One country, two lifestyles: North v. South

March 13, 2008
Each day I have been eating lunch with my Indian colleagues and learning more about this vast country. There are regional differences between North India and South India that remind me of the rivalry between U of M and Ohio state. Indians in the south are predominantly Hindus; in the north, the Muslims are prevalent. This influences the way that women dress. In the south, almost all of the women wear saris but do not wear veils, whereas in the north, the women more often cover their heads, which I have learned is the result of thousands of years of Muslim dominance.

The foods are different, too. Rice and vegetarian fare dominate the table in the south. At lunch yesterday, we had an aromatic vegetarian spread with four varieties of fragrant rice, creamed spinach, breaded cauliflour, raw vegetables, and half a dozen containers of spicy, colorful food that tasted delicious, even though I could not identify what I was eating. In the north, wheat is the staple grain and more people eat meat, prepared from recipes inspired from the Mughlai cuisine. Northern Indians like their curries deep fried and I've been told that heart disease, diabetes, etc. is more prevalent in the Northn than in the South because of diet.

Even the names are different. Southern Indian boys traditionally take their father's last name as their first name and then represent their last name by a simple initial: Venkatasbramanian R, Sreedharun M.G., and Krishnamoorthy T. are just a few examples of South Indians I have met who use this convention. But in the North, the family names remain intact and are handed down from generation to generation.

Prevalent among everyone I've talked to is a zen-like acceptance of life's mysteries. I don't know how to put it except to quote Sreedharun, who when we discussing the Hindu/Muslim conflict shrugged his shoulders, and told me "It doesn't matter." Indians accept the existence of conflict but don't let it interfere with their daily lives.