This is the time for India to change. When I hear about something traditional and young generation seems suffered from these things, I feel very sorry for them. I tripped to Pune last week for attending art festival with my Taiwanese friend and met an Indian guy who was 26 years old. He was ex-colleague of my friend in Taiwan and worked with her 1.5 year there. We talked about his experiences in abroad a lot. How was the food in Taiwan and how another his colleague who was vegetarian managed each meal there or what was differences between Indian and Taiwan, and so on.. He was very open-minded person and also used to work in US. When I talked about travel around the world, he seems very excited doing the same. At the same time, not as an exception of Indians, he was very kind and came to our hotel to pick us up in the morning and dropped us at the bus station, even bought a dinner and breakfast for us. (This is actually normal way to treat a guest for them here and I do the same when I have a guest.)
I will let my child free
When we were on the way to bus station, he hesitated but asked if it would not be a problem to leave someone important during long leave in Japan. I could not get what he was trying to say then he said he is going to marry next two months. “I have seen my bride only one time in picture.” He looked very sad as I could not imagine the day before he was talking a lot like a comedian. I asked him if he could not refuse to marry but he clearly said “My parents is not so open people. I don’t have option to say no to them.” He explained marriage in India is more commitment for their family which I have heard several times even in Mumbai. Later, my friend told me he had a girlfriend but she had already got married by arranged marriage.
Some people who are same generation with me in the city have many different experiences even out of India and they have known how the another culture is. But their parents generation could still follow traditional things and force their own child to do as well. My friend said it is going to be more and more difficult for new generation to adjust to old culture. The gap has been already huge and the things young people have seen and old generation were used to see must be very different. I asked him what he will do when he has his own child in the future. “I will let them free. They should choose someone by themselves. I hope my generation will be the last following old way.” My Indian friends are around 20-30 ages. Are we going to see the change in India after 20 years? Whenever I faces such a sad story, I strongly wish it will happen in their future.
World Joining Us! 