More Indian Than You Think

I browse the net and see the world
At home in bed as I lie curled
I hug the world through my Facebook
Through tweets I let them watch my nook
Whatsapp to know what’s up and on
I Instagram through night and morn
I travel far before you blink
Yet I’m more Indian than you think!

I have Sushi, love German beer
Food pairing though isn’t so clear
Brazilian coffee makes me swoon
Wines red and white are such a boon
Whisky, whiskey, vodka, and rum
From jars or kegs or oak-made drum
The world through food and drink do link
Yet I’m more Indian than you think!

Sonnets and haikus and free verse
Syllabic, iambic or simply terse
I love their rhymes, rhythm, and beat
As I read them all in India’s heat
Long ones, short ones, even tweet rhymes
And all those sung in choir chimes
These foreign forms too make me think
Yet I’m more Indian than you think!

Norse myths, Greek Gods, and Roman greats
And witches, demons and the Fates
Myths and stories and fables too
Give me a vision that is new
As slowly, bit by bit they show
That we are one from bow to bow
I love all cultures – blue or pink
Yet I’m more Indian than you think!

I use a fork and chopsticks too
And learned to dance just like you do
A hug, nose-rub, hand-shake or bow
A bit of history and some now
A handsome mix, I’d say, is mine
And this is what makes me feel fine
Oh! I also yodel and wink
Yet I’m more Indian than you think!

Red sea, Dead sea, and Northern lights
And the views from the Andes heights
Spree to Tigris, Yarra to Nile
With cities around like a file
And homes on stilts or even trees
Or carved in rocks or ice-like freeze
I love every edge, every brink
Yet I’m more Indian than you think!

With Guten Tag, I start my day
Meet Ciao and halo on the way
Words and phrases from here and there
And what I speak is now world fare
Words tend to move beyond all walls
And place us all in massive halls
Thus we know how alike we think
Am I more Indian than you think?

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#MoreIndianThanYouThink

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More Indian Than You Think – a poem

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Arvind Passey
23 April 2017