Me ThInKs

Why are Indians so UN- Indian when they are not in India?

Is Mera Bharat really mahan? Ok. So yes. What about us Indians? There's something so pseudo almost about the way most Indians conduct themselves when they are not in India. Almost everything changes about them- the way they talk, what they eat, the way they say things and even their accent. Suddenly they forget how to converse even in their native lingo. Here are some weird but true observations my four eyes made-

1. They barely wear the type of clothes they would have normally worn in India- such as a sari or a salwar kameez. Once abroad, gowns, pants and skirts take over.
2. They eat different. Goodbye chappathi and bread for breakfast or lunch. Its fashionable salads, muffins and sandwiches now.
3. Even the names of dishes are weirder and longer. Like palak paneer becomes' soft cheese dumplings in mashed spinach', and chicken masala becomes ' tender chicken marinated in traditional spices and herbs'. So going by that, I had tender steamed cauliflower tossed with red peppers for lunch.:-)
4. An accent that was never there will suddenly make an appearance. I have known people who went to states and UK for a few months and then came back trying to talk like one of the natives there.
5. They work out more. Being seen at the gym, playing a sport is suddenly the in thing to do.
6. Indians barely ever smile at other Indians. This I can vouch for. None of the Indian families in my complex have even smiled at me as yet, although I swear I did. Why do we act like the other doesnt exist?
7. Nobody watches saas- bahu and other soppy serials like other 'good' Indians.
8. Most of them dont teach their kids things they learnt when growing up. Nor do they share the little things that make them Indian with their kids. Like how to fly a kite. Or eat with the hands. The more un- Indian the kids are, the more successful the parents think they have been as role models. 'My child doesnt speak hindi. But he is the first in his class in English'.
9. Suddenly ordinary eatables like rotis become'exotic breads', and masala tea becomes 'tea with spices'. Takes away the Indianness of food itself.
10. India now becomes a chi- chi country. Too much pollution, too much noise, too much garbage, too much everything.

Why do we forget that at the end of the day it is India who gives us our identity?