06-01-2006, 05:37 AM
I am sure the below will give an instant orgasm to dravidianists..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The homesickness and wistfullness underlying Dr. P.V. Indiresan's
remarks found a deep resonance in me. I suppose there are many both
in India and abroad like me with experiences similar to those of Dr.
Indiresan and his family.
Out of seven children of my parents four of us ended up in the U.S.
and others decided to "brave it up" and stay in India. All seven
siblings felt (and still feel) regrets and guilt; those who stayed
back never cease to wonder what would have happened if they also
chose to be "foreign returned," and those who came here feel guilty
of abandoning one's parents!
In many ways we chose to become refugees, and we continue to use our
caste (Brahmin) to justify our choice of "refugeehood. This
beautiful land did provide us(some times very grudgingly)with
intellectual, academic, material and financial succor! Although we
all had our share of racial and gender discrimination both overt and
covert in this country, we willingly paid that price -- sometimes
not so willingly! But some kinds of payments were too dear. One of
my deepest felt and life-long regrets is that I could never get a
visitor- or tourist visa for my parents! The U.S. govt. in their
infinite wisdom decided that my parents will "take away" jobs from
Americans and/or they will be burden on the public funds, by going
on "welfare!" Consider this:Â my father was an ordinary Indian, I
adored him for his humor, his knowledge of Karnatic music, Sanskrit
drama etc. There was no market for his hobbies. He was not going to
get a "job" here. My mother was knowledgeable in the usual Tamil
literature stuff like Andaal, Valluvar, PattaNittar, Bharatiyar!
Who would want to employ her here! Furthermore, among their four
children here, there were nearly twenty earned college degrees! We
were not destitutes or illegal immigrants! We were employed
citizens and not about to put our parents on "welfare!"Â Our
arguments convinced the authorities NOT to issue visas. We were
advised to apply for "Green card" for my parents!! Such racist
perversity!! If my parents came as tourists they would go
on "welfare" and if they come with a "Green card" they would not
take jobs or go on welfare!? Some logic!!
I mention these just to convey a feeling of "loss" we the "caste
refugees" always had. My parents (I suspect like many others) were
not about to banish themselves from India, just to see how well
their children were doing here! Deep down I think we wanted a
validation for our choice of abandening Bharatam due to crass
earthly ambitions! We envied our siblings who stayed behind
in "mantra desha" and "yoga/yaga bhuumi" that is India!
Of course, no one stops us from going back! But not all of us are
strong enough to get out of our self-made trap and go back.
We have always been part of the emotional, sentimental, mental,
cultural and spiritual ecology of Bharatam; no other land will be
able to provide us proper niches for our growth. That was our birth
right to grow in our "dharma-kshetra."Â We were deprived (at least
that is the perception of some of us) of that because of our
caste!<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The homesickness and wistfullness underlying Dr. P.V. Indiresan's
remarks found a deep resonance in me. I suppose there are many both
in India and abroad like me with experiences similar to those of Dr.
Indiresan and his family.
Out of seven children of my parents four of us ended up in the U.S.
and others decided to "brave it up" and stay in India. All seven
siblings felt (and still feel) regrets and guilt; those who stayed
back never cease to wonder what would have happened if they also
chose to be "foreign returned," and those who came here feel guilty
of abandoning one's parents!
In many ways we chose to become refugees, and we continue to use our
caste (Brahmin) to justify our choice of "refugeehood. This
beautiful land did provide us(some times very grudgingly)with
intellectual, academic, material and financial succor! Although we
all had our share of racial and gender discrimination both overt and
covert in this country, we willingly paid that price -- sometimes
not so willingly! But some kinds of payments were too dear. One of
my deepest felt and life-long regrets is that I could never get a
visitor- or tourist visa for my parents! The U.S. govt. in their
infinite wisdom decided that my parents will "take away" jobs from
Americans and/or they will be burden on the public funds, by going
on "welfare!" Consider this:Â my father was an ordinary Indian, I
adored him for his humor, his knowledge of Karnatic music, Sanskrit
drama etc. There was no market for his hobbies. He was not going to
get a "job" here. My mother was knowledgeable in the usual Tamil
literature stuff like Andaal, Valluvar, PattaNittar, Bharatiyar!
Who would want to employ her here! Furthermore, among their four
children here, there were nearly twenty earned college degrees! We
were not destitutes or illegal immigrants! We were employed
citizens and not about to put our parents on "welfare!"Â Our
arguments convinced the authorities NOT to issue visas. We were
advised to apply for "Green card" for my parents!! Such racist
perversity!! If my parents came as tourists they would go
on "welfare" and if they come with a "Green card" they would not
take jobs or go on welfare!? Some logic!!
I mention these just to convey a feeling of "loss" we the "caste
refugees" always had. My parents (I suspect like many others) were
not about to banish themselves from India, just to see how well
their children were doing here! Deep down I think we wanted a
validation for our choice of abandening Bharatam due to crass
earthly ambitions! We envied our siblings who stayed behind
in "mantra desha" and "yoga/yaga bhuumi" that is India!
Of course, no one stops us from going back! But not all of us are
strong enough to get out of our self-made trap and go back.
We have always been part of the emotional, sentimental, mental,
cultural and spiritual ecology of Bharatam; no other land will be
able to provide us proper niches for our growth. That was our birth
right to grow in our "dharma-kshetra."Â We were deprived (at least
that is the perception of some of us) of that because of our
caste!<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->