Culture

As this has been by far the longest I have been outside of Bombay, before coming here, I was curious and anxious about meeting people from such a vast variety of backgrounds. But pretty much from day one onwards (aside from the shocks in terms of acads), I felt at home here. In midst of a discussion, I hardly ever felt that I was talking to persons who had lived all their lives in places other than my home city. Whatever little of the social and political views of the people I have gathered so far, seem to indicate the same mentality of liberalism I am most comfortable with. I guess that could be for two reasons :

1) Bombay is a microcosm of India, atleast urban India.

2) The students here are mostly from the same economic backgrounds - middle class or upper class (not implying any discrimination or lack of intelligence of course, just that few poor kids in India get the quality of primary education or access to the resources required to crack various entrance exams). Humans are fundamentally the same, if we consider a reasonably large group. They just respond differently to their different economic circumstances. So similar economic conditions, similar outlook.


I guess that reason 2 is the main factor. Perhaps the economic upper strata of Indian society is rather homogenous regardless of outward differences in language or religion. Perhaps the same is true of people worldwide.