Being an Indian gives a feeling that defines India as a country – it’s a multitude of different emotions. Top 10 things about being Indian according to me are –
- The People
Indian society, for the most part considers itself like a family. We use terms like ‘beta (son), beti (daughter), uncle, aunty’ when we address each other, which establishes a trust among the people and makes us feel safe.
This past week I walking to my allotted class to give my board exam, the ID card checker checked my card let me go, when he did that he said “all the best beta ” and that made me feel really good about ourselves as Indians.
- The Food
This might sound like a clichē but India has one of the best cuisines in the world, mainly because of the influence different cultures, from Dal Makhani to Dum Biryani, India is home to the most lip-smacking dishes and being an Indian we have easy access to all of these dishes which will satisfies our spice-loving taste buds.
- The Happening Nature
Wherever you look around on the street, something is happening.
A wife is beating his husband for drinking too much, students boarding their school bus, a traffic accident has taken place or people are seen discussing politics over a cup of tea. There is always something there to catch your attention and prevents you from getting bored.
- Secularism
I can celebrate Holi with my friends, pray Namaz with them at the Masjid and have food with them in a Gurudwara’s langar and I’ll not be ridiculed for it by the law.
People have helped Muslims pray Namaz in temples when needed and Muslims have helped Hindus in building temples too (a reference the Lord Ram temple in MP). This beautiful cooperation of different religions is another unique feature of India.
- Music
Ignoring the current generation’s idea of music, India has been a home to fantastic classical music with singers like Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey and Mohammad Rafi and legendary female singers like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.
The world-famous British rock band ‘The Beatles’ came to India in the year 1968 to learn more about spirituality and music. The Beatles guitarist George Harrison even learned to play the Sitar from Indian musician Ravi Shankar.
- The ‘Jugaad’
Also sometimes known as Life hacks.
Indian are known for their affordable innovation and expertise in making things work with minimal amount of equipment, we can do this mainly because there is the need to do so, we are not a rich country but these circumstances have definitely made us more creative.
- Friendship
Friendship in India is certainly unique.
Almost everyone is going through a problem or crisis which makes sure that we stick together and deal with it.
Whether it is inefficiencies of the Education system or problems with the government, friends in India, for the most part will stick together and support each other making it a blissful and pleasant experience.
- Family Love
Most Indian parents are conservative, they do not allow their children much freedom but they do care about them a lot, Indian children stay with their family for a longer period of time than in western countries and the intimacy between the parents are the children is much more.
The conservative nature of the parents is due to their past, they follow what they were told, now, this is wrong and we need to change that for sure, but it doesn’t make our love or their love in any way less for us.
- Our History
Indians nowadays don’t know much about their History mainly because it is not talked about as much as it was in the olden days. But there sure are some fascinating pieces of text from all the religions and cultures which are very interesting if one looks deep into them.
If Indian filmmakers had more vision and a better budget, films like Mahabharat and Ramayan would definitely win an oscar as these texts are not only ‘epic’ as a genre but also in reality.
- The Storytelling
Almost everyone in this country has a story to tell.
Ask an auto-rickshaw driver, he will tell you his life story which will be much more dramatic than an Amitabh Bachchan movie.
The elders have thousands of stories in their head which they tell to their kids and grandchildren, most of them of kings and queens which have a hidden moral in the end which inculcates good qualities in the kids and help them become responsible adults in the future.
