India not a bundle of jokes, mind it…

kshitish dash - nalconagar
why should we react with others` remarks on our own country.are they super human beings?they are simple human beings having confused integrity.let them express their views. they will get relieved of their internal turmoil .let their statements bury inside their own filth. let us concentrate on our development. it is time to get certified by ourselves not by others.their certificates are worthless.
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M Prasad - Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
laugh at yourself before others do.
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Satz - Coimbatore
they`ve commented only about the indians and not india!! the value of india will remain as it is. we people need to look at ourselves first and then demand the respect from others. are we truly respectable?? maybe you`re preeti, but i guess most indians are not. though i appreciate your keen interest on the way indians are treated and your the way you`re concerned. people will take time to realise and it will happen at the earliest possible.
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romi - patiala
within our country we are making a mockery of each other. however, we are progressing and only performance will get us respect.
so keep your head high and keep smiling dear. we will emerge winners in the end.
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MA Huffman - Japan
don`t worry about this too much. any westerner, like myself, who has been to india or knows indians well enough to call them family would think such bigoted people as having some mental illness. the indian culture and all it embraces is a gift to the world. those that can`t appreciate it don`t deserve it.
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Howard - India
first get those 3.0 mn indian immigrants out of us, give them jobs here and same kind of life in india as they live in us and then talk.
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maureen - uk
stupid indians will never learn the art of sarcasm.
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tony - yancheng china
need a sense of humour. try listening to billy birmingham`s `` the third man`s - world series of cricket``. billy is an australian comedian. he doesent pull any punches. most people find his stuff funny, why not indians? get a sense of humour people... you are dealing with the big boys now.
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Jai - Mumbai
india needs to grow a thicker skin. most of what clarkson said was right on the money. he showed a mirror to our face and we don`t like what we see. indian trains are sewers on wheels. you can`t mask the stench no matter what you might say.
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Vivek Sarma - Chennai
good article. keep writing.
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Mike Camel - London, UK
dear preeti -

everyone finds jeremy clarkson offensive, not just you. don`t worry, it`s normal.

it is hugely counter-productive to take such jokes seriously enough to get `prickly heat` over them, as you put it. and certainly the indian government shouldn`t dignify them with a response. india has plenty enough reasons to have enough self-confidence to shrug off such completely imaginary slights.

and as an angrez who has spent years in the indian sub-continent for both work and pleasure, don`t pretend goras aren`t the butt of endless jokes, some friendly, some not so friendly. there are narrow-minded people everywhere ready to poke fun at what is unfamiliar to them, west or east.

i don`t see much `scorn` in most western focus on india these days, quite the opposite. bollywood is increasingly and amazingly popular among people with no connection to india whatsoever, indian influence in fashion and popular culture is more wide-spread than ever, indian spirituality is everywhere, from yoga in gyms to meditation classes, and the great majority of media coverage on india is very much from the `rising regional superpower` angle - perhaps too much so, to the detriment of real social ills that need facing up to.

so don`t you get your knickers in a twist now, preeti.

regards!
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Ram - Bangalore
preeti,
i read your article. i presume you have rightly pointed to india`s growth - which is mainly driven by private sector. so, it is natural that return on investment would be a windfall for those few ``rich``, especially if it self-regualted. for the ``aam admi`` it is having a ``job`` that can ``pay bills, perhaps a few outings etc``.

the point is: india`s problems are mainly driven by indian malfunctions and indian misappropriations.

yes, we had a glorious past, more glorified than most people can imagine today. it is cyclical. as a matter of fact, we might get there again. the cycle was restarted after a series of invasions from moguls, french, portuguese, british....we have had start again, and may i remind you, we made way for most if not all.

one very very known current issue is that we indians have a ``thin skin``, unable to accept our humble beginnings. with one of two successes we declare ourselves as winners and stand on victory stand, and do not want any body to misbehave - or else -. i do not suggest changing it. after all, you cannot move earth faster that it rotates, simply by jumping on it. we need many more years of peace and prosperity before we start becoming insensitive like the americans, british, europeans, australians, russians and finally antarticans!

