Topic started by Raghu (@ 212.2.14.241) on Thu Mar 7 09:37:43 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Can we please discuss about how the Western culture has influenced Indian tradition, whether it is in movies, music, day to day life, some people with inferiority complexity thinks, if they speak a word or two of English, & they think they are supernatural intelligent human beings, which really gets on my nerves.

Responses:

• From: Arjun (@ 202.144.77.168) on: Thu Mar 7 10:28:57
  
  Raghu, but don't you think this aura about English and anything from the West was bound to happen? I'd like to see that as a thing of ego, a backlash. After being ruled by the whites for years, it's natural that our mindset still has a bent to think that they are still the masters. It's a psychological thing, in my view. In our movies, from the beginning itself, "being classy" was always associated with "being Western". And I guess we have come a full circle now. How else would you explain whites replacing extras as our own Prasanths and Vijays dance away to glory in foreign locations? Lol. As for the I-speak-English-so-I'm-great attitude, well it takes all kinds to make this world, right? Let them live in their bubble. They are just insecure and basically harmless. Let them be.
  
  
• From: Raghu (@ 212.2.14.241) on: Thu Mar 7 11:09:20
  
  Arjun;
  
  Yes u r right, but why should we adopt the western culture, just because India is a common wealth country, which was ruled by Britain, I mean take Chinese/ Japanese people, they do not speak a word of English I know they were not (except Hong Kong) British colonies.
  
  Look @ the Japanese they are the world’s biggest technological giants, why can not India be like, that, I mean the amount of money being poured into Indian films!
  
  
• From: Shakthi (@ 202.56.251.232) on: Thu Mar 7 12:03:19
  
  One should realise that communication is the purpose of any language. Speaking a particular language does not make any one worthy or worrthless. A person is valued based on his or her intellectual or humane nature. I personally feel, not any more, people who speak english, look down upon people who are more comfortable in regional languages.
  
  Regading English having come to stay in India, but for English, how many of us would have been happy enough to learn hindi?It is very sad to note people are happier learning and welcoming a foreign language rather than learning a common language for India. There is still an aversion in some part of south against Hindi being called as national language. So much for our unity!
  
  Cultural changes is NOT due to western culture sneaking into the so called Indian culture. Cultural changes bound to happen today or tommorrow or day after, as elder generations leave way to the younger ones.
  
  In any era, its human nature to learn, share and reproduce any other culture which fascinates them.Even before British invasion, culture of tamilnadu was mixed with that neighbouring territories. So many of unwanted culture which prevails now, is being introduced in medieval ages, due to man domination in the society. What today we call culture would not have been the real culture some 1000 years ago.change keep occuring, east copies west, and some years later west would copy east.
  
  One need not fret over any matter which is inevitable.
  
  
• From: Kajan (@ 206-47-144-49.ip.tor.radiant.net) on: Thu Mar 7 16:22:07
  
  Hi,
  
  In my experience, two third of those studied with me left our native country and live in Europe and America. These people are in different culture.
  
  Influence on movies won't make any chnges as we discussed earlier, but on Music that is a thread.
  How many people still with Karnatic Music ?
  
  Day to day life , that is a question mark ? Depends. It coulld be avoided by parental guideance only I guess.
  
  Kajan
  
  
• From: Shakthi (@ 202.56.251.94) on: Fri Mar 8 00:21:57
  
  Kajan,
  
  I agree, not many are enjoying Karnatic music these days. Again the contradictory point is so many karnatic singers are young people. They also take up movie singing as their career (Like Nithyashree, Jayashree, UNnikrishnan, Srinivas etc)When we go to Sabhas in Chennai during music festival season (December) or in Thyagaraja utsava in january, we do find lots of youngsters, singing or enjoying the kritis.
  
  The point to be noted is, these people, love music, and hence also tend to hear or enjoy any other music too , NOT ONLY karnatic.
  
