Namaste India!
Expats show how embracing
diverse cultures can only make life richer
Renaud Palliere was born in
France, is a globe trotter and has been working in India for the last four
years as the head of internation al business at PVR Cinemas. The 43-year-old
says that though he does not practice any religion, there have been moments
when he has felt the presence of some energy which he says can only be
described as spiritual. Recently, he undertook a trip to the Vaishno Devi
temple along with Ajay and Sanjeev Bijli, the promoters of PVR Cinemas, who
visit the shrine regularly.
“I was calling out `Jai
Mata Di' to other pilgrims and was greeted in return. You felt you were part of
a greater community and it was a very positive feeling. Entering that cave in
particular was an emotional experience,“ says Renaud.
Another place where he has
had a similar encounter with an “energy“ was in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
where he went on a two-day trip into the remote parts of a desert terrain.
“Each time, the experience had something to do with being in an unfamiliar
setting and the feeling of inner peace.“
Layers of Experience
Renaud is someone who has
earned the label of a global citizen having left France 25 years ago. He has
visited every continent in the world and has stayed on for long periods in
several. For him, the idea of traveling is not to appreciate the scenery or to
visit the monuments. “The historic, artistic or touristy elements are the
superficial part of travelling.There is the deeper layer of experience, which
is about friendships and weaving a fabric of relationships with a country,“ he
adds.
The enthusiasm for
discovering new places and cultures is reflected in his efforts at drawing up a
plan to introduce expats to Bol lywood films. PVR Cinemas organises special
screenings of Hindi films with English subtitles to cater to the needs of the
community. “We also plan to soon organise Film Clubs that would help people
from other parts of the world get better exposure to Indian films,“ he says.
India has three strengths,
says Renaud: diversity, civil liberties and a significant share of educated
people. He also has a word of advice for any group that might want to impose a
particular idea of a uniform culture.
“If you stretch society too
much in any one direction or the other, it will break.“
Liav Samriz is from Israel
and reached India last year on a long holiday with his wife. He has started
taking Hindi lessons so that he can converse with rickshawwallahs and tea
vendors. He says the only way to really know a place is to interact with the
poor. “If you really want to speak to the guy on the street, you need to speak
his language. There is no point in only meeting corporate people. There are
people who come here, live in a bubble and go away.This is especially true of
those who work for embassies.“
There are many issues that
irritate him too but he says such problems exist in every country and that
India was too interesting a country to be by-passed on account of some
shortcomings. The main concern for him right now is pollution.
Another worry is that
strangers often seek to be photographed with his Spanish wife and he is
uncomfortable with the exces sive male attention. “In Madrid, we could take the
Metro even late in the night. But here she uses it only in the morn ings.“
Leslie Bartley, 22, is a
native of the US and a classmate of Liav at “Hindi Guru,“ the language in
stitute based in south Del hi. She teach es English at a government school
here. She too says that the best way to understand a society is to interact
with the common people. “This country is very generous. For instance, if you
ask someone `hey which fruit is this,' they will just hand you one.“
The most difficult part for
her is the spicy food and it sometimes leaves her homesick.“There are times
when I just want bland food.“ But that does not stop her from trying out street
food in Delhi.
Mixed Emotions
Kari Hiepko-Odermann, 40,
is a political scientist who arrived in India from Germany three years ago. She
admits to a bit of a culture shock and a few adjustment problems. The first
impression of the country, when she arrived here to join her husband, was of
hundreds of trucks honking on the Ring Road. At that point, she allowed herself
“two minutes of doubt.“ She was also yet to make sense of the wisdom passed on
to her by those who had been here before: “You are not going to change India;
India will change you.“
The cultural perspective
here, she says, was totally different from what she was used to.
“Here it is usual for
someone to break the queue. And the guy at the counter has this subconscious
dialogue going on in his mind -figuring out the person and his standing in
society. And sometimes it is okay for a person to break the queue and sometimes
it is not. In the US you just cannot break any queue.“
Another irritant is that
strangers walk up to her to get photographed with her.“Sometimes it is
annoying.But then if I saw a woman in a saree in North Dakota, I too would want
to take a picture.“
She is aware that the
streets here are not completely safe for women. A marathoner, Kari says she is
unable to train freely and is forced to depend on her husband to accompany her
while training.
She finds it hard to
repeatedly sacrifice her freedom and this has contributed to her plans of
leaving India next year. “I had a great adventure here. But I don't have many
Indian friends. At this point in life, I have my children to look after. So you
really don't have the luxury of experimenting with a new culture. Moreover, it
has got to be natural.“
Christophe Gillino, 46,
works as the executive chef with the Leela Palace in Delhi. The master chef has
worked in Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon and Portugal before coming to India.
If there ever was someone who has mastered the art of fitting in, it has to be
the chef from France. “You have to adapt to the new culture. It cannot be the
opposite. It takes me no time. I am open-minded and so adapt easily. For me
moving to India has been a piece of cake. People are helpful.It's more
difficult to go back to France now.“
There are only two problems
that test him at times.“One is the logistics, which is difficult in India. The
other is the lack of professionalism in services. You call someone today and he
will turn up three days later.“ He has learnt to work around these irritants.
By organising himself, and being willing to give people some margin. “But it
cannot be three days!“ Christophe says that being an atheist has also helped
him adjust better in new places. “Being a religious person has nothing to do
with being a good person. And if I want something, I will go and get it myself.
Religion is a need for many people and I don't need that need. I am a good
person. I know it. That's enough for me. “
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KP Narayana Kumar
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ETM27DEC15
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