An Indian

What makes a person an Indian?

According to Shirish, the combination of religion (read Hinduism), food, rituals, culture and History (read monuments), clothes, language determines this...

Does it really? A non Hindu from a state like Kerala or Goa, probably has monuments, food, language, artefact's and clothes which would be completely alien to a Hindu from Varanasi... who probably has more in common with a Nepali...

I'm searching for an answer to this because I have no such identifying labels attached to me. The label that do exist are put there by other people, so I'm an Indian to a somebody from outside of this subcontinent (they might also call me a Paki), I'm a madrasi for all north Indians (who know no difference between people from the various southern states). For people in Kerala, I'm an alien who doesn't belong...

According to Shirish, me and people who think like me should carve out a separate country if we don't identify with being Indians!!!

Is it so important to be identified by a label? The values one carries within oneself, remains irrespective of all these labels, So big deal. I'll be who I feel like being whenever I feel like...