the point is, if there is serious private partnership about erasing poverty then we can get ahead of ourselves without feeling the burden of defending our pride in ``dharmic`` way of life (high moral) or merely rely on our truly glorious past. but,of course, we could not be bothered to challenge any body who is corrupt, whether it is the traffic warden, driving license examiner, housing board official because we are in a race to beat our neighbour in showing ourselves of wealth and intellect. bottom line is `` does it matter to you if i told you, your teeth were ugly?`` or it is simply that ``i have too much time to spare for a seemingly inconsequential observation when i have to catch a moving train?`` you answer it in your next blog, but i would say do some research before that....
with best intentions and regards,
x
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Deepesh - Noida
dear users, these kind of ``blogs`` are deliberately pushed in website to attract web-traffic. you would notice that the links to these blogs have attractive faces mostly.
so please learn this trick and do not get involved with what is written above.
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BRIJ - NEWYORK
without humor life sucks,still i have believe not to make personal.talking truth is not joke dirty toilet urinating on side walks ,filthy trains and smell of awful sweat in trains and buses is not not bad joke is truth,learn from it and try to eliminate it is nothing wrong in it.preeti having so much proud in our country that we forget what is right and what need to be corrected make talibani radicals.please don,t take that i don,t respect my country i do same time what need to corrected must do it not to give chance to other to criticize us,but appreciate us.
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Vikram - Germany
an attack on our gods and culture is a peripheral issue. seldom we muster the same courage in pressing for the rights which we are entitled. this outrage makes no difference in our lives. our fate is determined by lack of probity in public life. those people who live a glass house should undress in dark.
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Indian - India
at least indians dont screw others like british did. british live by exploiting others and cheating and robbing. indians dont do it to others..
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Immanuel - Nagpur
its humour and should be treated as such. instead of this self righteousness reaction, we should work on the obvious problems our country faces, corruption, dishonesty in public life, caste and religion based fights...we definately dont have to worry about others and their comments where there is so much to worry about internally.
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Priya - Mumbai
wow, this is the biggest joke on india i have seen. people like you who can not take a joke and generalize this on all of india, thus showing us all in bad light.

if you have ever seen the shows that you refer to, you will realize that as comedians their jobs are to make fun of a variety of things and people. almost always it is satirical and never personal. the top gear episode was making fun of the hosts not india, just like they have done in other countries (including america).

you either laugh at it, or say it was not funny and do not watch it. by cribbing/crying about it, you show that (1) you have no sense of humor. (2) you are bringing further attention to this and show that india is like some taliban tribe where we get riled up over next to nothing.

i urge you preeti to stop making a mockery of india by writing such ridiculous blogposts.
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Sam - Guangzhou
you live in a country of a billion people with no decent highways, no decent sewage system, city parks closed to the public, and shocking filth and poverty and you expect people not to occasionally poke fun?
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Swati - India
everybody seems to have completely ignored the fact that our sacred gods & godesses , who are given a place of honour in our houses are being printed on swim suits and yoga mats to be trampled on by feet..we dont do it ourselves and cant allow others to do it either..we are a sensitive nation but we do not have double standards on this front..it is common in us, uk etc to print their national flags on slippers, boxers and bikini`s but that is an offence in india..as the world`s biggest democracy it is not only our responsibility to protect the right to speech & expression, which is a fundamental right but we also have to protect the religious rights of the people and stop others from offending their beliefs..i am not very religious but i am unable to understand the fascination west has with things that are sacred to us..first they come here and rave about our culture and traditions, appreciate them and then they want to parodize them..our gods or yoga or meditation are being treated as fads..om is so widely tatooed on people`s bodies..even ppl who dont really even understand its significance..i have a tatoo myself so i have nothing against ppl with tatoos..

