FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) by Germans

Background:- Germany is undoubtedly known for its quality of research and training. In general, I found German society very curious about every field it encounters with. This behavior enables them to dig into the depth of the source, they get the information from. The most favored source of information are Documentaries telecast on BBC, National Geographic etc. They deliver precise knowledge about a topic in a short span of time however those curious minds raise questions within, which remain unanswered. These unsolved queries get mixed up in such minds and build up a perception about the topic.

         During Summers of 2013, I was a part of the training program conducted for Master students of our Institute. It was about "Role of Remote Sensing in Glaciology." After dinner, few folks suggested to meet up at the Lounge . Despite I only shared smiles with most of them during the training, I agreed to join them. I was quite shy to proceed towards someone and talk. But being the only International student in the group, that too from India, made some curious minds approach me. One folk asked me to have a beer. His name was Stefan. Despite my denial, he couldn't resist to appreciate the Bavarian beer and let me know what I missed to have. A girl named Anne shook her hand with me and asked everyone to sit down. Though German is the first and most spoken language of the country, they switched to English for my comfort.

However, Florian deliberately asked " Sprechen Sie Deutsch" (Do you speak German ?)
I fluently replied "  Ich kann ein bisschen Deutsch sprechen aber verstandis ist grosse Probleme. " (I can speak little bit of German but understanding is still a big problem for me. )
Julia and Kathrin high-fived me, completely astounded about my fluency. "It was just practicing of one single line" I broke their surprise.

We were discussing about a lot of things that evening.
All of sudden, Stefan stopped me. "What ? You invited 1000 people in your marriage ? Did you know everyone ? " Stefan bombarded the set of questions. Each one of them equally puzzled.
" Yes. we invited approx 1000 people. My parents and extended families invited them. That's how it is."
Kathrin intervened " I saw in the documentary that Indians spend too much on their marriages. They even borrow money and take the loans. Is that true ? How much does the marriage cost ? Who pays for the marriage ? "
I replied " Its not just a ceremony to begin a legal bond  between opposite sexes. Its a colorful celebration. It happens once in a life time. Above all, Indian wedding celebration is a demonstration of family's status in the society. We strive for maximum."

Julia asked " I had one Indian colleague three years back. He went to India for 3 weeks, got married and returned with his wife. He didn't even know his wife before. "
Florian blurted out " Was hast du gesagt ? (What did you say?) " True emotions and sudden responses often come out in your mother tongue.
He then switched to English and asked me" How come you just go to your country and get married to someone without spending no time. Unbelievable."
I laughed the way Julia asked. " In India, its a belief that marriage is not just a bond of two people but of the extended families. Families play major role in this bond and with the prior consent of both the boy and the girl, they agree to arrange it. This is often called "Arrange Marriage". In such cases, your family shortlists some girls (or families) while you are abroad. Once you are there, you visit the families and finalize one as your life partner. Quite simple" I blinked. ;)
Kathrin praised my explanation.

Anne was patiently listening to our conversation. She then stepped in " I heard that you live with your parents after marriage."
"What's wrong in that !" a thought generated by neurons in my mind, as a response to her question.
 "Yes, of course, we try to live with them if the career choices allow us to do so. But a couple of decades before, all generations lived together under one roof. Its a cultural belief to live united." I responsibly responded.

Kathrin curiously asked " Do the women even share the kitchen ? "  Somewhere down the line, women across the world think of a similar way.
I replied with a smile" Yes, that's what we call family system. Though hardly any system works perfectly in India, the family system always rocks. "
Everyone chuckled.

At the end of the conversation, the table was full of emptied bottles of Bavarian beer. Germans are proud of their beer and its the part of their culture. I am proud of India and its culture. It is well deserved to spread across the world. I was privileged to spread it on my own way and hope to be like the undesignated "Indian Ambassador to the Rest of the World."