Bob

Thanks for that. The reaction of the boys seems about typical. In Bombay, when we were young and politically incorrect, and probably in other places too, Indians used to call people of this ilk ABCDs - American Born Confused Desis (the last word being Hindi for '[fellow] countrymen').

Another very common situation is one in which the emigrants adhere more closely to the 'traditions' of the homeland than the people in the homeland do.

You say:

it's a shame that their privileged upper-income life in America seems to have spoiled them for appreciating their ancestral land

Here, I feel, context is everything. I do not see why anybody, no matter what her/his ancestry, should appreciate overcrowding, intense heat, poverty and extremely dangerous water. While many in India have to live in these conditions, they are not things to be celebrated. As Shaw pointed out in Major Barbara, you may feel pity for the poor, but be pretty certain not to romanticise poverty.

The fact of the matter is that (as any UN, UNESCO, UNICEF study will point out) the median standard of living in India today is atrocious. It would be unfair to ask these children to somehow appreciate it. On the other hand, if their family is helping them to appreciate some of the highlights of Indian culture and history - whether it is the range and depth of its architecture, literature, music, performing arts, graphic arts and so on, or the fact that it is the seat of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, and is the most populous democracy in the world - then I am sure this is a good thing. It doesn't sound to me as if the children will miss out on these things to be celebrated about India. And I promise you that you do not have to enjoy visiting Bombay, or anywhere else in the country today, in order to do so.

Yes, it would be nice if they could enjoy visiting India - but then, I'm sure it would be nice if many more people enjoyed doing that - the Indian Tourism Development Board would have multiple little deaths of delight at the thought - but the fact is that the Indian experience, for anyone accustomed to living in a developed Westernised society, is 'intense' to say the least, and even traumatic for many. I do not think these children are necessarily born with any special 'coping with India' genes, and one can hardly blame them for knowing exactly where in the world they feel more comfortable, safe, relaxed and healthy.

cheer

the sunshine warrior