and we indians have a highly developed sense of humour..we laugh at ourselves all the time, make fun of our situation, take obstacles lightly..otherwise we would also be following the western trend of having major meltdowns for small or no reason. instead we accept that life is hard and it goes on..
lets compare other countries-
france- if you dont know the language then your trip can be a nightmare as ppl and hospitality staff will not try to understand or help you..they pretend to not understand english and on your way out wish you a good day with a smug expression, in english! but it is a travel destination.
italy- a woman walks with her head twirling in all directions to ensure that some guy doesnt feel her up or hold her hand and corner her..but the world smiles and calls these guys studs and romeos
china- it is like india, developing and poor at the same time. they just hide their poverty better. all big hotels, companies and international airports are clubbed together and the poverty thick places are hardly ever seen by outsiders.
usa- people are rude, lazy, condescending and entitled..welfare will take care of them and their kids, why should they bother working, all they have to do is not marry-have kids and then abandon these kids in the foster system or better yet marry-have kids-divorce-marry again-adopt kids of your spouse-have your own kids-have affairs-divorce. after centuries blacks are still fighting for equal treatment here(rights have been given on paper but peoples attitudes still need to change)
uk- london is one of the filthiest places i have ever seen. it is also the place where i saw people in indian skirts and bindis on their foreheads criticizing indians. as for our immigrants? imagine if all indian immigrants in uk were to suddenly up and leave the country. it will be quite inconvenient to say the least(using the british power of gross understatement)
we not only have immigrants but we have uncounted huge numbers of refugees and illegal immigrants..half of tibet with dalai lama is here..a lot of people from nepal, afghanistan and african countries are here because they want a better and secure life..

my intention here is not to offend or insult any person, country or tradition but merely point out that there is no heaven on this earth and all countries come with their issues..our country is aware of its short comings and is trying..it will change and prosper but we have to be patient..you people forget that all these countries were never enslaved and usa, the only country that was a colony has been free for a long time..india got its freedom only half a century ago..we have to keep in mind all the different religions, we have to ensure equal rights for men, women and trnsgenders..we de-crimnalized homosexuality without any blood shed..we help our neighbours like bangladesh, nepal, afghanistan etc.. we have never initiated a war on any country..we always choose the route of diplomacy, talks and humanity..so people please stop criticizing our country just for the heck of it..and instead take some steps to change what you dont like..

being a woman i cant stop the goose bumps i get when i imagine being born in an islamic country, i shudder to think what life in africa would have been like..or if i would have the life i have, the education, the job, the lifestyle if i was born anywhere else..would my parents still be together? i know that i am a lucky person but as i said we have a great foundation of tradition, love, familial togetherness, desire to develop and lead..we will get there..every aspect counts..
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jeff - adelaide
i think sometimes people are offensive to other cultures...the great thing about the world is that we do have diversity in every part of life. at the same time though, we all need to laugh firstly at ourselves and take a joke. im australian and we have many other countries having a go about us and our failures.. we actually love indians too! and love your culture..and love beating you in cricket also!!
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Magadi - Bangalore
hello preeti,
get the house in order first before telling others that your view point is not right. we are a bunch of idiots to elect crooks as our leaders and then have the country in such a mess. every indian should be ashamed to be called as indian. what have we achieved in the last 1000 years. the country is in ruins first the muslim invaders second the british now our own people. i am not use more severe language as it is in public domain. its a shame to be called mera bharat mahan.
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Sameer Thakkar - Mumbai
aree preeti madam....let them comment. look at the reality around us and first evaluate why we are being mocked in the first place. lets change ourselves for the better good and then take a stance. just being egoistic of being indian is false nationlisam
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ali - surrey
such sarcasm is a logical reaction to such a childish, hypocritical culture. even we indians see the lies from the mouths of our politicians, the 25 years it took to report what everyone already knew about the babri and the outright dismissal of all things not indian. for such foolishness, even i am an nri (not returning indian.

stop your whining and grow up. god does not require the world to accept the worthless.
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Sarthak - Odisha
preeti, just grow up.
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Vaishnavi - Luton
sometimes india`s not funny.
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Realistic Person - Beijing
its natural to comment on something so foreign to us. so do we find others. but if you look at these comments there are some truths. dirty toilets, crowded trains, etc. the only reason i can find is poor administration, corruption, cheap politicians. also its natural to be hurt if we are commented. just for different people the degree varies.
when spoken about the truth like unhygenic condition, poor people, epidemics etc i think you can take it as a positive inspiration to change and develop.
as far as derogatory remarks/acts on others religion are concerned it is condemnable and should not be done. as far i know from chinese history india has been always a teacher to china, and in old history books india is regarded as a wonderful place with people of so much mercy and tolerance for all humans of all races and animals too. but also let me say that very few people in this world are mature enough to understand that to comment on others religion or culture is not correct. so this will happen and this has always happened in without exception.

