This took me for a short visit to far East European country and gave me one of the perspectives of those people about my country.
Well, it all started with taxi driver who dropped me to my HOTEL from the airport. As soon as I said I am from India, he started shooting questions, though I was not willing for any conversation. It was a kind of one way conversation, started as he asked if I am an IT professional. Trust me, this is one profession that gave a brand name for us in recent days, most of the times positively. Every thing associated with our country act as cultural ambassidors - least I could guess this could be our daily soaps as well. As the taxi driver puts it "we watch bollywood daily"- the long hour bollywood movies (?)..these movies continue days and months (omg?) he said...Now the reluctant conversationist got curious and asked..really? I am not aware of any Hindi Movie more than 3.5 hours (painful)..which movie is that..? taxi man "I cant tell the name.. it means 'little bride' in Romanian..(oops, now the reluctant conversationist knows.. it is not movie.. it is soap..those fictitious stories of daily melodramatics soaps, outlandish, imaginative stories to keep time-pass on for viewer and increase TRPs.. and what not" .. OMG.. the reluctant conversationist.. sighs. :(.. who is the market for our overly melodramatic, outlandish soap stories in a far east, culturally different east Europe.!!
But the damage is done. The impression created comes out with questions shot, sometimes too irksome. Some samples are like this. Ïs it true that in India you have child marriage?", "What age did you get marry?".Ïs yours a forced marriage too,, like I saw in "bollywood stories"all marriages are forced marriages?.."Why do you mix English with your language" "is every civil worker corrupt in India?"...Did Englishmen did all the development in your country? (what rubbish?) ..oops(?)...
Well taxi driver saga went on.. with 2 in every 3 taxis hired..and If my nationality was known! All the foreigner touchpoints like taxi fellow, receptionist, co-passenger in subway, co-worker....sigh! sigh!
HMMM... can we prevent our soaps from crossing the boarders? ..its sickening..
Reluctant conversationist...encounters that Raj Kapoor and Nargis, whose movies she did not watch, still being identified as one from their country..(well.?)
Browsed some TV channels out of curiosity.. ! Suddenly I felt I was in Bangalore..when I stuck into a channel that aired only Hindi soaps, among too most melodramatic, overly fictitious stories.. :( sigh ...sigh ..sigh :( :( :(...
Dear Information & Broadcasting Ministry.. My appeal to you ...please prevent our soaps from crossing the boarder and
saving some grace for Intellectual Indians who cross boarders occasionally..?
Well, perspectives are perspectives. We can prevent soaps crossing the boarders.. but not those 'intentional documentary makers' crossing in! Or some of our people not behaving rightly across boarders..As a country we need a brand building ministry..which we dont have at the moment!
My favorite Prime Ministor has proved that a country can be run like a company with a smart CEO, this one is not an outlandish idea?
Hope all those 'occasional intellectual Indians abroad' agree with me!?!
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