  Unfortunately i find, lots of kritis are in Telugu, (since Shri. Thiayagaraja swamigal,Dhikshitar etc wrote songs primarily in telugu), hence if I want to praise lord, or delve in his character, shower bhakti, I am not able to do so, because of me, unable to understand its meaning.
  
  I rather prefer a carol in english which talks on Jesus Christ (GOD IS ONE) where I can understand what words I utter unto GOD.
  
  Its a welcoming change to hear lots of bhajans and tamil kritis these days composed and sung by leading singers.
  
  Though this discussion is in noway connected to this thread, I happen to say it cause of mention of lack of interest or preference for Karnatic music.
  
  
• From: DTS (@ resvip247.cs.usm.my) on: Fri Mar 8 02:00:21
  
  western and our movies should be enjoyed equally but on a different basis. When I watch hollywood movie, I go for the effects, comedy, and action..when it comes to tamil movies..I switch my preference to story, content and family entertainment. One thing the tamil industry should do is not to emulate the style of movie-making but rather apply the technologies in order to suit their own movie making style.
  
  
• From: Raghu (@ 212.2.14.241) on: Fri Mar 8 06:01:12
  
  Kajan;
  
  >>"How many people still with Karnatic Music ?
  "<<, with the exception of me, I love Karnatic music, as well as any type of music, one must appreciate all types of muisc to be a true music lover & I am a youngster (25), so age got nothing to do with taste, taste is determined by the cultural & family up bringing.
  
  
• From: Pathima (@ 213.86.122.5) on: Fri Mar 8 07:51:27
  
  A very interested topic. It is not purely the language but the style of dressing, sporting activities, and music. If you look at old Sivaji films more English was spoken than Tamil, he is sometimes portraying someone playing golf, tennis or cricket. All of which isn't Tamil let alone Indian.It has always existed just people havn't picked up on the matter. I think Western culture has always been heavily embrodied into the Tamil culture why not appreciate positive aspects and reject the negative aspects.
  One the point of inferior complex one thing I have noticed in India especially in Chennai if you go into a hotel and you from overseas they will always address you in English , even if you speak to them in Tamil. Even in the shops they will speak to you in English why
  is that.
  
  
• From: Raghu (@ 212.2.14.241) on: Fri Mar 8 08:51:50
  
  Pathima;
  
  >>"if you go into a hotel and you from overseas they will always address you in English , even if you speak to them in Tamil. Even in the shops they will speak to you in English why
  is that"<< this is exactly what inferiority complexity is, I can only pity these people.
  
  
• From: pathima (@ 213.86.122.5) on: Fri Mar 8 09:09:23
  
  Raghu
  Well Tamil Nadu in its self hasn't changed much even though the British left some 50 odd years we seem to still have the same transport system, the legal infrastructure hasn't changed much. When the British were there we had unity, there wasn't so much in fighting between religions and caste. We all had a common goal.
  
  When they left we have corruption, dowry problems,political wars and religious wars. And stands to lose the poor and the vulnerable.
  
  
  
• From: Raghu (@ 212.2.14.241) on: Fri Mar 8 09:20:15
  
  Pathima;
  
  U r 100% right!
  
  
• From: Kajan (@ 206-47-144-49.ip.tor.radiant.net) on: Fri Mar 8 13:27:13
  
  Hi,
  
  Just consider clear evidence TV and Radio,
  
  How many of them do they spin to Karnatic music as interlude ?
  
  The change could be described as change in gress
  "Vertti" to "Trouser"
  
  
• From: Raghu (@ 212.2.14.241) on: Tue Mar 12 05:46:08
  
  Kajan
  
  :-)
  
  
• From: Anesh Ganason (@ 210.187.156.253) on: Tue Mar 12 08:28:10
  
  Well it is a fact that two tamil meet they speak English. For instants my cousins are all well versed in English than Tamil. The fact is the education system and the lack of respect to the national language.There is these image in our thinking that Tamil will not take us anywhere beside your family and India it is the problem of the British. If you look at all the Commenwealth countries they prefer to communicate in English that their own language. So Please don't compare with the Japanese and chinese.
  
