Indian spiders in a box

Guys, got a bit of a problem; mails had come in for that piece on I-Day I had written -- but so had thousands of spam mails, thanks to the latest virus some nut has let loose.

In cleaning up the mailbox, somehow, some of the mails I wanted appear to have gotten trashed as well -- if you were one of the mailers who wrote in on this column, please resend?

Thanks much.

Bharatan Kumaraguru, Boston: The world we inhabit is a strange place indeed & aren't we Indians masters at making it stranger!! We are so intent upon putting ourselves down so much that it's no wonder none of the other nations & its people give a rat's ass to what India & its people think and deserve.

After reading your piece on how the Americans celebrate I-Day, I happened to walk down to the River Charles (in Boston, where I live) with a friend & got into a deep introspection on our values, the country, etc.

It's so upsetting to think that most of us believe & announce to everybody that we indians don't really care about I-day, R-day, etc. Come on, it is a well-known fact that the Americans celebrate the Long weekend more than they celebrate I-Day every year. This is not to say that Americans are not patriotic. It is just human nature that people tend to enjoy the holiday. Like you said, American families treat it as a picnic & are on the park guzzling beer & devouring tonnes of cheeseburgers. It is just that the weekend presents them one of the few opportunities for them to spend some time with their family & like they say, chill out.

Isn't it also true that if India & Indians didn't have to worry about where their next meal is going to come from, we'd be doing the same?? Just imagine American school kids being asked to go to school & attend the flag-hoisting ceremony & listen to a speech by someone like Dubya... they'd go nuts too!! I beg to differ from your observation that Indians are any worse than Americans or any other nationals on celebrating the national holidays. It's just that they SAY & trumpet the fact that they are patriots while Indians are hell bent on calling ourselves traitors.

Even worse, We (not only you but WE) castigate one of the few Indians who has the capability to & many times HAS given Joy to hundreds of millions in India. I am more of a Saurav fan than Sachin's as a big match player, but Poor Sachin, is it such a crime that he sought & recieved the exemption?

My reaction was the same as yours when I first read the news. But thinking about it, just b'cos you can afford it, will we pay more money for a box of cereal than the man next to us, just 'cos we earn more than he does? And what angered me even more was the fact that the cheapo politicians are trying to gain political mileage by tarnishing one of the few men who distinguishedly serves India in his vocation. Add to it pronouncements by Jealousy Kings like Kapil Dev, Bedi (I'm sure he'll soon condemn Sachin) & their ilk, we have the proverbial picture of ''Indian spiders in a box''.

An Indian chief minister goes touring & some of our own countrymen want foreign police to arrest him. Whatever his crime may be (or may not be), it is so disgusting that people from the Largest Democracy(??!) in the world would issue such statements. Maybe they should take away the democracy part & begin incarcerating people who utter words which put down the country.

On a lighter note, I must add, it's so wonderful to see Arnie ''hasta la vista, baby'' Schwarzenegger is running for Governor in California & I'm praying he wins (just like Reagan did!!). I'm fed up of people making fun of my home state of Tamil Nadu having an obsession for film personalities as Chief Ministers. Here you go boys, only the most progressive states in the world elect film stars to govern them. California & Tamil Nadu. Way To Go!! LOL

Prem: Hang on a second! My intent was not to run Indians down -- I merely asked, why is it we do not as a nation celebrate our national days?

True, the Americans I saw were guzzling beer and smooching and all the rest of it -- my point was, they were doing it collectively. They came to an organised event that celebrates their I-Day; they celebrated there in their own fashion -- my point was, they didn't sit at home, guzzling the same beer in more comfort.

Right, Americans treat the whole thing as a picnic -- my question still remains, why don't we? A picnic is fun, right? A communal picnic even more so -- you meet people you never knew, make friends you didn't know existed, you bond as a community. Shouldn't we be doing more of that -- bonding, I mean?

That is my point. About running down the country, and its people, not guilty, sir -- but yes, you are right, it does exist. The Sachin Ferrari issue belongs more on the cricket side of this thing, so will save it for when I do that, Monday.

And thanks for the laugh at the end -- as an honorary Madras boy myself, I couldn't help chuckling along.