What should I be proud of??

Who are you?A rhetorical question. To the world we are Indians, and to the Indians we classify ourselves as Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali etc. etc. But this is not why we should be proud of being an Indian.Am I meant to be proud to be an Indian, when for every Gandhi, there exists a hundred Graham Staines. Sorry, not me. I wish, I was proud to be an Indian because, the tradition, the culture that we have been imbibed with since we were toddlers, are what the world is waking upto now. This is what the so called "developed country" citizens are seeking. Yet, as Indians where do we stand. How much of the values that our ancestors have painstakingly passed on to us, is reatined by us. we try and ape the west. Yet, being Indian is my identity. This why a foreigner would recognize me. When a fellow countryman asks me where I am from, I am at a loss to answer. Should I say that I am a Bengali, or that I am someone from Kolkata, Sikkim, Jaipur, Patna or Mumbai? You see I have imbibed the culture of so many places within me. I may not have succeded completely, but then....So again who am I?I am at the end of the day, proud to be me, just teh way you know me, An Indian, A bengali at heart, and god knows what in my mental state. Watch out. I am confused as to my identity. So what am I supposed to be proud of.

P.S.: Right now I cant think of anything else. stay tuned. the show shall go on.

note: taken from my old blog, which i am unable to access anymore!! - dated: 01/10/2006