I am a Tamilian

Tamil Brahmi inscription in jambaimalai, from Commons
When the Mullaperiyar dam issue 'outed' in the press more than a year ago, my Facebook news feed was filled with comments from both sides of the border (I have plenty of friends from Kerala and Tamil Nadu). I read up as much as I could about the dam, the arguments from the two states and decided - I didn't care about the whole issue much. It's a dam. It affects the economics and public sentiments of two states of our nation. So be it. And I am a Tamilian.

For several years now, I've been hearing of renowned actors, politicians and other public figures in Tamil Nadu 'speaking out against' the atrocities committed against the Tamils in Sri Lanka. When I first heard of such things, I used to wonder why those people were resorting to extreme measures to have their voices heard - when the issue they were protesting wasn't even in our country. Only later did I realise that these people felt a bond of kinship with the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Yet, I feel no such bond. Still, I am a Tamilian.

When I've heard derogatory comments about people from Tamil Nadu - and I've heard comments in almost all shapes, sizes and colours - it definitely irritates me, but I feel no need to pummel that commenter's head in, or whack him black and blue (a feat, which if you know me, you'll know is quite next to impossible!) because the people of Tamil Nadu are what they are regardless of what others think. I was born in Tamil Nadu and I've lived there - so I know what those people are, the good and bad of it. Yes, I am a Tamilian.

I've heard plenty of people accusing Tamilians of lacking a knowledge of Hindi, yet I seldom find Tamilians accusing people from another state of not knowing Tamil (And for the record, no, Hindi is NOT the national language of India. Please look it up. We really don't have ONE national language.) Amidst accusations from many quarters that Tamilians will always only speak Tamil, and never learn another language, I've picked up a decent amount of Malayalam in college, a fair amount of Kannada in Bangalore and Mysore and a smattering of Hindi during a few months aboard the SEBS 2012 in the northen portions of our country. And yes, I am a Tamilian.

Back in college, during a Republic day (2006), I wore a traditional Keralite mundu (without a belt, mind you) matched with a John Player's shirt while I extolled the brilliance of National Integration amidst westernization. It still amazes me that we, Indians, who look upon certain caucasians with disdain for the way they treat non-caucasians, can so easily differentiate between Indians from different states. We seem to love to classify people into stereotypes that we possess, and we whisper them behind those peoples' backs. If you're still wondering what my point is, let me spell it out loud and clear: Yes, I am a Tamilian. That's because my parents are Tamilian and I was born in Madras. But I am also an Indian. And that's more important to me when I talk to you, my fellow Indian.

Yes, I am a Tamilian, but I am also an Indian citizen. Please don't forget that.

So, let's try to put aside our cultural/ethnic differences - we're all humans. We're all Indians.
And don't even get me started on the people who think Muslims don't belong to India... Such talk just ignites a fire within me. Indian is Indian, regardless of culture, creed, colour, race or any other thing we can think of.

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