tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13816694.post114366724958915149..comments2023-11-02T07:37:13.635-07:00Comments on Essays: Of Singhs and SikkimeseGokul Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123778610972227100noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13816694.post-1148691907748975072006-05-26T18:05:00.000-07:002006-05-26T18:05:00.000-07:00Finally got around to checking on your blog. With ...Finally got around to checking on your blog. With the hectic work it becomes nearly impossible to give serious thought to anything beyond my own shallow life. Its good to see you blogging about real issues.Vishal Groverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09976979224833068593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13816694.post-1143976381799128942006-04-02T04:13:00.000-07:002006-04-02T04:13:00.000-07:00Thats how are are different from the world - you a...Thats how are are different from the world - you and I speak different languages, have different food habits, come from very distantly related cultures, but still theres something that makes us tick. We have a sense of belongingness, to that motherland we take liberty to define in our own terms. <BR/>And this ticking together shows everywhere, even in our traffic where the cycle wala and the car wala separate only by a couple of inches, but they go on.<BR/><BR/>I am so glad to have got back in touch with you Gokul and more still about your trip to the distant lands of Sikkim. How is it to visit a Monastry? I have read about Rumtek, and wanna go to such places soon.:)Mishihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15282884420694809027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13816694.post-1143740168755789632006-03-30T09:36:00.000-08:002006-03-30T09:36:00.000-08:00@Anto: One cant dismiss nationhood as sentimentali...@Anto: One cant dismiss nationhood as sentimentality... other allegiances (religious, cultural) arent far off then. If I werent too close to my regional language or my religion, then they could be cast off too. As to creating wars, havent lives been lost in the Crusades too?<BR/>Hindi heartland was nice. these states share a common language and have similar cultures. the paddy and wheat fields in rural Bihar and UP were unexpectedly lush and beautiful. Havent seen fertile lands like Punjab anywhere before. Viewing the large expanses of the states and the dirty parts(invariably!) of every city the train pulls into in itself gives a different perspective on India.Gokul Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03123778610972227100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13816694.post-1143706192024756362006-03-30T00:09:00.000-08:002006-03-30T00:09:00.000-08:00That made for an excellent read.That made for an excellent read.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13816694.post-1143701149608969852006-03-29T22:45:00.000-08:002006-03-29T22:45:00.000-08:00During my college days, i wrote the following peic...During my college days, i wrote the following peice: http://geocities.com/anto_rocks/OnNationhood.htm And that my simple answer to National identity. Nationalism is an administrative convenience. Anything more is plain sentimentality. This false sense of identification has created too many wars. Hence i proudly say I am not a patriot. I am a Indian to the extent that my nationality serves me. A human being is above a Nation. A Nation is there to serve a man. Not the other way arround.<BR/>Btw, i am glad that you could travel to all these wonderful places. I always wanted to know how the Hindi Heartland of India feels like. The reality is i am shuttling between two south indian states: Andhra and Tamil Nadu.. :-(Ananthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13090898959915727183noreply@blogger.com