An Open Letter to Shahana
Response to: http://raagshahana.blogspot.com/2011/09/open-letter-to-delhi-boy.html?spref=tw
An Open Letter to Shahana
Dear Shahana (Or as you prefer to be called, Madrasan)
Before I start this long winded treatise, allow me to clarify that I read your entire letter to the Delhi Boy, particularly the part where you threaten to shove coconuts up their posteriors if they call you the afore mentioned and in your opinion, somehow offensive “Madrasan” . On behalf of all of us from Delhi, take your best shot. I for one, see nothing wrong with the phrase and hence I see no problem in using it. If I have crossed some sort of racist boundary that exists only in your imagination, I do not apologize.
Speaking of racism, let’s talk about you for a minute. Now I am the first to say that Delhi is hardly the best place to be and clearly you have had your share of rotten experiences in our little slice of heaven. Who hasn’t? Delhi is a crazy city, a gargantuan, cacophonous modern day Tartarus that only the best of us can survive. And we do. So excuse us for being a little blasé here. But our theory is if we can do it, you, our dear neighbour from the South can do it as well.
But I digress. I’m assuming from your rant, that you spent a lot of time in the company of the rich Punjabi brats our city is so famous for. By your account, you found the attention bestowed upon you unwelcome. Others may argue that you are reacting this way because they didn’t pay you any attention at all and you are feeling a tad bitter. A few more reason that you’re a raging feminist with anger issues. That last one is probably true. Nevertheless, it remains irrelevant.
Whatever your reasons, I refrain from making excuses for the Delhi male. To your credit, most of what you say is true. The SUVs, nightclubs and v-neck t-shirts regrettably form a large part of the landscape. Chauvinism is also well and thriving although, may I point out that it’s not as much a Delhi problem as it is an Indian problem. If you are by any chance, deluded into thinking that only Northies are sexist, I invite you to take a good, long look at the intellectually superior South. I once had a Tamil Brahman tell me that ‘a woman’s place is in the kitchen since the male has been selected by nature to be more intelligent and capable’. He proceeded to quote certain scriptures to prove his point. I proceeded to shove said scriptures down his throat. This may or may not be an exclusive case. I try not to judge an entire people by one person’s behaviour. Food for thought, Shahana?
For the sake of nit picking, I’d also like to point out that your attempts at ridiculing the English of said Punjabis fall rather flat when you use the word ‘coz’ instead of ‘because’ at least six times across your post. Even mere mom-dad agree.
My protests to your post lie in other, more subtle niches that in your self righteous, volatile spew, you may have overlooked.
Your description of the average Delhi girl as scrawny and straight haired (as for the ‘fair skin’ issue, I’ll open that can of worms later) is over the top racist. You also insist on stereotyping us as dumb bimbos who drool over Fendis, Guccis, Baccis and assorted brand names. Let’s set the record straight.
We. Are. Beautiful. And we’re proud of it.
It seems to upset you, but I must ask you to deal with it in a more dignified manner rather than through childish rants. You are, after all a lady. Anyway, while we happen to be beautiful women, it doesn’t and shouldn’t call into question our intellectual capacity. If I may quote my own example, I hail from South Delhi, I am especially interested in the works of Van Gogh and Salvadore Dali, Norse Mythology, deep sea diving, the poems of Frederico Garcia Lorca and using the written word to call into question racist blog posts penned down by a woman having what appears to be ADD. In addition, I don’t ‘muah’, attend fake protests or cower to the demands of my boyfriend/ spouse.
Another thing I don’t do is judge people for being dark, or olive skinned or whatever the politically correct phrase is these days. Just because we take pride in our appearance, it does not mean we are out to attack anyone else’s. And we certainly don’t equate dark with ugly. The fact that you obviously do seems to have escaped you. Just so you know, carpet bombing my appearance (I quote: “scrawny, fair, straight hair”) because you are for some unfathomable reason uncomfortable with your own is a futile, self deluding practice. No doubt this point it somewhat wasted on you. Let’s move on.
I would urge you to prove your highly interesting hypothesis that all writers, journalists, activists and IIT aspirants are from the South. It sounds like an absolute breakthrough in eugenics. Perhaps, we Northies are due for a special reservation quota on the grounds of being intellectually impaired? We are after all on the other side of the magic line you have conveniently drawn across India deeming us unfit to be in your august company.
On another note, that part about fleeing Pakistan is a bit ridiculous, even for you. Are you under the impression that we are all Pakistanis? It shows a certain amount of ignorance on your part. Not to mention it concretizes stereotypes about people from the North that exist in the South. If I had a penny for every time a Mallu aunty told me I was a foreigner…For your convenience madam, let me put it in simple, lucid terms. We. Are. Not. From. Pakistan. The Aryan Theory has been disproved and recognized for western propaganda, dreamt up by twisted minds during World War 2. Why a self professed ‘intelligent woman’ like yourself would even touch upon the P-word is beyond my understanding. Tsk tsk.
Just to clarify, if someone wishes you ‘Happy Guru Purab’, he’s a freakshow? How does that sentence look once it’s isolated? Your words, dearie. Not mine.
Anyway, that’s pretty much all I have to say on the subject. May I advise you to go out more, perhaps meet some new people? And try not to get so hung up on attention or not enough attention, whatever the case may be. Take a page out of the Delhi girl’s book. We brush it off and move on with our lives.
May I also request you to get all your facts right before you decide to verbally sully all those unfortunate enough to be in a place that you- an individual- are not comfortable with? It would behove you, my dear Madrasan, to practice what you preach.
