So all of a sudden one fine morning it becomes so cool to be Indian....
...Like it wasnt enough that there already is an amazing aura surrounding the great country. It's party time if you're Indian these days!! India rocks - it always has..only this time its rocking so hard that the world has noticed and continues to do so; having expanded its exports into the film/ music world, culture industry, fashion arena and health industry. There are possibly very few industries today that are left untouched by an Indian export. It's not a recent phenomena, this export, but its sudden increase in scale has suddenly made me sit up and notice. To site an example from the fashion world ( since I work on Fashion Avenue, it's what really made me write this piece)
I walked into a designer store today - BARAMI, selling kurtas with "zardozi" kind of embroidery, simply the most chique looking kurtas I ve ever seen, each for a whopping sum of $150. Translated in "Indian" (as against "Hindi", as my foreign co workers would confusedly say:), it's about Rs. 7200. Now even in India a kurta priced that steep would make me think twice if not just walk away from it, before I buy it. Or I would prefer another which was fully embroidered, rather than this measly name-sake embroidery on the neckline, for the same price.
In the U.S, especially in NYC, $150 is not an unthinkable figure for a chemise, so it's not unusual if there are women in Manhattan sporting desi-kurtas to work. It kind of steals my thunder, from my privilege of being the only one, wearing those "oh-what-excellent-fabric or oh-what-amazing-embroidery" kurtas. A cultural representative-of-sorts, you know:) Mind you, this privilege of flaunting my Indian clothes was a way of life in Los Angeles. In NYC on the other hand, it has kind of taken a backseat- though the printed pants have yet retained a certain measure of exclusivity atleast. After all there are a lot of kurtas, bangles, bindi's, mehendi tattoos, dangling desi-style earrings, kolhapuri chappals, jute beach bags that sport "GUTKHA" on them, bags with mirror-work on them, women with kohl lined eyes, all over Manhattan. And these are not just desi women, there are a significant number of white women who have adapted to this Indian attire too. Not surprisingly, there are concocted versions of wearing the same piece of clothing, in various ways and of course options of wearing them with/ without anything else. All permutations-combinations are welcome and in short, on a regular hot day in the NYC summer, you see lots of 'Indians' walking around in Manhattan- Indians by attire! This is probably, according to my analysis, since summer is predominantly an Indian season, so obviously we Indians know best how to combat it. Yah we may have not invented the bikini but we do primarily use the "white-transparent-cotton-fabric"....a lot of which, like I mentioned before is just seen floating over Manhattan all day.
It amazes me how there's all of Asia on one side and India on the other. Even if you're Paki or Bangladeshi, you're more or less passed off as Desi. That thus accounts for the "every 4th face is Indian" in NYC.
"You have a beautiful country"
"I wish I was born in India"
"I wish I was born a Hindu"
"Women in your country are so beautiful, it's as if they have mystery written all over their face and dark long hair"
"Can you make me a mehendi tattoo for my wedding day?"
"Can you bring me back 10 such shirts ( kurtas ) when you return from India?"
"Can you bring me back a "dhoti" and a long shirt ( kurta) from India?"
"Can you bring me some books on yoga, an ivory pipe and lots of fabric from India?"
"Can you teach me Mayur-asan?"
"Can you buy me some Indian classical music when you're coming back?"
...are all statements that have been made to me by white Americans. Examples of the new fad that's taking over Manhattan offlate..
And this last one tops all of the above. It was in an email from my ( male) Columbian- White American ex-roommate...
"When can I come for your wedding and see you wear the red dot on your forehead? Maybe I can sport one too at that time":)
GOOD WATCH: The English Patient
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