look at history. jews were killed. muslims fight christians. i have read that many hindus were killed during muslim rule in india. this is natural. this will happen.

as far as i know indian cultural base is very advanced and sophisticated. but its not preserved properly and also its not properly presented to outside. now india has to develop and clean the internal problems so that people outside will repect india. also people outside take indian culture cheaply because they have very less or no knowledge about that. they dont care to know also. so only way i can suggest for india is to grow, develop, make it a wonderful place then people will start studying the subtlites of the culture too then they will automatically start respecting.
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Rohit - New Delhi
thats what the reality is. we are the people who grow up on there own ego which is nothing but illusion. dirty toilets, corrupt govt officials, scams, terrorist attacks, and dirty living standards. forget about west our living condition cannot be even compared with our neighbour china, singapore, malaysia. its better to accept the truth and rectify the faults then live in a false illusion. we are the people who un-necessary fight for temple or mosque from last 100 years. fight for regional dominance (like shivsena). trust me more then 50% of our country population (including metriculates) dont know if manipur, meghalya, mizoram and arunacahal pradesh are part of india for them our country ends at assam. we are such people.
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Manoj - Pune
if you have self respect others will automatically respect you too.

indians aren`t sure about their own culture and beliefs. the same folks who crave the latest western trends and technology will at the same time try to cling to myth and superstition that have long been disproven by modern scientific advances.

it`s hypocrisy like this that is fodder for the critics.

and lastly, indians as a culture need to lighten up. it`s ok to be made fun of (again points to lack of self-confidence?) without throwing a hissy fit.

we have countless stereotypes of westerners in india as well. i don`t see us or uk embassies lodging protests everytime a western caricature (sp) is made by an indian personality.

fwiw, jeremy clarkson makes routine fun of americans, australians, french etc. everyone and he in turn is on the receiving end just as many times.
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sathish - manipal
let`s not get into a state of denial. we have problems in our system that we have to set right.
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San Jose - Sharjah
the more you react to provocations, the more deep you get into the mess. in the end you gain nothing, neither for india, nor for yourself.wisdom is to refrain from writing just for the sake of it, learn to write creatively,instead of making general comments on social events.generalisations are obvious, and the obvious need not be stated.write something original.
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ramprakash - jhoonjhoonwaala
i think the photo has been clicked from right side - as the shadow is on the left side (can see on the wall)...
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sanjay - pune
people say indians have no sense of humor. i try to defend, but then humorless drones like preeti panwar turn up to remind me that indians love to get offended over the most trivial things.
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Ranga - Chennai
it is precisely because we display our intolerance to jokes done on us that we seem to be attracting more of them. let us grow up and be more tolerant and accommodating of others views (and jokes. after all a country which is held in very high esteem for its tolerance and accommodation of all religions (which is by the way non existent in other countries and much more difficult to accomplish)can surely learn also to laugh at itself and let others laugh. in our own country there are jokes about some communities and some languages. do the people impacted complain? if we aspire to become a role model for others in culture, civilization, diversity, tolerance and accommodation we must stop being sissys and also allow rushdies and taslimas to do what they cant do in their own countries.
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Reji - Bangalore
preeti, i dont know if you have ever watched top gear. this brand of humour is what makes the show tick. if you watch the show you would have know that clarkson makes fun of even the english queen. coming to the india special episode, there are lot of instances where clarkson has given india its due.. done take this too seriously please.
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Ashish - New Delhi
hahaha. you can`t be serious!! good old clarkson style humour though.. hehe.. `march of progress`.. hehehe..
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Dileep kumarGhosh - deoghar,Jharkhand
because,we bear them.we are getting help in many ways.
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