Now that I have been out of my desh for some considerable time, I have really got hang of this one curse that the host - host country, host city, host people - face everywhere without any exception. A curse, a question which every outsider ask the hosts - whats your gaon? (Where are you from!)
I have always been a one-city boy. That is, I have never moved house. Ok I did recently, but then it was within the same megacity with the same, all-encompassing mega culture. So no real change for me. But I was always stumped since childhood about a question that I was frequently asked by one and all - where am I from? When I replied that I was from this city, they used to be frustrated by my response and ask me again - What's your village? Well ... I always lived in a city and I never moved out and then, how will I belong to a village? Their next question stumped me again - Where are your ancestors from? Unfortunately for them, they also came from another city! This frustrated them no end. They ended up declaring that I had no gaon! This really used to piss me off - though I never understood what it meant and that why should I have a village or why should I not have this city as the place that I come from!
Another thing which is interesting is that they keep comparing their villages to the megapolis and invariably, everything in the megapolis - from milk to cows to transport - is inferior to the villages. Made me think, why in the world they are leaving those wonderful, self-sufficing villages to come and stay in this inferior place! But ever since I have left my lovely city to come to this alien place, I have conducted myself with the same behaviour reminiscent of those leaving their superior villages and coming to an inferior city. In the beautiful city that I live in now, I find nothing to my liking and I miss all the 'luxuries' that I had in my previous place. I also harass the locals by showing them whats not right in their city and how the city I come from is so much better. Now, I am a villager too!
The great Mahatma said, India lives in its villages .... he should know better. And me too - the one without any village! I was an outcast of sorts when I was growing up ... everyone went to their villages when they had holidays. I simply travelled within the megapolis or then I simply travelled to another big city. The villages used to flit through the window of the train - and they were meant to do that for me!
Interestingly when I have come out of Bharat, I ask similar question to fellow countrymen and expect a similar question .... this time eagerly. Because, I have an answer. I belong to this "city" which is also now my gaon. So please aske me ... please ... where I am from! I feel no longer an outcast in this sorority of villagers and am one of them now. Liberation at last? ... relief at last? Nah... I miss my gaon a lot and that relief will only come when I travel to my gaon in the upcoming holidays soon ...
I have always been a one-city boy. That is, I have never moved house. Ok I did recently, but then it was within the same megacity with the same, all-encompassing mega culture. So no real change for me. But I was always stumped since childhood about a question that I was frequently asked by one and all - where am I from? When I replied that I was from this city, they used to be frustrated by my response and ask me again - What's your village? Well ... I always lived in a city and I never moved out and then, how will I belong to a village? Their next question stumped me again - Where are your ancestors from? Unfortunately for them, they also came from another city! This frustrated them no end. They ended up declaring that I had no gaon! This really used to piss me off - though I never understood what it meant and that why should I have a village or why should I not have this city as the place that I come from!
Another thing which is interesting is that they keep comparing their villages to the megapolis and invariably, everything in the megapolis - from milk to cows to transport - is inferior to the villages. Made me think, why in the world they are leaving those wonderful, self-sufficing villages to come and stay in this inferior place! But ever since I have left my lovely city to come to this alien place, I have conducted myself with the same behaviour reminiscent of those leaving their superior villages and coming to an inferior city. In the beautiful city that I live in now, I find nothing to my liking and I miss all the 'luxuries' that I had in my previous place. I also harass the locals by showing them whats not right in their city and how the city I come from is so much better. Now, I am a villager too!
The great Mahatma said, India lives in its villages .... he should know better. And me too - the one without any village! I was an outcast of sorts when I was growing up ... everyone went to their villages when they had holidays. I simply travelled within the megapolis or then I simply travelled to another big city. The villages used to flit through the window of the train - and they were meant to do that for me!
Interestingly when I have come out of Bharat, I ask similar question to fellow countrymen and expect a similar question .... this time eagerly. Because, I have an answer. I belong to this "city" which is also now my gaon. So please aske me ... please ... where I am from! I feel no longer an outcast in this sorority of villagers and am one of them now. Liberation at last? ... relief at last? Nah... I miss my gaon a lot and that relief will only come when I travel to my gaon in the upcoming holidays soon ...
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