Thoughts and greetings

Some observations and thoughts.

Americans frequently wish each other ‘hey, how’re you doing?’ as they walk by in corridors or elsewhere. They rarely, if ever stop to find out the answer to that question, though? Does this mean that they are insincere in their display of friendly neighbourliness? Perhaps it does. I am not sure. What I can say is that people in this country are undoubtedly more friendly in their daily behaviour than I have frequently seen back home. Having said that, people here are also, in general sticklers for rules and will not go out of their way to help you. They will stick to the letter, and frequently not the spirit of the law. That is, however an impression, and is tempered by a mild case of xenophobia.

An answer to ‘hey, how’re you doing?’: what if I were to answer, ‘not good at all, my uncle Ravi bit my dog Chintamani and gave it rabies’? What then? How might the other person react? I should try this out sometime.

Reverse racism?
Are brown people racist? Certainly some of us are, but to what extent? I do not have an insight into people’s minds, but there was this famous advert for a skin cream back home which sells under the brand name ‘Fair and Lovely’. I think that mostly says it all. Brown people have, in general a liking for fair skin. For a country where matrimonial agencies exist and indeed thrive, this has profound meaning.

Diversity sucks.
Indians frequently cannot talk to each other. The language problem, of having some 25 MAJOR languages in one subcontinent. Also the problem of having as many cuisines. This is a barrier to economic growth. This also runs against the concept of national identity. The Constitution preaches ‘Unity in Diversity’. What Unity? Why should I listen to the idiots who inhabit the cowbelt and rule New Delhi? Equally so, why should I listen to the idiots who rule Calcutta?

Greetings!
Gesundheit means ‘good health’ in German. It is something that one might say instead of ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes. But then, as E points out, there are very few situations when one may not say it.
Inshah-Allah means in the name of Allah. It is an invocation which can be used in almost any context. Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim is said to contain within itself the essence of the Koran, and indeed of all Islam. It means “In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate”. Does uttering these phrases make me a Muslim? I think not.
A Hindu, especially a Bengali Hindu might say ‘Ma Durge’ or ‘Durga, Durga’ which is a call to the goddess Durga.
Having said that, I still dislike those people who come here on F1 visas and start using ‘Jesus Christ’ as their favourite ejaculation. Don’t they understand that this is wrong at multiple levels? First, they are obviously trying too hard to assimilate. Second, they are taking the Lord’s name in vain, not a good thing at all. Third, it sounds jarring to my ears to hear it from one who is pretending to be someone he or she is not.