How (proudly) Indian are we really??

A couple of days ago I received a new VOIP headset from our I.T department and the device looked rich and superior in design. When I showed it to my team, the first response was “hey, made in china huh??”; The promptness of the statement stumped me for a moment; Slick and stylish gadgets are usually those imported from abroad and we are used to that aren’t we? But surprisingly, this VoIP headset turned out to be manufactured in India and more specifically in Chennai!! We were all pleasantly surprised. The headset sleeps in my desk now but it has stirred my thought process; How proud are we to be Indians these days?? How happy are we with our identity? How fascinated are we really with Indian products and Indian designs?

I have met many fresh engineers at Logica Chennai and interacting with them has been lovely. They hail from different backgrounds and cultures, but there is a strong common thread that unites them. 75% of these grads want projects in Chennai (except those who don’t live here); they are open to any competency, any shift timing, any team, and practically any atmosphere, but they are quite firm that the project should function from Chennai! Such affinity to their hometown/adopted city though admirable, throws up so many thoughts to ponder on. To most of us, the connect with our hometown is too great, too strong and our love towards the city we grew up in is unmatched. But the same love and affinity is not extended to the country of which the city is a part of!! We hardly hear people saying “I am open to any job, any salary, any competency but it should be in India only!”

 

Neither do we hear people standing up for the nation strongly despite all the flaws we have as a country. Somewhere along the line globalization has made us all look to the western countries more; the fact that for the same money or slightly more, we get goods/gadgets twice or even thrice as good as the Indian made ones has diluted our patriotism. When we are ready to compromise our necessities and be a little flexible if it helps us stay connected to our family or hometown we are ready for it, but why is the same not extended to the country that we grew up in? The bigger the magnitude the bigger seems our indifference.

In most of our homes, from the small brush we use to the big cars we drive are non-Indian. Not many of us say even if the quality is a little less, it is after all OURS? Our country’s, our product. Even if we compromise a little on quality it is still OUR OWN! We do love and prefer the food that our mom cooks even though we may get better food from hotels right? We do love our city though there might be more sophisticated ones in the world! And to be even more relevant we all love PCs that are allocated to us even though the next bay might have better config right??? So why is it that we do not extend the same courtesy to the country and its products as a whole????

I am not arguing on whether our mindsets are right or wrong, but I am simply wondering out aloud.. Why is it that we seem to be inconsistent in our attitudes? Why is it that our priorities fade out when the subject is enlarged? Why is it that we are surprised when we find out that the VOIP headset was made in Chennai?! The answer to these questions is hanging around us; but none seem acceptable :)