Predictions & Predications: #MoreIndianThanYouThink

Predictions & Predications: #MoreIndianThanYouThink

You may also be able to predict what’s next and then have the flexibility to evolve.”— Marc Benioff.

We Indians have a tendency to predict and predicate about things, situations, conditions and people. That’s the reason we have astrologers, fortune tellers and soothsayers in abundance. Indian children have to face such predictions and predications about their future during their growing days, not only from the elders of the family but also from the innumerable people around. As a child, I was quite inactive and lazy (of course, physically), and that was the reason behind my relatives predicting or rather predicating my future as a dull, fat, lazy and clumsy grown-up. As a teenager, I was a complete disappointment  for my mom who was a great fan of [highlight]P.T. Usha[/highlight]. I remember her catching each-and-every news related to Usha during 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She even kept a fast for her victory. When Usha lost that Bronze by 1/100th of a second margin, my Mom couldn’t bear that heartbreak and literally cried for hours.

predictions P.T. Usha
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I was a disappointment because I couldn’t run like P.T. Usha or Shiney Abraham, neither could I play tennis like Steffi Graf. So I was useless for my mom who was a strong lady. She still is at the age of 64 and can give complex to all the young girls including her granddaughters when it comes to strength, zeal and vigor. She can walk miles and step up to a 1,000 stairs when she has to go to a pilgrimage. She can cook for hours and can run a whole household single-handedly with perfection. Today, when she watches Indian girls like Sakshi Malik, P.V. Sindhu or Deepa Karmarkar shinning and winning medals for India, she feels #MoreIndianThanYouThink as if she herself has achieved those laurels.

PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik, Dipa Karmarkar
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As I didn’t like to run or play so was not of any worth and invited those predictions and predications about me. But I proved all those predictions wrong by not turning fat when I grew up. I followed a strict diet regimen to prove those self-proclaimed astrologers (relatives) wrong. Though I was slim, I was not fit and strong but a fragile, delicate, weak girl who was proven unfit for tough tasks. So, I took the challenge seriously.

This is the true benefit when your elders are too judgmental and expect too much from you. That’s why we Indians have that morality to prove ourselves right in front of our elders. I’ve seen many people promising their mothers that they would not touch alcohol while going abroad and they keep up to their words too. This sense of morality makes us one-of-our-kind, and that’s why we are #MoreIndianThanYouThink.

And that day, I again proved all that Indian system of predictions and predications wrong. Or should I say that those predictions gave me the reason to prove up to their expectations. I performed a so-called difficult task so smoothly, thanks to my Indian clothes. (Shh! It’s a secret, else people thought that I was fit so did it!)

I traveled to United States with my husband (a merchant navy officer), to accompany him on a tanker ship in 1991. The ship was at anchorage, quite far from Seattle coastline and we had to go to the ship through a pilot boat (ferry) from the coasts.

More Indian Than You Think predictions
In the ferry amid the sea

It was my first ever experience of seeing a ship in real and I got scared when I saw the pilot ladder (rope ladder) which was used to go up to the deck when the ship was anchored in the sea. I was not the only woman on board. There were 2 ladies including a British one. All of them were clad in smart, casual western clothes— denims, dresses, tees and sneakers. But the poor me a small-town girl, had been dethroned of her royalty of wearing that luxury after getting married. I was simply dressed in my Indian salwar kameez and all the more Indian kolhapuri chhapals (slippers).

More Indian Than You Think predictions
All set to climb the pilot ladder

As expected, they initiated to step-up on the pilot ladder and I lagged behind. First of all, the (fat & furious 😛 ) captain’s wife started but failed because her jeans didn’t allow her to move her legs freely at weird angles. The British lady simply said “no” because her A-line dress didn’t allow her to try that stunt. The third one, the most zealous of them all, tried for about an hour but failed. Her snug-fit clothes didn’t permit her to conquer those hanging rope-steps.

More Indian Than You Think predictions
In front of the Norwegian ship Hermac Dawn

Then came my turn, I was badly scared. Everyone was smiling and clear predictions were being evaluated. A dainty demure, lean Indian behanji was trying to challenge those oh-so-uber-stylish strong and fit ladies. I tied my dupatta around my waist, twisted my long plait in a bun, reminisced my mom’s strong hands and angry face and started climbing. Neither my loose, flowing outfit hampered my movement nor my desi never-say-die attitude ceased my spirit. I not only stepped up and reached on the ship’s deck but also conquered my fear and low-confidence. My Indian outfit and all-the-more Indian outlook swayed away all the assumptions, presumptions, predictions and predications. The 3 ladies were later pulled on board with the help of a life-boat. Even many of the men opted for the gang-way rather than the pilot ladder because of their fitted clothes.

Sangeeta Mishra with Bergshaven foreigner predictions #MoreIndianThanYouThinkI proudly wear my India on my sleeves, always clad in my desi clothes. I feel proud watching women from across the world wearing traditional Indian outfits. It gives me a sense of belongingness towards the whole universe as Indian becomes global. I love western clothes too when my daughters and other girls wear them and look pretty. But it feels pathetic when people impose false doctrines and dress codes on women in the name of nationalism.

Every woman has the right of speech, thoughts, beliefs and dress as well. But when it comes to me, I am #MoreIndianThanYouThink in each and every aspect of my life. I think India, live India, breathe India and dress India just like this TVC of Lufthansa Airlines. Have a look and you’ll get to know how flying like a desi makes a change. 🙂


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1 comment

It’s true. Salwar-kameez give us more space to move around and bend whichever way we want. Nowadays, Lycra mix stretchable denims are a good option but ultimately it’s the attitude that matters! Nice one!??

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