These days I've got into the habit of trying to guess people's origin looking at their faces. After seeing so many people in the office, now it comes quite easily to me and I can categorize south Indians, Marathis, Punjabis and Bengalis into their respective states. North Indians are tougher but when they start talking, the task becomes easier. It's a pleasure when my guess turns out to be right.
But ironically enough, my own face does not seem to fit anywhere - people have hardly guessed my origin correctly. One of my teachers in college was surprised to hear that I was from the same district as him; he said he always thought I was a North Indian! Then when I was in Mumbai, my Telugu guesthouse-mate said I didn't look like a Kannadiga and not at all a Brahmin. I don't know what his standards were but he sounded disappointed especially on the second point. There are many who've got deceived by my hair and thought I am a Malayali and then there are others who've started talking to me in Tamil without my uttering even a word of it. Once a junior colleague of mine sent me a mail with Punjabi words and I had to convince him that my surname was indeed a South Indian one and I didn't have any trace of Punjab in me. Then very recently when I went for a walk to our terrace, one of the housemaids asked me if I was from Nepal; she was from there and she was very eager to hear the affirmative. I was sorry to disappoint her but this whole business is disappointing to me at times. Now, M told me once that our folks have their links to Iran so that's one place where I should go and try my luck I guess.
Though it's irritating to see all these numerous fairness cream ads(don't know why I get more upset with men's creams), I do believe people are increasingly judging people by their appearance. I have seen even so-called well-bred people passing such nasty remarks on people they hardly know.
But ironically enough, my own face does not seem to fit anywhere - people have hardly guessed my origin correctly. One of my teachers in college was surprised to hear that I was from the same district as him; he said he always thought I was a North Indian! Then when I was in Mumbai, my Telugu guesthouse-mate said I didn't look like a Kannadiga and not at all a Brahmin. I don't know what his standards were but he sounded disappointed especially on the second point. There are many who've got deceived by my hair and thought I am a Malayali and then there are others who've started talking to me in Tamil without my uttering even a word of it. Once a junior colleague of mine sent me a mail with Punjabi words and I had to convince him that my surname was indeed a South Indian one and I didn't have any trace of Punjab in me. Then very recently when I went for a walk to our terrace, one of the housemaids asked me if I was from Nepal; she was from there and she was very eager to hear the affirmative. I was sorry to disappoint her but this whole business is disappointing to me at times. Now, M told me once that our folks have their links to Iran so that's one place where I should go and try my luck I guess.
Though it's irritating to see all these numerous fairness cream ads(don't know why I get more upset with men's creams), I do believe people are increasingly judging people by their appearance. I have seen even so-called well-bred people passing such nasty remarks on people they hardly know.
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