U.S.A., February 28, 2008: (HPI Note: this is an opinion piece written by Dhruv Goel, 15, who moved from India to Texas.) Americans are frightened of India, or of what they think India is. For them, India is poor. India has no electricity. All Indians are Hindu. These are just some of the things I have heard in America. And these are just two of the many stereotypes about Indian people and about India.
Surprisingly, many people out there do not know much about our country–something that became evident to me when I moved to America and was bombarded with questions about my origins.
In five years of American schooling, I have had some interesting experiences with my classmates. Many kids ask questions that can sometimes seem ridiculous, but almost every time it seems that something or someone had influenced their incorrect view of India. Whether it was a class or a video, the point is that India is not a pauper among nations, has more than one language and does have electricity. Even though my classmates might have wrong views of India, I am glad they ask me these questions because I can quickly clear up their confusion.