What is the relationship you would like your grandchildren to have with India?

No doubt many of you have ticked the box ‘Asian-Indian’ in various forms, census etc. I wanted to use this to look at exploring our ‘Indian’ identity. I’m assuming there is some weak, strong or loose connection with India or may be to the ‘idea of India’ beyond the nation state.

It’s about my observations (and perhaps prejudices) about the varying relationships that British Indians have with the land of their ancestors. It’s not questioning loyalty to India or Britain, but more a look at the depth and breadth of the relationship, how that the relationship is changing and what we would like it to be.

The global Indian diaspora story I’ll leave for another day. But even though our journeys are different, we can learn much from each other in understanding about the British-Indian community.

My family migrated to the UK after a period in East Africa. During this journey the extended family carried with them their culture and identity. While in East Africa, my family like others sustained their sense of community and collective memories with, among other things, letters, young people returning to study in India’s schools and rituals mostly connected with their faith. Not very complicated. Most of the memories were grounded in an experience of India and I’m sure there are numerous examples that you could share too. Their connection to India wasn’t really debated, it was just there – it is one that I intend to speak to my grandparents about and urge you to do the same to contribute to this narrative.

The relationship was underpinned by an emotional tie. Dinner table conversations, listening to All India Radio on crackly short wave radios, letters, the odd phone call, sepia tinted pictures, bedtime stories and religious rituals all helped to build a collective memory with children.

Skip forward a generation and things may be different for later second and third generation children, born and brought up in the UK and wholly assimilated into the fabric of Britain. These days the stories are heard in a vacuum, perhaps devoid of personal experience and the emotional ties. India may be just another foreign country, all be it, one that they sense some greater or lesser connection to.

Moreover, our images of India are often heard without the experience and filtered through the lens of a western education and media portraying the country as part of ‘the poor south.’ Is it too strong to say that the general impression is one of superiority and a patriarchy that comes with a upbringing in the West. The picture in the mind of children is often tainted, partial and distorted. This in turn prejudices and narrows their experience of India and inhibits their freedom to explore. The challenge is how to become less judgemental, and then to explore how to develop, deepen and broaden their understanding of India.

When, or perhaps if, they do eventually land in India, the noise, the smells, the heat perhaps reinforce the partial perception that has been created. Many may struggle to look past these sensory shocks. Their time in India may be a rush between hotels, shops, tourist sites and now distant relatives. They return to the UK and fall back into their busy lives and the opportunity to reflect on their experience is rarely offered. A generalisation? Yes. But please feel free to share your experiences.

Parallel to this disconnection, India, over the last 20 years, has come into fashion: economic growth; a lucrative cricket industry; ‘ethnic print and design’ gaining recognition; Bollywood; Indian literature and the overabundance of  TV channels from the sub-continent are among the many changes. ‘Indian culture’ is making its mark on the lifestyles of cosmopolitan cities around the world in more ways than just yoga classes and Indian food in mainstream supermarkets.

India is now a more open economy, foreign investment is rising, NRIs are buying properties and stock markets are generally healthy. Indeed, many ‘Asian-Indians’ leverage their ‘Indian-ness’ (maybe it’s just speaking the language) to present a more nuanced understanding of India. Maybe they are not much better than other opportunists and have found a sudden use for their ‘Indian-ness.’

To return to this issue of identity. It is something that seems to come up more often. Perhaps it is  reflective of the privileged status many Indians now find themselves in — a position and security that previous generations did not have. The identity debate goes beyond the ‘Asian-Indian’ people. Indeed it rears its head in different forms in different generations and certainly not exclusive to the Indian diaspora. ‘Britishness’ was brought to the fore in the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympic Games.

Second and Third generation Indians see themselves and their ‘identity’ as different to first generation Indians – be they skilled professionals, unskilled migrants from rural areas, those arriving on student visas and the many ‘illegal’ migrants trying to find ways to stay and earn money in the UK. These Indian’s are often derogatorily termed ‘freshies’ or ‘fresh off the boat.’

Regardless, there appears to be a selectiveness about what aspects of India we want to be associated with. It may be human nature to select the positive (cricket, a thrusting IT sector, music etc) and turn a blind eye to the negative. It may also be based on an underlying insecurity.

Perhaps there are other reasons. Is this search hinting at something deeper – that second and third generation Indian’s in the UK are searching for? That they realise their image of India is actually someone else’s stories of India. That they are not sure which idea of India they connect to. That many beliefs they have been brought up with and assumed to live seem lost in their understanding and experience of the world – that in some way their ‘Indian culture’ doesn’t really fit in their world. This isn’t just a question of which cricket team they support or whether they are up on Bollywood films or celebrating festivals. It goes further. It goes to their values and self image. Their home (and mine) is the UK. We are very comfortable about that. There is, however, a subtle aspect of their identity that seeks grounding. That the second/third hand stories are not quite enough. That the next time they visit India should be more than to shop for their wedding clothes. How far these thoughts run through the diverse Indian diaspora is open to debate.

I’d like to close with some questions for yourself, your family and your friends.  What is or was the relationship your parents or grandparents have or had with India? How would you describe and define your relationship with India? What is the relationship you would like your grandchildren to have with India?  And finally, how do we collectively or individually bring about this relationship?