Word: indianism
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...Indian. Well, actually, my parents are from there…I was born in the U.S.” Every time a question from a curious stranger prompts this explanation, I surprise myself with the recollection that I’m not white. I grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, a town virtually devoid of an Indian population, although it was within the heartland of the Indian diaspora. Because of this, I had limited exposure to Indians outside my immediate family. And the inevitable disconnect between my school and home lives fostered a disconnect between my Indian and American selves...
...true” ethnic identity came out exclusively in the realm of my home life. I spoke Bengali with my parents and ate Indian meals. Family occasions and religious festivals were, among other things, excuses to get dressed up in my favorite ghagra outfit. I was raised strictly Indian, with the standards and cultural values to match. But among my high school friends, my “Indianness” was, more than anything else, a source of amusing stories about strict parents and endless weddings, and the justification for sitting through a four-hour Hindi movie...
...found that I could use this truncated version of my cultural identity as a means of setting myself apart, if and when I felt compelled to. I was the token Indian who gave cultural presentations about South Asia in World Cultures class. Clad in a traditional salwaar kameez, I would bring in Indian snacks and handicrafts, and explain to my—no doubt fascinated—classmates that India is a land of great diversity, where 21 different languages are spoken, and that’s not even counting the dialects! One year I wore one of my Indian...
...context of college, being Indian went from being a constant but unexamined presence in my life to a deliberately chosen pursuit, an aspect of myself that could explore in concentrated portions...
...China and India develop more of a taste for diamond jewelry. To make sure they secure a foothold in the Chinese market, some Surat businessmen have even started setting up workshops in China; another bonus is that wages there are lower than in India. Small wonder that many Indian merchants believe it's only a matter of time before they take over from Belgium's Hasidim as kingpins of the diamond business. Venus Jewel's S.P. Shah, diverting his eyes for a moment from his four closed-circuit TVs, acknowledges that his Belgian and Israeli rivals are among the world...