“There are castes in all countries, even if we don’t call them that”

by time news

2023-05-29 06:30:45

She went to live in the United States as a child. Does she feel more Indian or American?

I feel like a combination of both nationalities, Indian and American. The first years of my life are always imprinted on my mind. India is the country where I was born, where I ate for the first time, where I went to school… I was steeped in Indian culture. Then, of course, the United States, where I arrived at the age of nine. It is a core part of my existence. It was also where I went to school, got married, and pursued several careers. The last, precisely, to be a full-time writer.

Fully integrated, I see.

But Indian food will always be my favorite food, just as Indian colors are my favorite.

India was considered a country, poor, chaotic, where people were starving and the government did nothing, the country I had in mind was very different


Is there anything that was particularly difficult for you to adapt to the new culture?

When he came to the United States in the 1960s, India was going through a difficult period. The perception that the Americans had was negative. It was considered a poor, chaotic country, where people were starving and the government was doing nothing. The India I had in mind was very different, it was an India in full reconstruction process after two hundred very difficult years of being a colony. An India full of optimism, where schools and infrastructure were built and a new way of seeing the world was born. I, as a child, could not contribute to correcting this misinformation. Now yes, as an author, I feel that I can make people have a more positive perception of it.

God bless the work he has done.

I love that many of my readers cook Indian food, or wear sarees when they go to book clubs. We will be better off the more we learn from other cultures and emulate them.

Does he always have India in his heart?

Absolutely, I will never be able to forget her. Nor the happiness I feel when I’m there.

I love that many of my readers wear saris when they go to book clubs, we will be better off the more we learn about other cultures and emulate them


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Are there more social and economic differences in India or the United States?

Women’s rights have not yet been addressed in India, patriarchy is the family management model. Much more progress has been made in the US on this issue. Now, it is true that women in India have more freedom than before to decide whom to marry, whether to have children or not, what to study… At least in the cities. In rural areas they are still very much subject to patriarchy.

Are there castes in the west too?

Yes, I think there are castes in every country, even if we don’t call it that. Everywhere the poor, the marginal population, are relegated to domestic work and taking care of others. It is very difficult for them to climb socially., The difference is that in India, if you are born into a caste, you can no longer get out of it. You can climb socially in other ways.

Women’s rights have not yet been addressed in India, patriarchy is the family management model


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Does the money always end up in their hands?

Money always ends up in hands that are not the ones that produced it.

Is there anyone left who misses British India?

Perhaps the people who benefited most from relationships with oppressors miss some aspects of them. But hey, they themselves continued to prosper in the post-colonial stage, for them there is not much difference.

Colonialism was the first form of globalization, but it destroyed the countries it invaded


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What do you think about colonialism?

It was the first form of globalization, it brought countries closer to each other. However, he greatly destroyed the countries he invaded. In India, it ended very prosperous industrial sectors, such as textiles, shipping, metal… Thus the British eliminated competition. In addition, they took advantage of the natural resources and manpower, the naivety of the Indian people. And when they left, they didn’t care about the people they were putting out of work or the political chaos they were leaving behind. It took the country decades to recover.

Do you believe in natural medicine?

I believe in a combination between natural and western medicine. Both have a role to play in people’s health. The more we learn about their interaction, the better for people’s health.

The British took advantage of the natural resources and manpower, the naivety of the Indian people


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Do you eat beef?

No (laughter).

#castes #countries #dont #call

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