doublethink

The other day I was at a friend’s place. I was asked to entertain myself on my own for some time as my friend was on a call. And the germ of this post was sown inadverntently at that very moment. No, it did not happen because ‘empty mind thought intelligently’ but because of observation that in spite of my friend’s impeccable English I did not hear a single English word in her conversation with her brother. And on extending this exciting revealation as a flashback to my more than an year stay now in Germany, I was thrilled to recount many instances when I did not hear any English word being used by my German friends in their conversation, unless they felt guilty of letting me feel left out. And, then I was at a newer understanding of ‘being Indians’. Indian is a generalised category and here I speak only of ‘we typical’ English educated middle-class. I also must confess here that my understanding here is limited to northerners and easterners, but blinded by flashing success of the IT h...