  
• From: Raghu (@ 212.2.14.241) on: Tue Mar 12 10:59:12
  
  Anesh Ganesan;
  
  So what, if India is common wealth country, does it mean English is our mother language , does it??????????
  Shouldn't we have pride in our language & culture? After all the Englishmen do not have a culture, they think they are civilized, but they are not, we (Indian) were the first to civilize some 12,000 years BC, English people used to be midgets living as Vikings eating pigs!!!
  
  So what next, are we going to change our skin colour as well, wear no clothes & go naked like the English people do???
  
  Oh God
  
  
• From: Kajan (@ 206-47-144-49.ip.tor.radiant.net) on: Tue Mar 12 16:37:58
  
  A change in education could be a solution ?
  Must have a compulsary subject.
  
  
• From: MS (@ ch-1317.che.sc.edu) on: Tue Mar 12 18:15:49
  
  hotel and you from overseas they will always address you in English , even if you speak to them in Tamil
  
  Surprisingly true. When I was gone to India this time and asked a person next by in the city-bus o let me know when Spencers' Plaza bus stop would come, I found the above happening to me. This is what happened to me :
  
  I : "Sir, konjam spencer's vandhaa solreengaLA ?"
  He: "ok sir..solren"
  
  (I just kept looking here and there for a while and he contniued after sometime)
  
  "Even I also getting down(u) at that stop only. U can commu withu me. Only the next stoppis spencersu"
  
  I had not even hinted that I had come from USA or whatever. But this took me by surprise. There was no reason for him to have used english with me. I was not even flaunting with, say an englilsh novel, or whatever.
  
  and inside the spencer's the world is totally different. There is a shop named food world which give u the most rotten of pizzas ( I found our only after eating there) and every plate of pulaao costs a whopping Rs.40/-. I asked him:
  
  "oru pizza, oru cheese sandwich"
  
  pop came a reply - "Would u like to have a coke too sir ?"
  
  Man - give me a break ! I could also find out that there was a selective response. I could even find elderly people (not well "urbanised" though :-) ) with whom these guys talk in tamil ! Why ? It may be that they may not understand english, but I do understand tamil ! Why not talk to me in tamil ??
  
  ..and for the reason why I went to spencer's..dont ask :-)
  
  
• From: Anesh Ganason (@ 210.187.156.3) on: Wed Mar 13 06:42:02
  
  I do agree that the whites are cultureless. But why are we still forced to use English in the global arena. The Japs are reluctant to use english and the chinese are proud to use Mandarin but we Tamil don't have the same mentality. Well i am not from India and Tamil is only a communal language in my country so to me its is only important to have tamil has an cultural identity not has a lingua franca.
  
  
• From: Unmai (@ cache86.156ce.scvmaxonline.com.sg) on: Wed Mar 13 13:28:17
  
  In England, people speak English.
  In France, people speak French.
  In Japan, people speak Japanese.
  In Germany, people speak German.
  
  Only in india, a country with a common race, speaks various languages. At this extent, which common language should a citizen of India speak?
  
  No point blaming another country for colonising and influencing another's culture. We should learn to accept our mistakes as for letting them influence us due to our disunity.
  
  
• From: Sanjev (@ 203.212.144.48) on: Wed Mar 13 22:28:32
  
  MS,
  
  Why did you go to spencer's? Please tell us why.
  
  
  
• From: Raghu Fan (@ proxy.or4.marketscore.com) on: Thu Mar 14 09:16:24
  
  Unmai;
  
  well said, Indian likes to be slaves for English, we Indian have no pride or respect for our culture or tradition, how can you expect some one to respect you, when you have no respect for your self?
  
  
• From: Raghu (@ 212.2.14.241) on: Fri Mar 15 05:31:34
  
  hmm;
  
  I have a fan :-)))
  
  

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