When people outside India think of Indians, I’m pretty sure they usually think of us as calm, rational, peaceful vegetarians who have a deep respect for our land and all beings that roam upon it. This always amuses me because it only proves that those living outside our borders don’t watch our news channels. They presumably rely on Instagram influencers for information, which is unfortunate because our news channels do a lot to showcase who we really are. If I were asked to describe my countrymen, the one quality I would identify as common to the majority is nonchalance. I believe it is now an intrinsic part of who we are.

There may be all kinds of reasons for why this has happened, because it must have been a slow process. Our ancestors obviously cared about a lot of things, proof of which lies all around us if we care to stop and look. And then, over centuries, that need to care started to disappear. It could be a psychological thing; a defence mechanism of sorts to protect ourselves from the trauma of dealing with everyday bureaucracy. Or maybe it’s always been a part of us, hiding just beneath the surface.