When I came to Europe, I was struck by the orderliness, discipline, cleanliness, beauty of Europe, but a week down the line, I was home-sick! I still am! But there is something more that happened when I came to Europe. I realized how vast, multi-cultural, diverse and complex India is! And well, also how synonymous India is to Bollywood!
Wherever I go, I meet India enthusiasts and well……..here are some that will be etched in my memory forever………
1. University Cycle Repair Shop
I had a minor problem with the chain of my bicycle so I went to University cycle repair shop. The assistant there helped me mount the cycle on the chains and started his work. Two questions about the cycle and then, “I went to see Rab ne bana di jodi, it was fantastic”. I thought I heard him wrong. But he repeated and well, I said a hesitant, ya, it was ok, not so good. And then, “I went to London to watch the premiere of the movie but I didn’t get tickets, so I went to an Indian restaurant, ate and came back”. I was tempted to say, No one in India probably will bother that much! But he was saying it with such passion. Next question, “Is it true that the girl and boy don’t see each other before the marriage?”. Now, this was a trick question. I know in some parts of the country they don’t, but in a large part, this is allowed. My reply was the standard, “You can’t really generalize anything about India, there is a whole spectrum in everything”. Next question, “Do you eat spicy food every day, three times a day?”. Ah well, I didn’t think our food was spicy at all until I tasted food in Eruope! And then, he launched into what movies he has loved. He was a fan of Aamir Khan and Rishi Kapoor. He didn’t like Shammi Kapoor (”he seems like he’s in an epileptic fit”) but he loved Raj Kapoor (I wonder how!!!). He likes Madhuri Dixit’s dance (who doesn’t?) but he thinks Aishwarya Rai is prettier! For 20 minutes flat he spoke effortlessly about Bollywood and struggled in equal measure with my cycle-brakes!
When I was leaving, he said with a very sad expression, “Some day, I want to go to India and I’m sure, I won’t come back”.
2. Ecohostel Andromeda
My friend stayed in a boat hotel and unfortunately, forgot to hand over the keys while checking out. So, I went to drop the keys to the room. A girl and a boy own the boat hotel and they thanked me profusely for returning the key. I was about to leave but the girl asks me a surprising, “Tell me something about India”. I was a little stumped (I’ve never been able to answer this question, this IS no one answer to this question. If it’s Belgium, you say, it’s the land of chocolates and beers but what do you say about India?). I asked her to be more specific and well, first question: Why do women in India wear that dot on their forehead? Uhmm…….well, I think it’s one of the chakras of Yoga, the seat of wisdom, I think. And she was mighty impressed. Next question: But why do only married women wear it? Uhmm…………I guess they need more wisdom to get the husband up from in front of the TV and help in house-work. She laughed heartily and next question: Why is it red in colour? Ah well, I don’t know frankly. I guess red is the colour of marriage and red bindi signifies marriage. Next question: Do people in India really wear the clothes they show in Bollywood movies? I was tempted to ask, which one have you seen? But I sort of knew the answer already. It must be the “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham” (that’s the one EVERYONE here has seen). And I assured her, such clothes are worn pretty much once in a life-time, on our marriages. Next question: Will your marriage be Bollywood style as well, lots of Music and dance and 200 people dancing with coordinated movements? This time, I couldn’t resist it! I REALLY laughed! After I’d recovered, I immediately thought of Ram, Sathya and Laasya doing a coordinated “Khwaja Mere Khwaja”. And God! I laughed again! I assured her that no one in India does such coordinated dances in the weddings, at least not 200 people and definitely not in most marriages!
After answering a plethora of other questions about spices, sarees, clay-jewellery, child-labour, I finally left. Smiling to myself, I thought, India is so many things!!!!!! As the girl rightly put it, “They should declare India a continent, it’s NOT one country”.
3. On the bus stop in City Centre
One old chirpy woman sat next to me as I waited for a bus to head back home. I had worn the salwar-kurta that day and the woman had been eyeing me with sort of an adoration for some time. She broke the silence eventually and first question: Is that a comfortable dress? I was like, Ya, I think so. Next question: You’re from India? I answered in affirmative. Next question: Why do you wear that dot on your forehead? (Bindi sure is the centre of most curiosity!!!) I explained the chakra theory again. Her remark to that: Indian culture is so rich, we don’t have anything in the name of culture here really. I assured her that there are pros and cons associated with what you call “culture”. She smiled and next question: “Is it true that people are divided in India based on what community their parents belonged to? I said yes, but the trend is changing and people are gradually beginning to open up to the idea of all human beings being equal, at least in my generation. She was so happy hearing this. And she said: I saw a program on TV about India (and the TV here SURE is on an overdrive to educate people about India) and I saw the trains. One man was selling food in train. Is that how it is in India? I answered yes. Somehow, this amused her a great deal. And then,she went on asking about India’s take on spirituality and Nirvana, about Varanasi and death rites. When the bus finally arrived, she left very reluctantly and well, wished me a marriage just like it is in Bollywood!
After I came here, I got to know how much fascination there is about India, the land of bindi, spices, colours and Bollywood………..

Oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin at work