In nature, anything goes, and there are no judgements, and so no such thing as ‘foul’ language. In culture, however, there are judgements, and some things are acceptable and some things are not. Many things are foul and rejected.
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Every day, as I pass the houses of Bollywood superstars in the suburbs of Mumbai, I see vast crowds of tourists waiting to have a glimpse of them. They cheer. They cry. They click photographs. They return home, nourished. Are these tourists or pilgrims?
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Our memories create the filter of prejudice that distorts all that we hear. So what we hear is often not what is said.
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I would say that samosa, with its potato filling (or peas filling, for Jains who shun root vegetables), is an Indian innovation based on inputs from Central Asians, Persians, and Portuguese.
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Our icons have been reduced to ‘property’. Possessing them is more important than appreciating them. That is tragic.
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