INDIA'S GlOBAL IMAGE

Some recent issues in the news have provoked me to write on this blog. The racist attacks in Australia and Barack Obama’s version about Indians have put me in a tizzy situation. And several questions have brewed up in my mind.
What image do we Indians have globally? Why do people flock to foreign countries even after hearing about racist attacks and swine flu? Why do the very thought of India for many is a country with exotic, chaotic, and schezopherinic people.
I read a chapter in my English book. The story of a family whose sole bread earner joins Indian army and dies. In a bid to find out about her brother, his sister meets an Indian and asks him a series of questions about India. One of them was: Is India full of snakes and mosquitos? And do people in India know black magic? After reading that question I immediately turned page to see author’s name. As per my expection the author was a European (though I don’t remember the name of the author now) Somehow I feel, infact it is true that majority of people in world have a typical stereotype image about India in their mind which is:

India is a land of barbaric villagers who don’t have the basic manners of how to talk to people. Even if somehow they manage to earn a position globally, you cannot remove their superstitious nature from them.
Secondly, India is a land full of snakes and big mosuitos and diseases and bacterias. The people in India don’t know even the H of hygiene.
A lot of people who visit India are so paranoid about this typical image of the country that they don’t prefer eating or drinking anywhere. Many foreigners have myriad instances to tell about their journey in India and how they fell sick there.
I would prove this by my personal example, an incident that happened with me. It was my birthday and I was coming out of a temple carrying the box full of prasad and flowers. I saw a foreign couple waiting for an auto. I went ahead to talk to them as I was too inquisitive to know about them. After talking for a while, I came to know they were from France and were here on India tour. I told them it was my birthday and I offered them the prasad which they were reluctant to take. They thought they might get sick eating the prasad or as if I was from drug n rob gang and would rob them. (Ridiculous!)
I felt so bad about it and I wanted to give them a lecture about how disillusioned they were about Indians.
Still I see many youths opting for foreign varsities. They are ready to face racism, discrimination, alienation, mocking remarks or even physical assaults, but then also like dogs tail dont want to change. Students still flock to foreign colleges and are ready to pay any amount of money to get admission there. Lured by the money, lifestyle, and comforts many move to other countries in search of greener pastures.
Recently I’ve read many articles about personal experiences of people who faced discrimination in other countries. Perhaps this is the reason why many opt for foreign education despite of racial attacks or swine flu fear.
While Europeans, Americans or any other country, all are proud of what they are about their culture lifestyle and their country.
I remember when I attended a seminar where US ambassador (though originally from India) was advocating how a foreign varsity degree is above the degrees provided by colleges in India.
One last thing, I Is there dearth of good teachers and educational institutions in India? Why every year there is increase in VISA applications? Why youths want to any other country when they can get the same education at a less price here in their own country?