Topic started by Mani (@ 209.167.202.210) on Wed Mar 27 15:01:23 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Guys/Girls,

Tamil culture is more polluted in Tamil nadu, also with Satellite you can get all most all the garbage you get in other countries (whole family watches BayWatch these days not to mention MTV)

Tamil culture is dying already does it matters to live in Tamil Nadu any more. My opinion is it does not matter were you live these days your culture is under attack and we are going to loose our culture in the name of modernization.

Now can you think of some reasons(to preserve our culture) why NRT's (Non resident Tamils) should move back to Tamil Nadu or why they should not move back to Tamil Nadu. after all we are little bit more knowledgeable in Tamil culture than the new generation

Thanks for your thoughts

Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: Ashok (@ 12-226-20-115.client.attbi.com) on: Fri Sep 6 04:21:41
  
  >>There is definately a problem in this society, many reasons, Poverty being a huge factor, poor people are mostly disempowered people, Disempowered people feel helpless and really cannot assist others in need the fact that their is a societal problems(rape, eveteasing, disrespect to woman,) is an excellent reason for Mani to keep his children in Canada, <<
  
  Well this is a complicated issue. Like I said the likelyhood of rape in any country is about the same in terms of percentage. So the likelyhood of anyone finding thempselvesin that situation in india is about the same regardless of which country they are in. the greater issue here is the coldness shown by the people, that they stood there watching. Poverty is not the bproblem here. helplessness is not the problem here, more than likely these people were not beggers in the streets. in all likelyhood these were normal middle class/upper middle class people, as it was in a cinema theater. I am pretty sure a buch of beggers are not goig to go see a movie..
  
  >>Mani is right when he states that he cannot solve India's problems, and if you try by yourself you may not be able to either, How do you solve the poverty which is a contributing factor to crimes like this, how do you teach a "should be religious" bunch of people to respect other people. How do you empower woman in India? <<
  
  Fridge, yes it is true he might not be able to however the issue of rape should not be the reason for him not moving to india. that happens everywhere, the issue here is that people stood there watching, this is what hurts me more. For this all mani or you or me can do is teach our kids to stand up against cruelty...
  
  
• From: Shahjahan (@ netcache.spectranet.com) on: Fri Sep 6 05:05:17
  
  Mani,
  Your question has led to so many directions like giving tourism guidelines, health tips. Good!
  Well, it your right to live were you want to live. But can you avoid a kind of longing to stay in OUR land? I am an NRT, staying in Delhi for the last 12 years but still counting the days in Delhi. We can't adjust to this culture.
  It is also a fact that Tamils out of Tamilnadu are really adopting the Tamil culture than those of Tamilnadu. Same in Delhi as well. I can find such things in every place - Calcutta, Mumbai, Nagpur, Trivandrum, Bangalore (Bangalore's care is altogether different). I find from the websites the same with Chicago, NY or Pittsburg.
  But as far as NRTs are concerned, only the elite class bother about the culture etc. In Delhi there are approximately 10 to 12 lacs of Tamils (10 per cent of the population). Around 5 lacs of Tamils live in slums and slum like areas. They are not bothered about the culture or language.
  Your question is a good one. TVs - one need not go to MTV or other channels. SUN TV is more than enough to corrupt the mass. There are other few channels which are taking the times of housewifes, granmas, children. No more granma stories are told. No more street games in the evenings. Appalams or vadams are not prepared by housewife in the afternoons. Evening library-goers are rare cases. Men are glued to TVs after their daily work. Youth are dancing to tune of western culture. Pizzas and Pan Masalas have taken the place of our snacks.
  But, as Punnahai and others pointed out, it is not that much dangerous to take water or food from others. I have been travelling all these years without taking food or bottled water. (I must also mention, I decided to do so to get immuned. In your case it may not be suitable. But not that much dangerous as mentioned).
  Social set up - it is different question. Last week, rape incident has taken in place in a tran compartment in the morning time in front of fellow passengers in Mumbai. Yesterday, at 9.30 a.m. a group of maked men hijacked a bus in a busy area and looted the passengers. In Bhopal, once again Sati was enacted. One more defence scam is coming out. Economic slowdown, IT burst, unemployment...
  Inspite of all these setbacks, we are moving ahead with a hope of a bright future.
  After all one has to have hopes on his hopes.
  Coming to preserving one's culture, you can follow your culture whereever you are. But to save the culture, to enrich and to move ahead, one has to do some work among the society. This you can't do from outside. For that, there is a need of some honest souls in Tamilnadu. They must start awarness campaigns. Give voice for mother tongue. If you decide to come back to Tamilnadu with this purpose, I will be with you.
  
  
• From: fridge (@ netcach2-ctn.is.co.za) on: Fri Sep 6 05:07:30
  
  Ashok
  
  I believe that we have to teach our kids to stand up, but one has to change their approach to parenting, and relationship between married individuals as they set an example to the next generation.
  
  There is a saying, "the hand that Rocks the cradle, Rules the world", Woman have such power in their hands they should start teaching their sons how to respect woman, No, it does not mean that they will be changing the sexual orientation of their sons, just teaching them how to respect woman.
  
  
  
• From: Ashok (@ 12-226-20-115.client.attbi.com) on: Fri Sep 6 10:25:28
  
  Fridge,
  you are absolutely right. The change has to come from the family. But I think one of the major problems with a indian household is that the father usually is a very dominant figure and the mother is usually subservient. This is actually the sourse of lot of the problems. Women in india need to get educated and stand up, and demand respect from the kids and spouse. Lot of the reasons for the way that a child is moled is due to his mom/dad. This initial phase has to be in a stable and well administered familiy (sorry to make it out to seem so political, but it seems that it is a very political problem in a small scale).
  
