‘Don't make it another India': Indian in Ireland urges cultural fit amid racism worries

Hindustan Times

5 days ago

A post by a Reddit user claiming to be an Indian expat in Ireland has sparked heated conversations around the recent instances of racist attacks. The individual in a cryptic post claimed that Indians relocating to Ireland should adjust to local Irish culture instead of trying to turn the Western country into 'another India.' An Indian's open letter to immigrants in Ireland has ignited mixed reactions on Reddit. (Representational image). (Unspalash/annamariechurch)
'Shouldn't we as migrants adjust to the culture of the country we are living in I have seen a lot of Indians trying to make the country they are living in India when they in fact left India for a reason I am not saying you should leave your culture but we should respect the culture of the country we are living in and not make it an another India,' reads a part of the post.
The Reddit user also shared a picture of an Indian passport, claiming that it shows they were born in India. The post was published by an unverified user. HT.com has not independently verified the claims.
How did social media react?
An individual posted, 'From what I have seen, I think there are two types of Indian migrants. One who understands this and acts accordingly, and the other who knows it but doesn't care and continues to do things his/her way. By that, I mean I have seen people littering on beaches, playing loud music on public transport, etc. I have never seen a well-educated foreign national do it. That's the sad part. And the latter will, of course, irritate the natives, which in turn affects the former as well.'
Another added, 'Indian people who make their home in Ireland should absolutely bring their culture with them, but you should also work to integrate with Irish society. Your kids should learn Irish in school. They should play hurling/camogie as well as cricket. Indian food producers should take stalls at Irish farmers' markets. Indian festivals should feature Irish artists as well. Don't shut yourselves off, integrate and help improve this place we call home.'
A third expressed, 'I am not Indian, but I am curious about what you mean by this? I have worked with lots of Indians for 16 years in Ireland, and I haven't met a single one who 'tried to make Ireland to be like India'. If any, I have seen the opposite: Indians enjoying the different opportunities and cultural exposure they get in Ireland.'
A fourth wrote, 'For context, I'm Irish. That being said, this is pretty much expected for any immigrant in a nation, but even then, it wouldn't really change anything. Racists will still attack people. Harassment will still happen. As far as I know, most immigrants adjust pretty well to Irish culture, a lot of people on the far right just associate cultural assimilation as complete abandonment of your culture, which is obviously idiotic.'