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For several foreigners, visions of elephants and jewel encrusted maharajas, palaces and gurus and poverty and exotic wildlife come to mind. Unfortunately, these stereotypical conceptions of India overshadow the complexities and intricacies of this vast and diverse country and there are several misconceptions that require clarification.
Many of these misconceptions and myths come from the media, which has managed to create a certain mental picture about most races or cultures in the minds of people. No matter how far-fetched they are from reality, people tend to hold on to these stereotypes for want of a better or more realistic portrayal of countries like India. Some notions are hysterically funny yet some are stark reality. Let’s find out which ones.
1.“All Indians are vegetarians”
India is a land of varied cuisines and tastes. Each part of India has its own culture, which has influenced culinary styles. There are the extremely rigid Hindu and Jain communities who will not even eat onions, let alone anything that moves, while there are the people from the coffee producing area of Coorg, whose non-vegetarian cuisine is renowned. There are as many non-vegetarians in the country as there are vegetarians. The misconception arose from the fact that several Hindus and other religious communities believed and still believe that non vegetarian food was polluted and tainted. It is easy to be vegetarian here since almost all restaurants have an extensive vegetarian menu; however each part of India is renowned for its own particular cuisine, catering to carnivores and herbivores alike. Vegetarianism has come to be associated with good health and many prefer to choose a green lifestyle, but this does not mean the demise of non vegetarian cuisine, which continues to flourish in all its meaty splendor!
2.“All Indians are Hindu”
India is a multi religious and multi cultural nation with Hindus making up the majority of the population. However, Muslims make up a significant percentage of the population, while there are an equally considerable number of Christians, Parsis, Jews, Jains, Sardars and Buddhists. India prides itself on this religious diversity and several foreigners are amazed at the number of festivals celebrated in the country, due to the fact that each religious community has a certain number of significant events.
3.“Language of India is “Indian”
Hindi, is the national language of India, but it’s surprising how many variations there are of this one language and equally surprising to find so many people who can’t speak or understand a word of it. This is because each part of India has its own language due to so many different cultures.
Most people are not aware that the country has more than 15 languages and numerous dialects, each originating from Sanskrit, but with a different script. To top it all, none of these languages are actually the official language of India, which is used universally in schools, at work places and other public areas. This language is in fact part of the colonial legacy – English. Most foreigners are unaware that a significant portion of the population converse and communicate in English, whether at home or at work.
4.“Indians are drug induced hippies/pagans”
This stereotype is probably related to the spiritual image foreigners have of India and the pagan aspect to idol worship. However, this has more to do with the monotheistic religions, like Christianity, denouncing polytheism and related aspects like worshipping nature and idols. However, there is nothing barbaric or pagan about religions like Hinduism, which once understood reveal similar concepts of love, truth, equality and other building blocks of all other religions. Drug induced hippies are not something particular to India, with there being as many or as few as any other place in the world.
5.“India is full of poverty, illiteracy and disease”
This is an overpowering image that foreigners have of India and, unfortunately, one that hits you as soon as you arrive in the country. The poverty is understandably overwhelming with beggars, sprawling slums and garbage ridden areas a part of Indian life. However, this is only one side of the ever changing Indian landscape. Literacy is on the rise and today India is known for its extremely well educated and skilled work force, which has made the country a leading destination for outsourcing. This may have earlier been based on low skilled jobs, but it’s no secret that an increasing amount of high skilled work is also being outsourced to India. Even though there is still a glaring difference between the beggars on the street and the glitzy high rise buildings, India is gradually trying to bridge the divide. India is ridden with complexities and contradictions and to understand just one aspect and not another makes one miss the big picture.
6. “India is a land of snake charmers and mystics”
This goes hand in hand with the images of maharajas and elephants. India, the land shrouded in mystery and exotic charm continues to be a stereotypical image foreigners have of the country. Some touristy places still play on this and entertain visitors with elephant rides and the occasional snake charmer may cross your path, but they are definitely not the norm. As mentioned before, India is a complex nation in constant flux. There is nothing mysterious or terribly exotic about the big cars being driven by the increasingly affluent middle and upper classes or the night clubs where people are dressed like anywhere else in the country. India has too many realities, which refuse anyone stereotypical image to arise.
There are several misconceptions that continue to predominate outside perspectives of India. Some have elements of truth in them, some border on the ridiculous and some just have to be understood within context. From Indians living in tree houses, to all Indian movies being garish song and dance extravaganzas and all Indian marriages being arranged, the list seems to be endless. However, as globalization continues countries all over the world are becoming more similar even though they are thousands of miles apart. India must be understood within this changing scenario and even though the shattering of some of the more exotic images may be disappointing to foreigners, the country’s vibrancy, frenetic pace and multiple realities make it equally fascinating!
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Nidhi Kaushik graduated and MBA from the Symbiosis.She worked as a copywriter, did event management and client servicing at LINTAS, worked at P&O Nedlloyd as Logistics Manager for Western India . She left her job and became a writer and did the writing course from the Writer's Bureau of London and now is a fulltime freelance writer based in Europe.
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