how to properly write an indian character (racebent or not):
INDIA IS DIVERSE. what this should mean to you is that the culture in one state may be very different from the culture in a neighboring state. there are always similarities, but the differences are VERY important.
FOOD. like i said, india is very diverse. the food’s going to be made differently, and the popular foods will vary from state to state and even from town to town, village to village. there’s like 347454578 types of biryani, and not all parts of india like to use a lot of spice or a lot of oil. it all depends, and you need to do your research before you decide what your muse’s favorite indian dish. (the indian restraunts you see in western countries are usually,,, not all that accurate. we don’t eat butter chicken and naans everyday, but god i know some of us wish we did).
LANGUAGE. again, india is very diverse and it has a lot of languages. one of the main problems is that because of how many languages each part of india speaks, it’s hard to connect the country’s people as a whole. that means not everyone speaks hindi. in most cases, a person will speak the common language found in their particular area, and that’ll be their mother tongue. this is especially true in the more southern areas. this means you need to know where your muse’s hometown is or where their parents’ hometown is, or whatever the case may be. (let me clarify: most ppl that went through indian schooling will learn the common language in the area, hindi, and english. but if you’re a first immigrant like myself, sometimes you’ll only focus on one main language rather than two. like i know telugu, but not hindi. it all depends, but make a conscious decision when thinking about this).
RELIGION. not all indians are hindu and muslim. buddhism and jainism have a great following there, and it’s important to choose wisely here. of course, i cannot speak accurately about the latter three religions, but if you choose to have your muse be hindu, please understand that there are sects within hinduism. not everyone practices the same thing. not everyone celebrates the same holidays. do your research.
SOUTH INDIANS VS. NORTH INDIANS. this is VERY, VERY, VERY important topic. south indians and north indians can trace their ancestry to two different groups, so we have very different physical features. the most apparent one is our skin tones. south indians are generally darker. we generally celebrate holidays a little differently, but that can also be due to that person’s religion and their specific sect. marriages are different, foods are made differently. you need to look into the specifics for each particular state.
DO NOT USE LIGHT SKIN INDIAN AESTHETICS FOR SOUTH INDIANS. it is VERY disrespectful, especially taking into account how colorism is very overbearing in india and desi communities. yes there are light skin south indians and dark skin north indians, but please don’t act like you can use light skin aesthetics for a dark skinned indian. the whole problem is that we’re pressured into lightening our skin, and if we don’t, then we’re not desirable/beautiful. it’s takes a toll on all of us, so if you’re not indian, please be wary with the way you go about this. (of course there are exceptions like maybe you see a light skin indian model wearing a traditional outfit that you feel like your muse would wear, then that’s fine! bc the main focus is the clothing, not the model themselves).
DO NOT USE A NORTH INDIAN FACECLAIM FOR YOUR SOUTH INDIAN MUSE. and vice versa. it’s more problematic if you use a north indian fc for your south indian muse because south indians are seen as lower than north indians. the Ideal Indian is what people usually attribute to north indians, (we’re all told to be more like the north indians) so you’re completely supporting the erasure (when you think of india, you usually picture north indian cultures, south indians are grossly underrepresented in western media) and hate of south indians when you choose a north indian fc over a south indian fc for your south indian character.
ESTRANGED FROM THEIR CULTURE. if your muse is more estranged from indian culture, then you need to explain why and what aspects they are separated from. desi communities in western countries will be different from indians actually living in india (as with most immigrant vs native communities). take some time to find some first hand accounts from indians living in the same country your muse is. it’s okay for your muse to be estranged from their culture, it happens to many people of color, not just indians. you just have to take into account how that can affect their confidence in their own heritage and things like that.
CASTE SYSTEM. yes, i understand that it’s literally illegal for discrimination to occur based on caste, but it still happens. it’s like how discrimination based on race still happens in western countries even though it’s usually illegal in that country. frankly, not many young indians take caste into account when they make their friends (but realize that there’s still a lot of discrimination within schools, workplaces, and social areas). the caste system still holds strong when it comes to arranged marriages, but more and more young people are choosing to have inter-caste marriages, something the older generations are wary of.
STEREOTYPES. if you are not indian then it is not your place to reclaim any stereotypes. so stay away from customer service jobs and convenience store owners. of course, if your muse is smart, that’s not necessarily something that always negatively impacts indians, but be careful with the way you word certain things.
it’s very obvious when someone doesn’t do their research, so please, take your time. use multiple sources. take notes. don’t just look on wikipedia for fifteen minutes and say that’s all the info you need. india has many cultures, and many of them overlap. it’s up to you to do the research and understand how all of this affects your muse. (also, this isn’t a comprehensive list, so take that into account when you’re researching).
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