Cheers
South Delhi Girl from Defence Callony
PS: I’d write more but I like, totally saw these awesome Jimmy Choos that I’m like, toally gonna get my guy to empty his wallet out on. LOL :)
An Open Letter to Shahana
Dear Shahana (Or as you prefer to be called, Madrasan)
Before I start this long winded treatise, allow me to clarify that I read your entire letter to the Delhi Boy, particularly the part where you threaten to shove coconuts up their posteriors if they call you the afore mentioned and in your opinion, somehow offensive “Madrasan” . On behalf of all of us from Delhi, take your best shot. I for one, see nothing wrong with the phrase and hence I see no problem in using it. If I have crossed some sort of racist boundary that exists only in your imagination, I do not apologize.
Speaking of racism, let’s talk about you for a minute. Now I am the first to say that Delhi is hardly the best place to be and clearly you have had your share of rotten experiences in our little slice of heaven. Who hasn’t? Delhi is a crazy city, a gargantuan, cacophonous modern day Tartarus that only the best of us can survive. And we do. So excuse us for being a little blasé here. But our theory is if we can do it, you, our dear neighbour from the South can do it as well.
But I digress. I’m assuming from your rant, that you spent a lot of time in the company of the rich Punjabi brats our city is so famous for. By your account, you found the attention bestowed upon you unwelcome. Others may argue that you are reacting this way because they didn’t pay you any attention at all and you are feeling a tad bitter. A few more reason that you’re a raging feminist with anger issues. That last one is probably true. Nevertheless, it remains irrelevant.
Whatever your reasons, I refrain from making excuses for the Delhi male. To your credit, most of what you say is true. The SUVs, nightclubs and v-neck t-shirts regrettably form a large part of the landscape. Chauvinism is also well and thriving although, may I point out that it’s not as much a Delhi problem as it is an Indian problem. If you are by any chance, deluded into thinking that only Northies are sexist, I invite you to take a good, long look at the intellectually superior South. I once had a Tamil Brahman tell me that ‘a woman’s place is in the kitchen since the male has been selected by nature to be more intelligent and capable’. He proceeded to quote certain scriptures to prove his point. I proceeded to shove said scriptures down his throat. This may or may not be an exclusive case. I try not to judge an entire people by one person’s behaviour. Food for thought, Shahana?
For the sake of nit picking, I’d also like to point out that your attempts at ridiculing the English of said Punjabis fall rather flat when you use the word ‘coz’ instead of ‘because’ at least six times across your post. Even mere mom-dad agree.
My protests to your post lie in other, more subtle niches that in your self righteous, volatile spew, you may have overlooked.
Your description of the average Delhi girl as scrawny and straight haired (as for the ‘fair skin’ issue, I’ll open that can of worms later) is over the top racist. You also insist on stereotyping us as dumb bimbos who drool over Fendis, Guccis, Baccis and assorted brand names. Let’s set the record straight.
We. Are. Beautiful. And we’re proud of it.
It seems to upset you, but I must ask you to deal with it in a more dignified manner rather than through childish rants. You are, after all a lady. Anyway, while we happen to be beautiful women, it doesn’t and shouldn’t call into question our intellectual capacity. If I may quote my own example, I hail from South Delhi, I am especially interested in the works of Van Gogh and Salvadore Dali, Norse Mythology, deep sea diving, the poems of Frederico Garcia Lorca and using the written word to call into question racist blog posts penned down by a woman having what appears to be ADD. In addition, I don’t ‘muah’, attend fake protests or cower to the demands of my boyfriend/ spouse.
Another thing I don’t do is judge people for being dark, or olive skinned or whatever the politically correct phrase is these days. Just because we take pride in our appearance, it does not mean we are out to attack anyone else’s. And we certainly don’t equate dark with ugly. The fact that you obviously do seems to have escaped you. Just so you know, carpet bombing my appearance (I quote: “scrawny, fair, straight hair”) because you are for some unfathomable reason uncomfortable with your own is a futile, self deluding practice. No doubt this point it somewhat wasted on you. Let’s move on.
I would urge you to prove your highly interesting hypothesis that all writers, journalists, activists and IIT aspirants are from the South. It sounds like an absolute breakthrough in eugenics. Perhaps, we Northies are due for a special reservation quota on the grounds of being intellectually impaired? We are after all on the other side of the magic line you have conveniently drawn across India deeming us unfit to be in your august company.
On another note, that part about fleeing Pakistan is a bit ridiculous, even for you. Are you under the impression that we are all Pakistanis? It shows a certain amount of ignorance on your part. Not to mention it concretizes stereotypes about people from the North that exist in the South. If I had a penny for every time a Mallu aunty told me I was a foreigner…For your convenience madam, let me put it in simple, lucid terms. We. Are. Not. From. Pakistan. The Aryan Theory has been disproved and recognized for western propaganda, dreamt up by twisted minds during World War 2. Why a self professed ‘intelligent woman’ like yourself would even touch upon the P-word is beyond my understanding. Tsk tsk.
Just to clarify, if someone wishes you ‘Happy Guru Purab’, he’s a freakshow? How does that sentence look once it’s isolated? Your words, dearie. Not mine.
Anyway, that’s pretty much all I have to say on the subject. May I advise you to go out more, perhaps meet some new people? And try not to get so hung up on attention or not enough attention, whatever the case may be. Take a page out of the Delhi girl’s book. We brush it off and move on with our lives.
May I also request you to get all your facts right before you decide to verbally sully all those unfortunate enough to be in a place that you- an individual- are not comfortable with? It would behove you, my dear Madrasan, to practice what you preach.
Cheers
South Delhi Girl from Defence Callony
PS: I’d write more but I like, totally saw these awesome Jimmy Choos that I’m like, toally gonna get my guy to empty his wallet out on. LOL :)