What is so frightening about what a few yankees in schools in US think. They are known to be the most dumbest of people when it comes to knowledge about world geographies and people. A rich country doesn't mean it would have the smartest of people around. BTW: the writer is just 15 yrs old. Its good that rediff is encouraging young writers, however REDIFF should at least keep a heading that makes more sense! Grow up rediff!
RE:Whats so Frightening?!!!!
by Niraj Prasad on Feb 29, 2008 09:34 AM Permalink
rediff always tries to sensetionalize the headlines so as to increase readership ... but this erodes the credibility of rediff ... i would suggest tagging the headlines as guest articles or amteur articles .. will rediff listen ...
RE:Whats so Frightening?!!!!
by Gopi on Feb 29, 2008 09:33 AM Permalink
Yes, I agree with you Mr/Ms Priyanka Sengupta. Let us kill the messenger, let us forget the message.
RE:Whats so Frightening?!!!!
by Shanesh on Feb 29, 2008 09:34 AM Permalink
Age of the writer dosent make any difference....i say this is a well written article. I also live in foreign country and when someone thinks or talks about India in this way.......it hurts my heart.
RE:Whats so Frightening?!!!!
by subbu on Feb 29, 2008 09:55 AM Permalink
take it easy man. it is a bunch of kids that think wrong abt India. when they grow up they will learn
One in every 100 American Adult is in prison One in every NINE Black American has been in prison. Keeping the prison system alive is the 4th or the th largest budgetary item in most US states...and US is supposed to be a developed country. India is poor ...but if it had same proportion of criminals, it would have to build a city as big as Bombay just to house them. A great civilization is one where people live with peace and freedom despite economic adversity which is function of time and tides. This is where no nation in the world can aim to become equal to India.
RE:Why do we care what Americans think of India ?
by Gopi on Feb 29, 2008 09:36 AM Permalink
Yeah, we are peace and harmony personified. At the same time, what makes us think that we do not have the same proportion of criminals in our society?
Do not we have the Parliament (with the obstructors / charge sheeters / accused amongst others in attendance) ? Are all criminals in India jailed?
Let us, irrespective of others' thoughts / views about us, work to build bridges with alienated sections of our society and be a more pluralistic society. And that comes with an attitude to worry more about one's own country like the Americans do (so unmindful of other countries).
RE:Why do we care what Americans think of India ?
by Anubhav Lal on Feb 29, 2008 09:29 AM Permalink
Its not lack of criminals but the lack of judiciary which keeps the demand for prison low in India.
Dhruv, It depends, just like beauty lies in the eyes of beholder. There is nothing uncommon or alarming in the instances you have quoted. It is the level of general knowledge of the people/friends you came across. India is a world within world, a world of its own, country of diversities, a country which can not be categorized or compared. Diversities and unsimiliarities do not allow categorization and comparison respectively. Just 500 years ago no one on this planet even knew or heard of Americas, we have historical and documentry evidences of our milleniums old past. I do not argue whether Rama or Krishna existed but Ramayana,Mahabharta,Vedas,Upnishdas existed and were written on that part of planet by writers born in that part of planet known as INDIA.It was India,Columbus was looking for not Americas.Other side of coin is that how old are we as an Independent Nation ? Answer is 60,born as fractured,looted,abandoned on a junction !!!! That hungry boy(without electricity,food and water)sent nuclear weapons to the arsenal of army and satelites in the space in early 70s.Today that boy is grown up to the level that all developed nations want to leave each other behind to join hands with him. If you talk of problems alone then there is no trouble-free spot in the world. THINK POSITIVE AND BE OPTIMISTIC.
RE:INDIA......INDIANS......
by Gopi on Feb 29, 2008 09:41 AM Permalink
The UN conducted a survey and asked people from different countries and continents "Would you please give your honest opinion about the shortage the of food in the rest of the world?". As one would expect, the survey was a failure.
People in Africa did not know what "food" was. People in China did not know what "opinion" was. People in Europe did not know what "shortage" was. People in India/Pakistan/Australia did not know what "honest" meant. People in the Gulf countries did not know was "please" was. People in America did not know what "the rest of the world" meant.
I am reminded of this joke when I read this article.
Few years back while I was working in Gujarat my collegues from Gujarat asked me - Tumara Kerala, Banglore may hey kya. This the level of understanding of our country among our people. Let us improve first and blame others.
RE:Its not frightening
by Dinesh Ittamveettil on Feb 29, 2008 09:31 AM Permalink
This is the case of South Indians also. People from north never try to understand that a south indian means that the person can be from TamilNadu, Kerala, Andhra or Karnataka..But they just say "Madrasi". So a lot of attitude has to firts change within India..
RE:Its not frightening
by NASIM ZAMAN on Feb 29, 2008 09:43 AM Permalink
I hail from the North-East. One of my friends in my Engineering college asked me if Meghalaya is near Malaysia. Indians themselves do not know about India.
RE:Its not frightening
by Rukmesh Singh on Feb 29, 2008 09:15 AM Permalink
Good One Rajan.. !! I've heard and seen lots of ignorant people in Delhi who know other states through their television sets. I am from Jharkhand and they think that in Jharkhand.. there is only jungles and naxalites..
I don't get it. What is so frightening if all indians happened to be Hindus? Is rediff trying to spin that we are better off because we are all not Hindus??? Hello, I smell something rotten in this headline and the topic inside.
has been through a long phase of development with a lot of nasty bumps along the way before becoming developed. India has to go through them too but the problems faced by India are even worse than others, there is already a huge population , huge poverty(thanks to British rule and Indira Gandhis socialism and tilt towards Soviet Union) without significant development having taken place, there are 100s of languages, plenty of religions, surrounded by evil,poor states like Pakistan and Bangladesh. If inspite of all this we develop and become prosperous over the period of years, it should be read as the triumph of human spirit. India has been free for just 60 years and I am sure the progress achieved in 60 years by India with all the attendant ills is praiseworthy. Glass is half-full sure but be optimistic
