The India(n) Origin Story

Indra Nooyi

Kamala Harris

Rishi Sunak

Laxman Narasimhan

(You can add more names to the list)

Ever wondered why do we (read: Indians) get so excited every time we see an Indian name at a global podium?

Why do we jump to claim them as one of our kind even when they are no longer true-blue, desi or ‘Indian’?

Why are we filled with an innate sense of pride and vindication at the sight of a brown skinned, Indian face leading a conglomerate, or a nation?

The answer to that lies in our primate need to belong.

When the world was young, humans lived in tribes. While there were fights and wars within and & between tribes, there was also a strong want to build filial bonds. There was an urgent need to bring people together, to create a shared sense of purpose, an identity and a reason to cut each other’s throats.

Stories united people. They gave humans a common vocabulary. A set of familiar symbols, rituals and practices that brought them together to share and celebrate them around the year. Stories led to faith, religion, communities that defined how people lived for centuries.

As humans learnt to migrate, they continued to look for people ‘like them’. Travellers, merchants, tradesmen travelled the world with people like them, or stayed in places with people who were familiar.

As civilisations grew, as people from different countries, different races crossed the seas to find a new home, they formed homogenous groups of people to live with. After all, it is easier to live with someone like you, right?

Every developed nation will have a thriving Indian community to welcome new immigrants from their country. Likewise you will find regions where people of a nation will build homes and communities. They will set up eateries. They will build markets to stock food and objects that they consume. They will celebrate their festivals. And find ways to come together as a microcosm of the countries they originate from. A home, away from home.

We want to belong. We seek to find people like us. We attract them. And we are attracted to them.

Our shared identity gives us a common story.

So, the moment we see a seemingly Indian face, we feel that natural urge to call out to the person and say he / she is one of our own.

We also want to claim them so we can say that we are part of their story! Think of educational institutions, clubs, associations who have helped sportsmen & business leaders stepping stones. C’mon, even I’m thrilled that Leena Nair is an XLRI Alumnus! I never studied there, but this is a world class institute that put my humble home town on the global education map!

To know that Ms Menon (Leena then) studied in Jamshedpur in early 90’s while I was growing up there is a thrilling connection to my origin story…you get that now?

Aligning our shared origin stories is also about vindication…"Yes! We can do it!"

Most of us feel a sense of warmth when we see people like us achieve something great, so that the world may know of ‘us’! It's almost as if, they did it just for us. That they would know of India and what Indians can do in developed countries.

You can no longer call us a developing nation! The brown skin is now standing out in all its glory.

The brown skin in a white world also finds a curious way of finding other brown skinned people. The boundaries between Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis melt. My sister-in-law & her family travel to Queens every month from New Jersey to pick up Bangladeshi (Bengali) food from there. Its soul food for them. In our trips to the US, we have eaten from Pakistani eateries & food trucks with abandon. That is as close to Pakistan and it's people I can ever get. The fact that I enjoyed Ms Marvel degrees more than any of the recent Marvel OTT series is because I could see someone like me, a brown-skinned girl don a superhero cape and mask AND own her unique story! We watched this one as a family, but more than our son, my husband & I couldn't stop gushing about the importance of Ms Marvel & its storytelling.

You see, our son is 11. He is experiencing the India(n) Origin Story differently than us who have seen this story take shape in the past 40 years. He will form his own narrative & perspective, and we have to let him grow with that.

As a storyteller, I deeply value the importance of the #OriginStory , a special kind of story that defines WHERE are you from. This story holds the key to your ancestry, lineage, legacy, bloodline, the values, customs and norms that shaped your birth and growing up. Your “Origin” is much more than the genetic DNA of your race, it is the essence of WHO you are.

The Origin Story is as much about the future as it is about the past and present. To be aware of one's origin story is about acknowledging it and paying back to it. How are our Indian-origin CEOs & Leaders building the India narrative? If you are following this story, then it is important to understand the WHY behind this growing trend too. How does having Indian CEOs help the India Story?

You & I have a chance at this India Story. Here is our chance to purge the oriental view of India as a nation of snake charmers, elephants & Maharajas! May we retell the India Story as a land of global CEOs!

So now is the time to tell our children, "Go claim your space in the world! Make India Proud!"

Let's not forget that the Origin Story is deeply personal for people. I know several people who DO NOT acknowledge their origin stories. They want nothing to do with their homes, their families, the places where they lived, grew up and studied.

A couple of weeks back, I met a bright young girl from Jharkhand. When I asked her where is she from, she replied, "It's a small place, you wouldn't know of it." It almost sounded like an apology. 22 years back when I came to Delhi, I was appalled to see that girls in my college didn't know of Jamshedpur! They said it's perhaps a small place in Rajasthan...you know, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jamshedpur?? How dare they NOT KNOW where I come from? 22 years back, I learnt to address this lack of knowledge that it is totally 'their fault' that they didn't know of a place. It took away nothing from my origin story. I won't hide. I won't be embarrassed, I won't feel unseen. I smiled at the young girl and told her the same, "It's not your fault that no one knows the name of your town. It's their fault. Now make sure they know where you are from!"

In the case of Mr Narasimhan & the other names around the world, their origin stories may not necessarily link back to India beyond a geographical tag. In some cases their parents migrated to developed nations, or they themselves moved countries in pursuit of higher education and global professions. Some may be leveraging their "India(n) Origin Story", while some others may not! Yes, some may celebrate Diwali (its a global festival now, anyway) but then, that’s about it! I think most of us know that already…but just like immigrants, travellers, nomads who travel the world seeking people they share origin stories with, we will continue to claim every other Indian-origin person as our own, whether they acknowledge it or not!

Don't feel let down if they do not acknowledge you?

Don't feel disheartened if they do not respond to your enthusiasm about the shared Origin Story.

Don't feel cheated if they do not do anything for you!

There are other ways to celebrate origin stories. And you will be surprised how easy it is!

??Do you know of a school friend who has achieved an admirable position in life?

??How about a college pal you lost in touch with?

??Do you know of a former colleague who has left the circuit to do something of her own?

??Or perhaps a cousin who you have not acknowledged in your family WhatsApp Group?

??You share your origin stories with each of them.

Take a day to seek out someone who began his / her journey with you somewhere. Listen to their story and share it with the world.

??Share your admiration, your pride or your support for the person.

??Offer help, start a new relationship, collaborate or co-create a new mission…

Find your tribe again, after all, you share your #OriginStories

On a lighter note, if you are a Starbucks loyalist like me, will your consumption increase with Mr Narasimhan at the helm of the company?

*****

Hi! I am Rituparna Ghosh , I am a Storyteller, Trainer, Consultant & Coach at Your Story Bag

I help people & businesses harness the power of Stories & Storytelling.

Think #Storytelling

Think #YourStoryBag

You can follow my #StorytellingWithRituparna across social media

To know more about my work visit Your Story Bag , or you can write to me at [email protected]