a person is controlled by any brand. A product can controlled or influence a person wholesome way. And average teen spent more time thinking of a brand product or grow up under influence of any product. Emotion, value are key factor to sale a product or values are easily used as commodity. Most of advertisements are for any product use human value for productizing or marketing. Values are degraded from society rapidly with more coming days. Repeated broadcasting of this value degradation put impact on young who grow in this era of any corner of world. So a kid while growing up accepted these all by repeated viewing. Only some values are kept pure unconditionally by those peoples and class who does not have access to consumer world (often referred as backward).
Religious identities are comes from history of civilization.
Those dalit, Brahmin, khatriya etc identity are mostly historical or from Indian caste system.
Tribal, non tribal, privileged unprivileged, are from developed or underdeveloped condition.
Any regional identity is mainly from language, then geographical position, food habit, dress etc.
There are clash in regional nationalities also in newly developed socio- economic situation. Like we witnessed and observing clash of Marathi-Bihari, Maruwari-Bengali etc.
Hopefully we will see more clashes in more regional identities in near future. Every body wants their share of bite. Lets it’s come out from in the name of regional identity and so on, an identity can go for acquire and preserved share of own bite to any point like conflicts, clash etc.
And opposing those all or denying all to maintained another level identity like floating identity or being rootless also a kind of opportunistic manipulation of own self.

“America is sitting on our world. I am making films that have to do with America [because] 60% of my life is America. So I am in fact an American, but I can't go there to vote, I can't change anything.”
- Lars von Trier (Danish film director)

A global citizen a good idea but now a global citizen mostly means a 60% American anywhere in the world as truly said by Lars von Trier. Someone he or she may not allow voting in USA but mind of that global citizen (!) is occupied by an imposed cultural economic superiority and that person acts accordingly. It creates conflicts with his or her geographical, cultural and historical identities which we mostly say as origin identity.
Of course there is a dialectical process in every socioeconomic background for which identity crisis developed and built. Globalization phenomenon makes its more quick and effective all the way. No escape from this global trap.
Same time a conscious effort also in making or rises to keep diverse beauty and significance of world intact and it’s reflected through out some global resistance every part of world.

So game is on. It’s nice to observing and of course it’s looking fun...........

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