Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Globalization - Are we there yet?
What is globalization? It's a big "G" word that means different things to different people. To some it means opportunity, to others it's a bad word that puts "their" people out of work and to some others, it means capitalism, akin to profit, akin to imperialism. How does one reconcile such different aspects of a phenomenon, a word, a feeling, a fear?
In South Bay, otherwise known as Silicon Valley, there is a strip of land where one would be hard-pressed to see a caucasian face at any intersection. This is the El Camino, between Remington and Lawrence. There are more desi restaurants than you can count on your fingertips - everything from Mangalorean/Keralite delicacies, to Punjabi Dhabas, from Andhra cuisine to Maharashtrian cuisine. One of these many restaurants is called Komala Vilas. It is set up like a tiffin room that one would typically find in Chennai, serving yummy tamilian vegetarian food in thalis. More often than not, you will hear Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, etc, along with all age-groups of desis slurping down sambar or buttermilk. You'll see streaks of curry running down a person's hand while a person walks leisurely to the wash basin to wash their hands after eating a full meal. The smell of spices lingers in your clothes and hands long after you leave Komala.
What does this have to do with globalization you may ask? Globalization to me is what you see in Komala. The waitstaff at Komala are primarily Hispanics. In their Spanish accents, they ask you if you want "rasam" or "more kolumbu" or "sadam" or "tanni." At first, I was shocked to hear Tamil coming out of a seemingly Hispanic person. They were learning the language. They knew more Tamil than I did and asked if I wanted "papadam" or "thair." Granted, it wasn't fluent Tamil, but put them in a purely Tamil speaking restaurant in Chennai and they will order with more ease than a non-Tamilian. To me, this is globalization.
In Raleigh, North Carolina, Mr. Nagi Reddy runs a couple of Indian restaurants. He has a South Indian restaurant called "Udupi," not to be confused with a similar one in Sunnyvale, CA, as well as a Hyderabadi/Andhra style one. On an average weekend, his South Indian restaurant, which serves buffet-style South Indian vegetarian food, is filled with caucasians. Yes, there are plenty of Indians as well - your varieties of "mamis" and "appas," as well as your wannabes and your FOB's. To see them line up for South Indian delicacies - upma, avial, beans poriyal - would remind you of a lesson in diversity - to me, this is globalization.
As I write this, I'm interrupted by a phone call. "I'm Stephanie," she says, in a decidedly Indian accent, "as a valued card member, we are offering you a 3% interest rate on balance transfers." I smile as I say I'm not interested in her offer. She hangs up politely. I remember the early days when I would be badgered for not signing up because I was Indian too. Now, the same Indian call center worker deliberately mispronounces my name in order to sound like an American. To me, this is globalization...
In South Bay, otherwise known as Silicon Valley, there is a strip of land where one would be hard-pressed to see a caucasian face at any intersection. This is the El Camino, between Remington and Lawrence. There are more desi restaurants than you can count on your fingertips - everything from Mangalorean/Keralite delicacies, to Punjabi Dhabas, from Andhra cuisine to Maharashtrian cuisine. One of these many restaurants is called Komala Vilas. It is set up like a tiffin room that one would typically find in Chennai, serving yummy tamilian vegetarian food in thalis. More often than not, you will hear Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, etc, along with all age-groups of desis slurping down sambar or buttermilk. You'll see streaks of curry running down a person's hand while a person walks leisurely to the wash basin to wash their hands after eating a full meal. The smell of spices lingers in your clothes and hands long after you leave Komala.
What does this have to do with globalization you may ask? Globalization to me is what you see in Komala. The waitstaff at Komala are primarily Hispanics. In their Spanish accents, they ask you if you want "rasam" or "more kolumbu" or "sadam" or "tanni." At first, I was shocked to hear Tamil coming out of a seemingly Hispanic person. They were learning the language. They knew more Tamil than I did and asked if I wanted "papadam" or "thair." Granted, it wasn't fluent Tamil, but put them in a purely Tamil speaking restaurant in Chennai and they will order with more ease than a non-Tamilian. To me, this is globalization.
In Raleigh, North Carolina, Mr. Nagi Reddy runs a couple of Indian restaurants. He has a South Indian restaurant called "Udupi," not to be confused with a similar one in Sunnyvale, CA, as well as a Hyderabadi/Andhra style one. On an average weekend, his South Indian restaurant, which serves buffet-style South Indian vegetarian food, is filled with caucasians. Yes, there are plenty of Indians as well - your varieties of "mamis" and "appas," as well as your wannabes and your FOB's. To see them line up for South Indian delicacies - upma, avial, beans poriyal - would remind you of a lesson in diversity - to me, this is globalization.
As I write this, I'm interrupted by a phone call. "I'm Stephanie," she says, in a decidedly Indian accent, "as a valued card member, we are offering you a 3% interest rate on balance transfers." I smile as I say I'm not interested in her offer. She hangs up politely. I remember the early days when I would be badgered for not signing up because I was Indian too. Now, the same Indian call center worker deliberately mispronounces my name in order to sound like an American. To me, this is globalization...
