India Inc. is flying high and we should be really proud of that. Indian Cos have gone global and at the same time MNCs are eager to set up their centers in India. Middle class Indian is getting exposure to the western culture like never before. Some of the effects of this westernization can be easily seen in our day-to-day life. More kids are going to English medium schools; Parents are conversing with their kids in English; There’re more pizza/burger/CCD outlets in the city than the once-omnipresent tea stalls (chai ki tapriyaan); Portable hard-disks are full of Hollywood movies and Love marriages are rapidly outnumbering arranged marriages. However, sometimes a thought crosses my mind...Are we not blindly copying Americans in whatever way we can? I agree that westernization has enabled us access to a luxurious life which we didn’t even dream of. I might sound a bit radical here, but I strongly believe that we should hold on to some of our basic cultural values instead of blindly copying western people. The concept of a joint family or the concept of arranged marriages, for example. I strongly believe there’s something good about these institutions which have worked for us for so long. Otherwise, why would western people look up to India for more stable families, more sustained married life and consequently more peace of mind? I believe, these are a few values which make us Indians stand out among the whole world population and we should make sure we don’t lose these in the pursuit of westernization. We are still in a transition stage and we should be cautious that we do not replicate here the issues faced by western countries.
I’ve observed one more thing which I’d like to share here (Caution: Controversial issue ahead. Pale-hearted/short-tempered should not read further). I’m not being a misogynist here but I believe girls have a higher tendency of getting westernized than boys. This statement is merely based on a few observations I’ve had over a period of time. To quote a few examples, girls are more addicted to western food like pizza, burger, and sandwich than boys. Girls are more fascinated towards western clothing, pubs, discotheques and parties. The odds of two girls conversing in English are way higher than that of two guys. Of course, these are just my observations on a very limited sample space. However, I’m still looking out for the reasons behind girls being more prone to westernization. Guys, can you please help me out? In the meanwhile: Think western, but be Indian!
