Sandip Roy ( India Abroad, July 9) has rightly pointed out the inevitability of the browning of America as the world now is being increasingly globalized. The world is a village now, thanks to more trade in goods, services and exchange of ideas through books, TV and films, faster transport and telecommunications. Ancient Indians envisaged world as a family- vasudaiva kutumbakam. They were far ahead of their time. The 'one-world' is a dream of humanists as well. This, of course, requires a change of attitude or a change in the mind-set. The world, including USA, is still not ready for it as Joel Stein's piece makes it abundantly clear.
Joel Stein's nostalgia for the old Edison where he enjoyed the innocent pleasures of his youth - stealing pies, shop-lifting and R-rated films- is understandable. However, his not so innocent comments on the Indian inhabitants' way of life makes one to wonder how deep-rooted US liberalism is when a top journalist writes a derogatory piece on Indians in a top magazine.
As the writer himself has noted Indian engineers, doctors and scientists came to USA after the 1965 immigration law opened the doors for people from non-European countries. The small Indian community of about two million plus has contributed in many ways in various spheres of life in USA including in the areas of innovation and enterprise apart from medical and academic fields. Indian immigrants have spiced up the American salad bowl. It has been an ideal minority by and large. To ridicule its way of life is to reject diversity and variety. Acceptance of diversity is the way forward for a globalized world and it is not a one-way street. And intellectuals have a greater responsibility to foster this value of diversity as their words can hurt as much as swords.
Acceptance, not just tolerance, of diversity and differences are the essentials of a democratic and liberal society, nay a civilized society. This is the basis of Indian culture and civilization. As President Bush observed sometime ago only in India you could find a Muslim President, a Sikh Prime Minister and a Christian leader of the ruling party in a Hindu majority state. This is the result of a long tradition of acceptance of diversity
( A response to the article, " We hear you, Joel Stein, American anxiety about browning will not change" by Sandip Roy in India Abroad, July 9,2010.)
July 9,2010
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