Independence from stereotypes and symbolism

'Stereotypes can be changed in many ways', says the author

The independence of India from its British masters did not automatically translate into the idea of “One Nation, One People”. India has always been, and still remains, a country patched together like a quilt — different states, different languages, different dialects, different dressing styles, different customs, different cuisines… even different Gods. 

When I was growing up in Chandigarh in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s, stereotypes were pretty well defined. And, deeply entr­e­nched. Anybody from south of the Vindh­yas was simply a Madrasi. It was as if no other state existed in the southern half of India. Anybody from the East