India is a country with vast diversity in every aspect. With a population of 1.37 billion people residing in our country, having so much uniqueness, there are many hidden, unknown facts here. Let me introduce you to some of the most underrated uniques things in India.
1.Youth
It’s no surprise that youth and teenagers, in general, are very misunderstood in India (or globally). We are often either treated as just kids or assumed to be useless, spoilt and rude brats. Contrary to popular believes we are capable of much more than just Facebook, Whatsapp and downloading trendy and sometimes irrelevant applications on our smartphones. No one can deny that the youth of today is a lot more proactive, informed and driven than aeons. Youth rallies, candle marches, protests and campaigns – we’ve done it all. Social media itself has been the catalyst that mobilised youth for good causes and made us more aware. The least we could get is to be spared of the stereotype that has been enforced upon us. I assure you that not all of us is how we are portrayed in Gumrah on Channel[V].
2.Women’s Sports Teams
This one’s a huge bummer. Although we call ourselves progressive individuals of a rapidly rising nation who are working towards gender equality and whatsoever, have you ever paused and thought about how unappreciated our sportswomen are? I’m not talking about Sania Mirza, Mary Kom or Saina Nehwal – these women are great. We are happy that they are recognised for their talents and capabilities. However, how many cricket fans bought tickets to the women’s cricket match? Or did you even catch it on television? Don’t tell me you didn’t know they exist. While the men’s cricket matches for the ICC World Cup T20 in India were a complete sell-out, the stadium didn’t look the same for the women’s matches. We don’t see them in magazines and advertisements either. It is high time that we give them equal recognition and appreciation for their hard work and talent.
3.Sports (other than cricket)
Football, Rugby, Water Polo, Basketball, Wrestling, Table Tennis, Athletics – these exist too. We need to clear our Cricket-fogged glasses sometimes and look at other sports that are seriously underrated in India. It’s not wrong to have a favourite national sport. However, it’s not right to neglect all the others as well. Not only that, but we are also limiting the opportunities for aspiring sports personalities who want to pursue sports other than cricket. Upholding one sport and underrating another does not show the progressiveness of our country. So have your favourites, but support all games.
4. Domestic Destinations
All of us have that one relative who continually talks about their foreign trips and plans – Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Switzerland… you name it. There’s rarely a place in the world that has been left untouched by us Indians. However, there are many beautiful sites in our land that are less explored. Try Google-ing ‘Ziro Valley – Arunachal Pradesh’, ‘Bangaram Island – Lakshadweep’ or ‘Yousmarg – Jammu & Kashmir’. All of these are 100% Indian and 1000% worth travelling. Unfortunately, we are busy exploring the world and not our country, and thus these places remain in the underrated list.
5. Indian Parents
We all might think that our Indian parents are a little too intrusive, naggy and orthodox. They might come off as annoying or seem to get the wrong end of the stick sometimes, but I think Indian parents might be one of the best parents in the world. How much ever you hate it, they always seem to have a safety net and shelter for you from the evils of the world (even if you are in your 20s or 40s), which is entirely different in the west. You rarely see children moving out of their parent’s house until they are married in India. As soapy as it sounds, Indian parents impart values to their children from a very young age. It helps us when we get older and make us the virtuous individuals that India is praised for.
6. Humour
Let’s face it – we Indians get butt-hurt a little too quickly sometimes. Of course, we laugh at ourselves from time to time, Russel Peters has a substantial Indian fan base, but at other times it gets too much. We get annoyed when India loses a cricket match or if someone says something slightly offensive about Salman Khan. Maybe there’s a reason why comedy roasts on Indian Television don’t happen that often.