Thursday, December 15, 2005
India vs. the US
Why do people feel better by making comparisons? What compels us to always compare and contrast, from our personalities to our assets, to what we have and what we don't have, to what we drive, where we live, etc. I understand that at a basic level it makes us feel better, gives us aspirations, vision, growth or impetus to grow - but this happens at a human level. What about when it happens on a national level? Do we derive our identity as Indians by comparing ourselves with Americans? Do we develop or increase our patriotism by comparing and contrasting our countries? Then why is there a constant stream of comparisons about India and the US?
A group from India was recently here (in the US) for the first time. The majority of what I heard from them was: In India we now have electric cables underground, unlike the U.S.; in India, we know more about the U.S. than the average American knows about India; in India, in India, in India. You get the drift...
I'm sure it's a very natural thing to do - you compare facts about a new country with the country you've always known. That's not the issue - the issue is with Indians who compare India to America and act like the result of that comparison somehow makes India more superior and America less so. One striking example - the email that I'm sure most Indians in California or the US received a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina, comparing the Mumbai floods to New Orleans. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it said something like in Mumbai, we had x feet of water, in New Orleans, they had y. In India, x number of people died, in New Orleans y. In India, the Army responded in x hours/days, in New Orleans, y, etc.
Most people don't realize though that the floods in Mumbai, while the ostensible reason was the inordinate amount of rain caused them, an equal causative factor, if not superior, was the lack of civic infrastructure, properly maintained drains, etc that caused the most havoc. In New Orleans, the levees burst, the lake flooded into the city and other areas - does that sound like a KEY difference to our patriotic desis?
While I'm not condoning the delayed response in New Orleans or other issues, it's not like we don't have our problems, but, somehow, sending patriotic emails like this and others - oh! the greatness of the Indian civilization email is another great example - somehow makes us seem shallow.
Most people in India think that America is this hole of decadence, this cess-pit of vice and sin - why? Because they've seen movies and television shows of hot looking men and women who more often than not make out, along with clothes that reveal more than they conceal, this is why the US has no culture, no morals. Another comparison to make us feel better.
Does anyone care to find out what the culture of the US is? What people's values and morals are? Obviously, amidst the growing wave of conservatism in this country, it is not, I repeat, NOT as people stereotype it to be. Freedom of options, choice, action perhaps bring out the worst in people, but give me this freedom anyday compared to a stuffy sense of morality, hypocrisy, double standards and the ancient, sexist culture that India has.
Both countries have their challenges, both countries have their differences and yes, some commanilities as well (few and far between), but as Confucious says, walk a mile in a person's shoes before casting a stone at them - I don't see why this doesn't work when we make generalizations about countries too.
A group from India was recently here (in the US) for the first time. The majority of what I heard from them was: In India we now have electric cables underground, unlike the U.S.; in India, we know more about the U.S. than the average American knows about India; in India, in India, in India. You get the drift...
I'm sure it's a very natural thing to do - you compare facts about a new country with the country you've always known. That's not the issue - the issue is with Indians who compare India to America and act like the result of that comparison somehow makes India more superior and America less so. One striking example - the email that I'm sure most Indians in California or the US received a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina, comparing the Mumbai floods to New Orleans. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it said something like in Mumbai, we had x feet of water, in New Orleans, they had y. In India, x number of people died, in New Orleans y. In India, the Army responded in x hours/days, in New Orleans, y, etc.
Most people don't realize though that the floods in Mumbai, while the ostensible reason was the inordinate amount of rain caused them, an equal causative factor, if not superior, was the lack of civic infrastructure, properly maintained drains, etc that caused the most havoc. In New Orleans, the levees burst, the lake flooded into the city and other areas - does that sound like a KEY difference to our patriotic desis?
While I'm not condoning the delayed response in New Orleans or other issues, it's not like we don't have our problems, but, somehow, sending patriotic emails like this and others - oh! the greatness of the Indian civilization email is another great example - somehow makes us seem shallow.
Most people in India think that America is this hole of decadence, this cess-pit of vice and sin - why? Because they've seen movies and television shows of hot looking men and women who more often than not make out, along with clothes that reveal more than they conceal, this is why the US has no culture, no morals. Another comparison to make us feel better.
Does anyone care to find out what the culture of the US is? What people's values and morals are? Obviously, amidst the growing wave of conservatism in this country, it is not, I repeat, NOT as people stereotype it to be. Freedom of options, choice, action perhaps bring out the worst in people, but give me this freedom anyday compared to a stuffy sense of morality, hypocrisy, double standards and the ancient, sexist culture that India has.
Both countries have their challenges, both countries have their differences and yes, some commanilities as well (few and far between), but as Confucious says, walk a mile in a person's shoes before casting a stone at them - I don't see why this doesn't work when we make generalizations about countries too.
