By Pradip Rodrigues
Following a column I wrote last year about how inappropriate it was for South Asians holding Canadian citizenship to be ‘celebrating’ India’s Independence Day in a passionate 
display of nationalistic fervor, I received scathing rebuke from some South Asians who were offended by my reasoning. “Aren’t you proud to be an Indian?” one of them asked me. That person’s pride certainly didn’t stop him from trading his Indian citizenship. A more appropriate question to me would be, “weren’t you proud to be an Indian?” I was until about the time I made a decision to immigrate.
There are thousands of newly minted Canadians who wear the flags of their respective countries of origin on their sleeves on their national days, some wear it everyday, possibly to assuage their guilt at having abandoned the Motherland so to speak. They are the ones you will see on their respective national days strutting about, posing for cameras and brimming with pride.
I have nothing against India, the land of my ancestors. India gave me and my family plenty to be grateful for but at some level it let me down which is why I chose to leave its bosom and seek a new home in Canada. The same people who swell with pride around August 15th made a similar decision to flee India for a better life they thought Canada would or could provide. They never let their pride for India come in the way when they went to great lengths to immigrate, some lied, others came in with fake documents and even went so far as to come in as bogus refugees claiming they were not safe in India. Ofcourse many of these same people who made outrageous claims make a beeline for the Indian consulate to get visas to visit the supposedly unsafe land they fled, some of them proudly wave Indian flags on August 15th and are the kind who would accuse me of treason.
It is so ironic that new South Asian Canadian citizens celebrating India’s independence from British rule, got rid of all its symbols, notably the Queen now pledge allegiance to the same Queen of England when they become Canadian citizens and trade in their Indian passports (the country they are proud of) for shiny Canadian ones. One such Canadian told me about the role his freedom fighter grandfather played during India’s quest for independence. “Living under British rule was humiliating, nothing like living in a country ruled by your own people,” he said. Why then did he choose to leave India and come to Canada which the last time I checked was under White management? I have met a down and out Canadian redneck who told me he could never imagine life in any other country regardless how much money he was offered, such was his patriotism that he would rather be a poor Canadian than immigrate to another country and be a rich Indian, South African or Danish citizen. This redneck had deep roots and attachments to Canada and would even die for this country. How many South Asians would be willing to give their lives for either India or Canada?
To me new Canadian citizens should think carefully before participating in any visible display of patriotism toward one’s country of origin be it in sporting encounters or celebrating its freedom because we are the ones who chose to leave free India.
Mainstream Canadians watching this puzzling display of zealotry could be forgiven for mistaking new Canadians for tourists. I’ve asked one Canadian of German descent what she taught about the issue and she believed it was inappropriate (not wrong) for Canadian citizens to be celebrating national days of their motherland. “I would frankly have trouble thinking of them as “Canadian” and so would anyone,” she said.
It is all in the optics. It is hard to convince Canadians to accept new immigrants as equal partners when one has yet to get over their countries of origin. It is one thing wanting to help the poverty stricken in India, build schools or hospitals or even spend time volunteering in India. I know of hundreds of White Caucasians who’ve spent months and years in India volunteering their time to helping the poorest of the poor. How many South Asians would sacrifice their time or encourage their children to spend a gap year in India volunteering their talents to help India? To me that is true patriotism, merely waving flags and professing pride and loyalty to India from the comfort of Canada is hypocritical to say the least.
This German-Canadian for example rooted for Germany, the land of her ancestors throughout the recent FIFA World Cup but if Germany had to face-off with Canada, she’d be rooting for Canada in a heartbeat. Now how many South Asians holding Canadian passports could claim to do the same if India were to face-off against Canada in any sporting encounter or God forbid in a political or military encounter?
