If the recent Bharti advert is anything to go by, then Indians are beginning to be perceived in a new and refreshing light! Going back 1500 years ago, the ad claims that it was Aryabhatta who taught the entire world how to count. The father of surgery – Sushruta, the inventor of wireless communication – Jagdish Bose, how 90% of the world’s computers run on a chip made by another Indian Vinod Dham and finally ending with one of history’s greatest figures – Mahatma Gandhi, who won a war without fighting.
Bharti Ad – Proud to be an Indian
httpv://in.youtube.com/watch?v=z53K4d6ncNk
India is truly evolving and the advertisement is just a reflection of changing times, an unshackled India waiting to show the potential that it truly has.
Indians the world over
Whether it is the famous businessman Chatwal and his close association with the powerful family of the Clintons, the heights of power enjoyed by the steel tycoon Mittal in the UK, or even an Aravind Adiga winning the Man Booker Prize this year for his compelling book ‘The White Tiger’, India is leaving an impression all over the world, in almost every sphere and segment. Not just in the literary segment, even in politics, business, economy and films, India is shining like never before! If Shyamalan’s films evoke a sense of respect and awe from Hollywood moviegoers, then it is also a Sunita Williams and Kalpana Chawla who have made Indian women kind proud across the world. Sonal Shah’s recent recruitment into the Obama camp as a drafter of Obama’s high-tech policies speaks volumes of the kind of influence and hold Indians in the US have over the political scenario.
Deep Impact: the movie that may just have changed US mindset
The year 1998 saw the unraveling of a movie that could well have paved the way for Obama winning the Presidential elections this year! In the film ‘Deep Impact’, Morgan Freeman plays the President of the United States of America. Although it is a fact that no matter what role Morgan Freeman touches upon, he does full justice to it, playing a Black President of the US was no mean feat – and yet 10 years down the line we see it happening as a reality in Obama. Maybe Americans have come of age after all, have stopped thinking the White House as only a white person’s domain and have come to accept its true multi-ethnic culture, the potpourri of citizens who come to the US each year in the quest of fulfilling the ‘American Dream’.
Multi-ethnicity in the US: the Indian perspective
Whether it is the number of Patels or Shahs you find in the US, or the number of Punjabi businesspersons there, India is seen everywhere on the global map. If the Silicon Valley is dotted with South Indians in every nook and cranny, the business segment is punctuated with Punjabis, Sindhis, Gujaratis and Marwaris who have come to the country with nothing and made millions. The ‘American Dream’ is not just a fabled myth. It does exist as has been proved repeatedly by the countless Indians who have made it rich and fulfilled their dreams of becoming rich and famous.
Indian fashion: a serious style statement
India is no more the country with camels, leaky-nosed children and poverty strewn everywhere – as has been depicted by so many international programs. On the contrary, today there is another India emerging – one with Abhinav Bindra taking the Gold Medal in the Beijing Olympics, an MS Dhoni captaining India and defeating the indefatigable Australians at every turn, or even an Ujjwala Raut scorching international ramps across Milan, Paris and Tokyo. Yes, the India of old is being replaced with a urban, young and sassy one. The new India appreciates the yuppy life and still has deep reverence for its cultural roots, loves to mix a Levis jeans with a Kolhapuri chappal or Chandelier earrings with a bindi, or chooses to offer pranam to its elders even as it parties into the wee hours of the night! Indian fashion too is taken seriously – and how! Whether it is a Rohit Bal, a JJ Valaya or a Tarun Tahiliani, Rina Dhaka, Ritu Beri or even a Sabyasachi mixing Indian wear with western aesthetics and sensibility – Indian fashion is chic, trendy and oh so wearable!
When Gwen Stefani chose to wear a bindi and pierce her nose in her song ‘Don’t Speak’ little did she realize she would be a fashion forerunner of all things Indian!
Its just an illusion. Look at this news even the worst country in the world doesn’t want Indian troops in their land.
This is indeed an unfortunate thing to happen. However, one must not forget that there are negative associations with people of all countries and ethnicities. Nevertheless, the article mainly tries to showcase the overall impact that Indians have had on the global scenario. There has been a sharp contrast from the way India used to be perceived earlier to the way the world perceives it now. Almost touted to be the next superpower, India has come a long way and that is the focus of this article. While the news mentioned in the link is truly unfortunate, this is a sporadic incident and such instances can happen with any country. While we shouldn’t ignore such unfortunate instances, we should not fail to recognize the good that is in a country and its people.
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