(21): We are Individuals; they are also Individuals (I)

My stay in India aged one today. My wife and I live contentedly, and our studies go well—praise be to Allah. I have shared many of my experiences over the past year in my write-ups. Another fresh expertise, nonetheless, prompted this short piece: an ongoing 3-week workshop on film, TV, and theatre acting, choreography, and cinematography at the beautiful, hilly, artists’ hub of Andretta in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh (HP). There are about 50 attendees from three central states—the host, i.e., HP, Punjab, and Haryana. I am the only non-Indian, so imagine the feeling. I have met some people who have reshaped the year-old views I held on India and Indians; hence the novelty of the experience.

Our trip to HP was exhilarating, for the state is well known for its remarkable atmosphere and tourist attractions. So we were all enthusiastic the first day we heard about the workshop. The anxiety multiplied when I googled the venue's name: Andretta. I read that the legendary Norah Richard, S. Sobha Singh, and other renowned artists once lived there. Much is also said about the serenity, scenery and soppy nature of Andretta. I can go on and on, but the scope of this piece is limited to two things: first, it exposes to me the gaffe in generalisation; and, second, the people I have met on the campus of the workshop, particularly one sonorous, 19-year-old girl named Veena (not a real name) who hails from Shimla, HP. She is a sophomore majoring in Mass Communication and Multimedia.

I met Veena and another girl a few minutes after we arrived. However, much later, more boys and girls came. Some of them, from Chandigarh, Punjab, have a fellow Nigerian coursemate named Michael, but the way most, if not all, of them relate to me tells a somewhat different story, as if I were the first Black man they had ever seen. I get, from almost all the rest, far more stares and, in a way, a funnier reception. But this is not the first time I have found myself in this unique position, for I am also the only non-Indian in my class. It also does not translate to any racist or condescending, though it’s sort of a quaint, attitude towards me.

 I often associate two ‘disapproving’ facts with many Indians, especially the northerners among whom I live. One is that they live in a box with little or no knowledge of the world outside their country. Two, many of them understand little or no English. All these and more ‘incredibilities’ were as a result of numerous contacts and encounters I have had with them. For instance, I once had an astounding discussion with a faculty member in our university, Dr Singh (not a real name), who erroneously thought Nigeria was part of Saudi Arabia because I was a Nigerian and Muslim. To him, Muslims are only in Pakistan (however, some remain in India and Bangladesh) or Saudi Arabia. Second, most of the faculty and students speak only broken English, while many others can’t even manage that. But this amazing girl speaks fluently and eloquently. She was, however, apparently born with a silver spoon, which gives her access to the best education money can buy. That, nevertheless, does not guarantee conception and perception, for many others have the same access to those prestigious schools but lack the exposure, experience, and cosmopolitanism she possesses. Veena knows and speaks about Kafka, Albert Camus, Existentialism, Deism, Africa and the many countries on the continent, and much more. I learned a big lesson here; although the latter is old enough to be her father, she’s far more informed than he is.

She, much unlike many others, especially the girls, knows of other human races like me. She, equally, though, got startled at my being Muhammad, obviously a subscriber to that ‘detested’ religion called Islam. She’s in fact, spiritually speaking, incredulous, albeit she bears a Hindu name. Veena is so astonishing to the extent I wish this generation of Indians are like her; there would not have been reports on racism and related crimes. Indians would not have been regarded, at best, as incongruously incredible and, at worst, comical in many respects and instances.

We are individuals. The same could be true of some less informed Nigerians: although everyone undoubtedly knows about India, at least for the popularity of Bollywood films, not everyone actually knows about other countries like Bhutan, the Maldives, and Nepal that border it. Not again, everybody knows of Sikhism or Jainism as religions practised by millions in India (and by mostly Indians in other parts of the world). We are, indeed, individuals. No one has a monopoly on knowledge. There could be as many uninformed Indians as there are in Nigeria. There are many Veenas and Dr Singhs everywhere. I learn to respect individualism the more, and to generalise the least.

 Muhammad Muhsin Ibrahim
 1:11PM; 12/06/2014