COVER BLOWN
Your January cover story on Shilpa Shetty (Game, Set and Match) hit the racism nail right on its head. It’s hard enough being a brown-skinned person in an all-white world, but when Indians move into the white collar workplace, there is envy and resentment. The reason is actually quite complex. White people have little or no incentive to learn about the cultures of the east. India is in the blind spot of western consciousness and the past images of holy men, stray cows, snake charmers, curry and so on linger in their world view. Plus there is the resistance to admit that India isn’t that anymore. Even as daily reports of India’s economic revival filter into the western newspapers, the images they are comfortable with are the ones mentioned above. For instance, recently an Auckland TV reporter walked viewers through the crowded and dirty streets of Old Delhi re-inforcing the view among viewers that India’s premier city is mostly that. An Indian TV host won’t do that. She is likely to show New Zealand’s most showcased areas despite the fact that some of the suburbs in that country are more violent and poor than anything India can offer. Most westerners have little idea of the size of New Delhi. A newspaper reporter in Atlanta (population 470,000), Georgia, once asked me whether New Delhi was anywhere near as big as her city. When I said New Delhi had 13,000,000 people officially, she said: Of yeah, a bit more. It’s this kind of ignorance that sets up nasty scenes like the ones Shilpa experienced. Unfortunately, there’s little we can do other than to wait till India becomes so rich and influential that they know exactly what they are dealing with.
Anup Jayaram
Los Angeles
The Shilpa Shetty incident has put off so many Indians that many are considering scratching Britain from their itinerary. I have friends that say they won’t have anything to do with anything British. A journalist friend of mine says he will never write anything positive about the UK. Apparently the entire episode has hit Indians pretty hard. They are shaken that Indians are seen in such poor light when they themself have forgiven the British for their cruelties and barbaric stint as colonisers in India. I don’t think the current generation of Indians are going to forget this episode ever. Sorry, no ahimsa for us.
Rakesh Kapoor
Vancouver
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HONG KONG DIASPORA
It’s interesting to know that the Indian diaspora in Hong Kong has managed to thrive despite the takeover by the Chinese. During the 1980s there was the big fear that Indians may be pushed out of the colony because Beijing had doubts about their ties to India. But even during those dark days P.N. Harilela never lost hope and declared that he would have no problems working with the Chinese.
Tushar Kapoor
Dubai
RIGHT ANGLE
You should start a new section that provides information on where returning can stay on arrival in various cities. Currently there are numerous touts who cheat NRIs at airports and can railway stations. Once in New Delhi an autorickshaw driver took me and my family from Connaught Place to the YMCA on Jai Singh Road, a distance of 2 km, for Rs 100. The actual fare was Rs 10.
Arun Nehru
Nairobi
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