6mile’s … many more to go

People talk about being blind to color these days, it has become a very hot topic, which raises our passions, it effects each and every one of us directly or indirectly. I found colorblind cupid searching the phrase colorblind on GOOGLE. A friend of mine told me her dad was raised to dislike blacks. My Irish Family told me that people were embedded with an hatred for blacks, so that the few could exploit poor white folk to work on their farms for a thrifty amount. A lot of us see color because, the greedy few have divided us and conquered our fears, or exploited us for their selfish gain.

When I was growing up my mom always told me to be appreciative of different cultures. We never talked about race in our household. I was raised in a very orthodox traditional Indian family. Both my parents very religious, my mom and dad would celebrate our festivals in the most traditional ways, my mom would pick out auspicious dates to begins new things, they took utmost care to teach me and my brother all the traditions. She would read me folk tales that they had passed on for generations. To them our culture, language and customs mean a lot.

When I would go to my Sikh friends, I would get to eat the yummiest punjabi food ever. All of us would paint eggs for Easter. Singing Christmas carols from house to house. I still remember that Santa would come on a red fire truck and all of us would run behind him as he threw us candy and gifts. No one can beat the yummy taste of haleem during the month of Ramdan. Unconsciously, I craved for it all.

When we grow older, our parents unconsciously embed a sense of superiority, while trying to teach their kids they’re culture. Everyone, unknowingly sometimes develops a racist prejudice. No, one ever bothers to look at the negatives, which are silently swept under the carpet. How can society be so segregated on the name of caste, creed, religion and region. Why are people so afraid of losing their culture, when life provides am opportunity of enriching it. I find the concept of being friendly, but going your own way, very ironic.

When I went to school, we were taught, India is like a microcosm of the world in terms of its diversity, religion, climate, and race. The beauty and uniqueness of India is all the different unique looks and backgrounds. Indians have descended from so many different groups: White Huns, Aryans, Central Asiatics, Pathans, Mongols, Dravidians, Sumerians, Chinese, Asiatic Mongols, Greeks, Sycthians, IndoIranians, Arabs, Austaliods, and many many more. How in the world did all these people manage to mingle together ever, did they truly see the world in a way beyond what we do today. One look at the present day and you feel, like its a big farce.

The history taught to us at school has a very colonial legacy, We’re taught about Max Mueller’s Aryan Invasion Theory, about Dravidian’s and they’re highly evolved languages and culture.But, no references of the huge Persian influence on our country, the Mongol Invasions, the gradual Migration on Indo-Iranians into the country, the rich cultural intercourse with china, the kids in the north eastern states never get to learn they’re mixed Chinese heritage at school. The Indus Valley Civilization has a passing reverence. Caste and Creed are mentioned; as if they were some age old practiced ritual. Why can’t they dedicate more information about it, on how it has affected our society, these books have the power to make us ashamed of our past, at least make the precocious few rebel against what they think, is wrong. In a country where education reaches the precious few, a few pages might be all it takes.

All of us need to experience the uniqueness and beauty of different people around us. I don’t know if we and even our kids will grow to be colorblind. But, by crossing the imaginary boundaries people have created for us, we give our self’s a chance to live life, truly in color. Who wants to live in a black and white world these days, anyway.