Understanding Indian Insurgencies

[Ray]

I am very "indophilic" myself and am perfectly happy with India's prom queen status, so consider this friendly advice: one step India REALLY needs to take is to grow up about criticism and differentiate between malign criticism (examples can be found in the Pakistani press, and maybe in some extremist evangelical journals), careless criticism that lazily repeats stereotypes but is not fundamentally ill-intentioned (examples abound in the mainstream press) and constructive criticism.
A certain passive-aggressive prickliness is seen in all third world countries, but wouldnt it be great if an "emerging power" pulled away from relatively childish behavior and responded with more finesse and grace?
This is meant to be constructive criticism. Honestly.

Well, I would beg to differ on the issue of India and the prom status. Since you are a Pakistani, you would understand that it is all phook. Massaging India's ego and encouraging false aura.

It is this inane idea that India is on the way to becoming a superpower and is the prom queen that veers issues from the stark reality.

The gullible, the confused and the insecure swallow it hook, line and sinker!

It is all very good to talk about 'prickly', 'passive aggressiveness', 'stereotype', 'childish behaviour', 'respond with finesse and grace' Semantics!

Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches.

I maybe wrong, but I have found that the Westernised Oriental Gentleman (who occasionally visits the homeland, gleans 'facts' from interaction with the drawing room elite circuit and then posture that they are 'in the know'), tend to exhibit traits of thinking from a westernised mindset. It endears them to the western audience, and at the same time is quite fascinating to the gawking natives and so it become fashionable. I see and hear them on the TV debates out here and find it so amusing! It is almost appear as genuine in belief as Palin seeing Russia from her window!

Of course, there will also be those who are quite knowledgeable too and yet live in foreign shores.