  
• From: Mani (@ 209.167.202.210) on: Fri Sep 6 10:37:09
  
  Shahjahan,
  
  > But can you avoid a kind of longing to stay in OUR land?
  
  Yes! you correctly read my mind. I long to go back to my land, I also see a great value in passing on Tamil culture to my kids.
  
  if I move back I will put my kids in a 'powerless - hopeless - situation', things like this happen but the culture of powerlessness, hopelessness, and selfcentered society is far more dangerous. This is not the true tamil culture.
  
  Whatever happend is not typical of Tamil culture, the tamil culture I know of is Kind, hospitable, and respects women and elders. I want to teach my kids the true tamil culture; to be kind, respect elders, generosity, and the concept of extended family of relatives.
  
  please what else is good and unique to Tamil Society?
  
  
  
• From: Sugrutha (@ bgp450202bgs.avenel01.nj.comcast.net) on: Fri Sep 6 12:48:43
  
  Mani,
  
  I am posting a Rediff article by Dilip Souza on the Daravi slums.
  
  "Dharavi is no place for the squeamish. But neither is it a place for the lazy, the apathetic, the moaners. In more ways than one, this throbbing heart of Bombay is India. Also in more ways than one, it forces you to see what India could be, and what's holding it back."
  
  "It is precisely this vast combination, in our slums, of squalor, tension, enterprise and diversity -- and how they energise each other -- that I believe is utterly lost on people like Balasundaram of Santacruz (E). It is in that sense that I said earlier that Dharavi forces you to look at what is holding India back: the attitudes he typifies, the miseries that we ourselves tolerate but want to hide from visitors. But it is also in that sense that you understand, in Dharavi, what India could be. If you like, you can take that to mean the dirt and flies. But this is a place where every free square metre is an opportunity to start a business, where the children of destitute migrants from dusty Bihar backwaters study software."
  
  http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/sep/04dilip.htm
  
  Perhaps we should take the same approach when we try to look for the good and bad in TN or any other place.
  
  
• From: Mani (@ 209.167.202.210) on: Fri Sep 6 16:21:50
  
  Sugrutha,
  
  I read the article looked at the pictures, lot of memories came back. Irrespective of what the author said do you think this is something great.
  
  Use your brain guys; this is a sad, sad story of India. It did not make me proud; it made me realize how I should be thankful for all the things I have and enjoy; these people have to live like this.
  
  Sorry guys - if I came across arrogant when I said "I better stay here in Canada and try to send my kids to private school". It does sound arrogant isn’t it?
  
  I know some of them who lived in these slums; I lived in Bombay for some time too.
  
  My exact feeling is a helpless sigh.
  
  
• From: Sugrutha (@ bgp450202bgs.avenel01.nj.comcast.net) on: Fri Sep 6 19:22:20
  
  Mani,
  
  You have misunderstood the article. There is absolutely no glorifying the filth and squallor, but there is certainly glorification of the entreuprenaural and hard working attitudes. What should be lamented is the recociliation to filth. And what he says is India can go either way - to better the infrastructure or just work hard within the limited infrastructure.
  
  Of course, there is the usual arguement of 'how can you clear people and their settlements just because it is an eye-sore' ? It has its validity though. For instance, say, MMDA decides to reclaim all the land that were ertswhile waterways for rain water drainage, a lot of posh apartment buildings would have to be pulled down. Will someone who lives in luxury in a commute-convinient location like Mambalam or Anna nagar be prepared to move to an outer-suburb where the government is willing to provide alternate accommodation ? If the upper classes are willing to make such sacrifices, then the slum dwellers can also be convinced to do it.
  
  
• From: Shahjahan (@ netcache.spectranet.com) on: Sat Sep 7 05:55:01
  
  Mani,
  I agree with you. There are certain conditions which could not be justified. It is difficult to think of coming back here for people who are settled abroad. The society as a whole has changed a lot - from a helping society to a selfish one.
  There are so many reasons. We have to find out the root of these reasons. One of the main reasons is - After independence, our leaders failed to give one thing which was the most important - that is education. Even after 55 years, just now parliament has passed a bill making it compulsory upto 8th standard. Even this may not work out in reality, since most of the school dropouts are due to poverty and support needed for the family.
  At the same time, we cant deny that illiterates are atleast true to their policies. They do not cheat, corrupt as the so-called literates do. Even today, it is the village where one can find true hospitality.
  But we as people failed to elect right representatives and land in trouble. The govt policies are urban oriented, middleclass oriented. Villages are neglected lot. Whatever improvement we achieved is in the industrial sector and urban sector. Added consumerism and IT inventions changed the scenario. The market giants who found their urban market potential has come to a stagnation, now turn up to the villages. Before the villages also become corrupt, something has to be done.
  There are some geographical factors as well. It is not just Tamilnadu, in every state the condition is getting from bad to worse. I believe that there is growing awareness in this point nowadays and voluntary organisations have entered.
  Let us hope for the best.
  
  
• From: Mani (@ 209.167.202.210) on: Wed Sep 18 11:17:56
  
  City of Toronto Offical plan in Tamil
  
  http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/torontoplan/pdf/op_summary_tamil.pdf
  
  

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