"I have been living here from the past 12 years. My kids were born and are being brought up here. We visit India atleast once in 2 years to let them know, understand & appreciate our culture & traditions. Look at my daughter she learns Carnatic music & Bharathanattiyam. My son learns to play Mridangam & is a cricket-freak. In India we may get to do the same but you think we would stand some where among the thousands there?!" asked Mr.Sridhar when we were going through an intense conversation on cultures, values, traditions & NRTB (Non-Resident-Tam-Brahms). Sorry I may sound caste-biased here by using the last term but my outcome of the total post is not differentiating between castes’s, rather to underline the ideologies of NRTB especially when they are away from home for a very long time.

Heaps among us curse the over-population. But now the main reason for the economic development is that very fact, why don't those 'lots' understand. I usually try to get into situations like this when I am always in doubt over a particular conversation. It makes me think atleast about where-we-are-heading-in-a-c0nversation. There is no point in blindly discussing a issue over the period of time without gaining anything concrete over it. As I had mentioned in my last post there was a Thyagaraja Uttsavam being conducted in Sydney for the past two days. The first day was for the kids and second for the pro's. I never could imagine the number of Tamilians who lived in Sydney. They turned out in crowds & it was more like a social event than anything else.

This provides me with the opportunity to mix with plenty of people and get their views & opinions on so many things. There is nothing like a first hand experience, I always say. Like Kotler says, there is nothing as concrete as a primary data. You may never have to wait to experience the same situation or crisis; it makes you well prepared for it even before you have to undergo that. I could meet a great deal of people & also happen to get very close & comfortable with few. There is no doubt as to the appreciation by the families here if you are a cultured boy. Underline the importance of knowing it. As I had mentioned few times before in my past posts that all the children here learn our culture, rather are being taught.

For instances though I lived mostly outside Tamil Nadu, I knew our culture. I am happy now that my parents always thought me things the right way. For many it wasn't cool, even for me it never was, only in the beginning. When my friends were chasing after Kurt Kobain with a guitar smash, I was trying to follow Karaikudi Mani. It felt strange. The importance of influences struck me then. I never imagined that I would appreciate it at some point of time. My dad always says I should never turn around & ask him why they didn't teach me, which invariably made them to teach me plenty of things in abundance. I became a Master of Jack-of-all. I regretted then, never could reflect back of them & justify I was a cultural-freak. Today people call me orthodox, why not. What's wrong with being an orthodox?!

Who is an orthodox? Having a doctrine over certain principle of may be the medieval age. So what, I ask. I know change is inevitable & stagnation is a sin. That's only in case of things which are happening around us, from the cross-border culture-ism. I appreciate that, encourage that to the fullest. It is for self-improvement, I understand. But self-improvement is done when you are doing some thing is a wrong way. I don't think being orthodox is thinking in a wrong way. Traditionalism is eternal for me.

Culture is nothing but a value which in imbedded into some one at some point of time for him to associate with a society. For us to live outside a society is very difficult. Each of us needs some solitary support, definitely emotionally. All of us have our own circle of influence, but society is something which is next to may be the circle of influence. We live inside it, we live with it and we sometimes try to change it, but in vain. It is something which is nurtured on its own. Okays, enough about the society.

Tam-Brahms across the world form a big society by themselves. Indians by themselves are very sharp comparatively to the rest of the world. Knowledgeable & Hardworking traits which differentiate from the gang. I am not trying to say there are no exemptions, off course there are heaps who don't fall into the above mentioned traits. But certainly the one’s who fall into these, some of them especially; go very far in life, definitely by geographic distances. Yes, welcome to the world of no-return. The land of gold, eternal peace, prosperity, serenity, etc etc according to lot of them. Please do not mistake me because I am generalizing it. It may not be a rational view. But certainly for me it is in many ways.

Think deep down your heart. Dig into it a few miles, if possible. Spend some time within yourself, trying to think about this. You will get the answer, the obvious one. No, don't. I don't require the answer. Keep it to yourself; I don't want to listen to your answer. There are no Sambhar poll's here. Rather I just want to underline the uncertainly in the thoughts. There seems to be a similarity in the differences of geographic horizons.

I sought after a different answer at the beginning but I am certain that this post evokes a different view all together. I am not trying to make a Swades, with Sambhar as a hero. At the same time I am not trying to say that the land-of-no-return is the serenity that people were waiting for all their life. As Jittu Krishnamurthy always says "Think for yourself". The state of confusion arises, mostly due to the unclear view about the things that he mentions. Suddenly a thought pops-up, bingo!, there you go, amazing!!!!

"THINK"


filtered by sambhar.....