INDIA'S BORROWED MODERNITY

INTRODUCTION

Suppose you walk into an interview wearing a crisp kurta and then instantly feel like you have made a mistake…

Not because you look bad – you actually look great – but the room is designed to make you feel anything that is Indian, "informal".

The irony?

KURTA is supposed to be the formal wear of this land that we are living in. But suddenly in these times a blazer which was initially designed for London winters becomes the standard for professionalism.

We go through life casually using words like "modern," "smart," "professional," "formals"… without realizing that most of these definitions weren't written by us.

Yes we have become a more advanced generation, just not on our terms…

THE PROBLEM ISN'T ENGLISH

Let's get one thing straight — I'm not against English, not against technology, and definitely not against progress.

These are tools. Powerful tools. Even if the British brought them as tools.

The problem isn't the tools at all.

The real issue is the mindset that quietly slipped in with them.

Over time, we didn't just pick up the tools —

we accidentally installed the entire operating system of another culture.

And now, without even noticing, this is how we think:

• "Professional" automatically means Western.

• "Formals" basically means clothes designed for countries with real winters.

• "Modern thinking" somehow means sounding less like yourself.

• "Traditional" gets reduced to "the old stuff we take out once a year" — like traditional clothes worn at school functions, never in a job interview.

We use modern tools, but we judge ourselves with someone else's definitions.

And slowly, we have started living in a version of "India" that feels more copied than created.

That's the real problem — not the language, not the technology, but the invisible defaults shaping the way we dress, behave, work, and even imagine success.

THE DAILY-LIFE GLITCHES WE DON'T EVEN NOTICE

Lets glance over our lives..

We wear blazers in 35-45 degrees, just to look "professional,"

because HR apparently still believes professionalism grows only in cold climates.

How speaking fluent Hindi feels "less impressive",

but saying literally anything in English automatically makes you sound smarter — even if the sentence makes no sense.

Or how ordering pasta in a café feels "classy",

but asking for poha is suddenly "cheap" or "too local."

Or that thing where listening to English pop makes you seem "cool,"

but the moment you vibe to Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi or Marathi music,people act like your taste suddenly dropped in ranking.

None of this is our fault — it's just the default we inherited.

A default where "cool," "smart," "modern," and "professional"

were all quietly mapped to "Western."

And worst part?

We don't even question it anymore.

We just adapt, adjust, fit in — like it's all normal.

REWRITING OUR DEFAULTS

Okay, so we've seen the problem. Now, what can we actually do about it?

1. Own your tools, don't let them own you

Use English, use tech, use Western ideas — but decide for yourself when and how.

Don't change your identity or per se indigeneity to fit someone else's definition of "smart" or "modern."

2. Redefine "professional" for India

A kurta, or even smart casual Indian cloth can be professional …

Start normalizing it in internships, offices, colleges. Lead by example- professionalism doesn't have to look Western.

3. Celebrate local without apology

Wear your culture with pride. And when I say that not only clothes but music, dishes, cinema, every small aspect of life.

Stop feeling "less modern" for doing it.

4. Question the defaults

Whenever someone says "this is how modern people do it," ask —

Is it actually better, or just Western?

Can it work differently here? Can it work better here? Maybe the Indian way.

5. Blend the best of both worlds

Modernization isn't Westernization.

English, tech, global ideas — keep them.

Indian culture, local habits, traditional thinking — keep them too.

The future is both.

CONCLUSION

This article is inspired by J Sai Deepak's India That Is Bharat, a book that opened my eyes to how much of what we call "modern" today isn't actually ours — it's inherited defaults we never chose.

But we don't have to keep running that old code.

We can celebrate our culture without apology, use modern tools without losing ourselves, and build a version that truly works for us Indians.

Being modern isn't about copying the world.

It's about being proud of who you are, owning your identity and culture, and being confident enough to shape the future in the way you want.