An eternal debate that never ends.. how do you get an accent in a year when you go to another country after having had your own accent for 25 years? there are conflicting views that people have about it and i personally have always been of the view that to blend in you don't need to change your accent. blend in standing out on your own and not by becoming one of them because they you wouldn't remain an Indian and he an American, British, African or whatever other citizen of the world.
The best personal growth is when you add to yourself over and above what you are already and not replace yourself with someone else. I was talking to a friend recently and she of course has an accent now with living 2 years in the US. Her logical approach to the whole thing is " Accent is derived out of the place you live in and therefore its not a big deal as to be able to make it easier for people to understand your accent it's better to role a few words here and there as they don't understand otherwise". Not that i debated this with her as i know i might have offended her with my view but i do not agree to that point of view because it is as simple as this, if i can understand american movies after watching it over the years an American who is used to living with Gazillion different nationalities (as its the land of dreams), why can't they then understand what you speak after a few minutes or days of conversation with you.
I have noticed this trend more often in Indians than people from any other country. Indians seem to run towards accents faster and more than any other nationality. A British national will still role his tongue, a German and Italian would still hold their accents, An African will still have his original accent and be very well understood but an Indian always feels his accent is way to plain and straight tongued to be understood. Foreigners as we call them are always intrigued and lining up in India because they are so intrigued with the diversity and richness that our culture has to offer but we run towards their country. I do believe that a global exposure is very good and it only helps you grow as an individual but that does not mean that you let go of the identity that you have been brought up with specially if you are an Indian as you have so many experiences to offer to the world. Why don't we Indians concentrate on imbibing the good things from them while we are there rather than run towards the superficial lifestyle changes only.
What happened to the generation that was proud of being Indian and was the reason behind the colonial powers living this country. Why is the 3rd - 4th generation post Independence suddenly finding reasons to emulate the west and does not even know about the many offerings that the country has within. Why are the newer generations running west for holidays rather than going around their own country which has such diverse experiences to provide for a traveler? These questions always hound us but somehow the glamour of the west always seems to take over from all of it.
An example from within the country and a personal experience would also fit the debate so its not just about people going abroad but people within as well.I was brought up in Assam and so to me home has always been there even though we do not have any base there anymore. Having Bihari roots i was as much Bihari in Assam as a Bihari would be in Bihar, thanks to my summer holidays with grandparents and my parents who never forgot their roots. My Hindi is as 'shudh' as it should be in spite of living in Assam and i can speak and read Assamese decently well as well. What my parents taught me was to never let go of your roots as it has many thing to offer but only to add more from the new world which is what you are a part of and therefore i know Assamese as well along with my own language. And it wasn't as cosmopolitan as a big city is today and therefore it would only help to know the culture better so you are able to find your way through while you are growing up. A lot of our family friends on other hand ended up producing a lot of ABCD's (Assam born confused Desis) where in their Hindi had become like that of Assamese people whose genders and grammar was all over the place and at the same time they never ever learnt the local language either.So you neither know enough about your own roots nor have you made an effort to learn about the one you have been brought up in.Both the interstate and intrastate dilemma one puts themselves through in this country is beyond me.
Maybe we ought to give more credit to our country beyond the political turmoil and corruption turmoil we face every day and still see that there are enough good reasons to still be proud of this country.If you go abroad to live educate them about India and share with them the knowledge you have about your country and in exchange gain knowledge from them about theirs. It's just like a mixed marriage, the excitement of people from completely different cultures and backgrounds and then learning from each other, adjusting to each other is what makes that couple a solid one and the marriage an exiting one. To be able to make the best of that marriage you only need to hold the perspective of gaining and not having lost something.
some food for thought and would definitely be open to discussion on this one as everyone has a different perspective and dimension to add to this never ending topic and would love to hear those as well.
Image courtesy: Google
No comments:
Post a Comment