http://www.indianexpress.com/story/160297.html
Tavleen puts words to the thoughts that were probably in every Indian's (at least NRI's) guts. I never understood what the Sunita hoopla with the Indian media was - it made barely an impression in any western and even American media outlet
What she did not point out is that her own paper (or the 'Brown Shekhar Gupta's') was at the forefront in promoting the Sunita cult!
7 comments:
she took a copy of the Bhagavad Gita with her on the space-flight. Can we not think of her as very Indian for that much ? Here is someone who is honoring her Indian heritage openly (her parents are Indian), yet some prefer to call her "as American as apple-pie" and call all the applause she got as "Sunita cult".
Also, Kalpana Chawla, who can be rightly be called a daughter of India, died on the flight 5 years back. India felt the sorrow deeply. She could not return.
So it is normal for Indians to feel elated about Sunita going into space and returning safely and that all went well for her.
@ six-stix,
"Here is someone who is honoring her Indian heritage openly (her parents are Indian)"
I am not sure when Sunita openly 'honored' her Indian heritage. Her parents are not Indian - one parent (the father) is Indian; the other is Slovenian. Which brings me to another question - do you see Slovenian children praying in school for her safe landing? No - you do not.
To the best of my knowledge Mikhael Gorbachev also use to read the Gita. Perhaps we should appropriate him as Indian too?
The point is not to deride her accomplishments; which are considerable. However, she is and remains an American citizen - born and raised in that country; which does make her - like it or not "apple pie". This hysterical appropriation of her by the Indian media & public - including prayers by the schoolchildren; is not indicative of positive human concern (for humans inhabit America & Slovenia too) - rather it shows the inferiority complex of the colonized; hence the "cult"
OK, one parent is Indian. (i wasnt too sure of the other oarent). But she has an Indian name, and so I will assume her Slovenian mother agreed to it. So no harm saying "parents are Indian". She told the press she was taking a copy of Bhagavad Gita, that is why I said "honored openly".
The comparsion with Gorbachev is not really meaningful as there is no Indian connection through parents.
Why should we not pray for her safe landing ? We as Indians and a very spiritual country are not so poor in spirit that we wont pray for a Sunita after a Kalpana died in flight.
I am glad we Indians have our hearts and I am not at all ashamed of that.
@thanks Ghost Writer for that post..
I myself have been wondering all these days about the hoopla around Sunita Williams.. I really think Tavleen Singh brought out the Indian mentality perfectly.. slavish, inferior and ever ready to appropriate any western achievement by an "Indian" person as India's achivement..
Remember Mohini Bharadawaj, the true blue American with an Indian name who won an Olympic medal whom our media went to town about.. I remeber both IE and ToI carrying that on their front page..
Tavleen's point about Sonia' race is also pretty darn true..i have not seen anybody talk about that openly..
btw stix we(the Indian media) were praying for Sunita not because we have a "heart" (as u say) but because she was deemed to be an Indian... when she is not...and thats exactly what Tavleen Singh is pointing out..We prayed for her not because we are "spiritual" (i dunno wat that means) but because we have nutin bettter to feel good about...(what with our invertebrates ruling and "good" news about China pouring out every morning)
The entire episode is not about Sunita or her safe arrival but our slavish attitude to gora sahibs.
Why dont we for a change start praying for real Indians who have been held hostage in Nigeria for example...
@Harish,
The celebration, I really feel, is about the lost Kalpana Chawla winning in a different form.
Kalpana is many an Indian school-girl's heroine.
The prayers for Sunita are along the celebration. That is why it is all so much and so visible.
@Ghostwriter
I found in the Hindu of a few days back that her father Dipak Pandya wants her to be thought of as "India's daughter".
This seems to be a family with strong Indian roots. They have a lot of relatives in Gujarat, who were also celebrating/praying.
So she isnt just apple-pie American. She is jalebi Indian too.
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