Intelligence India

Despite everything we say about our country being backwardly progressive, apparently a lot of people in the western world think that India in general – and Indians especially – are quite bright sparks.

Here’s quite a few amusing incidents I’ve experienced/found to this effect:

Last June, I happened to sit next to an old German guy on the plane back to Frankfurt from Dubai and we got talking.
He first asked me if I was Arab (I don’t know why, a lot of people have asked me that; starting to wonder if I don’t look Indian enough) and when I said I wasn’t; and that I was from India, he only had one thing on the top of his mind:
”Ah India, you must be a computer programmer then?”

* * *

I was out at dinner with some people from work last month to bid farewell to some colleagues from Argentina. Of course, as the lot involved several colorful nationalities (we had Indian, German, Argentinean, and Spanish speaking people with us that night) the conversation undoubtedly turned towards languages and culture.
That’s when one guy asked me if Indians were supposedly good with programming because;
”Your native languages follow a grammatical structure similar to a programming syntax”

After I nearly rolled over with laughter, I began to wonder if it really could be my bad Tamil grammar that’s causing all the bugs in my programs.

* * *

The character from the comic-strip Dilbert once remarked on the intellectual ability of Indians and their suitability for outsourcing projects. As he presents his report, the first option on his list was,
“highly educated Indians who speak perfect English”

…who were of course finally not chosen because they were also quite “pricey”. :D

* * *

In the recent (2009) animated movie Monsters vs. Aliens, in the scene where the top of the US armed forces meet and realize how bad the situation really is, the US President shouts at an underling,
“We need our top scientific minds on this. Get me India on the phone!”

* * *

Apparently there’s a lot more to India then people imagine.
And if the above is any indication to go by, then I’m only too happy to be part of it.
:)

12 comments:

Jaffer said...

Hahaha... That was good ! :-D

I think Indians enjoy working on computers more and I also think it's a numbers game.

Also, I think it's the fluency in English (no matter what level) that gets the Indians ahead in the game.

A New Beginning said...

Hi,
Thats quite a feel good post:) More than anything, I think its the dedication and commitment that Indians have towards their work is what takes them places..be it communication or any other work they do. We make our nation proud of our endeavours and this indeed is a great mark of success, taking the developing towards the developed on a fast pace..though there are miles to go but it has been a progressive journey.

Mohammed Musthafa said...

hey....wow, its good to see that people have positive stereotypes about Indians...till now i thought THEY thought we were brown skinned folks with a funny accent, who were unbelievably cheap!

m said...

i was once told by my German friends that they think that most Indians are either software programmers or chess players!


whatever... i have to raise my objection to that also becoz their ideas invariably apply that all those "software programmers as well as chess players" are men as women don't come out of houses... they even believed (i think still believe) that after my phd from Germany, will go to India, marry a guy, make babies and stay inside the house!

so there is nothing for me to be happy about!

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@Jaffer
Yeah... too bad you're not one of "us" anymore
:D

@A new beginning
Miles to go it is...and its been a rewarding journey so far.

@Musthafa
Actually they still think we're brown-skinned with a funny accent - and I don't blame them either.
But the 'cheap' part they need to rethink.
:)

@Ela
Chess players? Hmm, haven't heard that one before...and you're right with the stereotypes about women at home too - ppl at work have said it too.
:)

Hey, and thx.
I'm allergic to xenophobes
:D

Jaffer said...

What was that supposed to mean ?

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@Jaffer

...that you're no longer Indian?
:D

No offense; and not that you're in any way less with computers
^_^

Gayatri Shenoy said...

Funny :) Stereotyping people can also be quite offending. And many people seem unaware of that fact.

Vinay Sharma said...

good post .. although i feel that an Indian referred as "computer programmer" is not a good sign .. :) .. it's the back office image effect ..

Vinay
http://fiercelyweird.blogspot.com/

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@Gayatri
True, but I guess it helps to take things with a pinch of salt at times...most people don't seem to have a clue what they're saying can be stereotypical.
And thx for following!
:)


@Vinay
Well its not entirely the "back office" effect...more like the "office" effect.
That and that fact that our people tend to travel all over.
Apparently a lot of companies out-source to South American countries as well...but you don't hear about Brazilians that way.

Vinay Sharma said...

hmmm .. true :)

Darshan Chande said...

Lolz.. Loved this post.. Seems as if read the bunch of cool jokes.. :P