Ads and Stereotypes

Do you think that advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people?

Whether we like it or not, mass media and its eclectic portrayal of subjects substantially influences our perception of the world around us. In fact, advertising agencies are well aware of the incontrovertible authority of their advertisements and often this vulnerable actuality is exploited and capitalized on for the primary purpose of reaping financial gains. Stereotyping is only one of the plentitude of rhetoric employed by advertisers to appeal to their target audience and ultimately coax them towards a central product. Accordingly, sweeping generalizations are at the core of this device whereby a certain group of people is perpetually illustrated in a peculiar manner, independent of whether the depiction is accurate or not. For instance the portrayal of a male figure as the "breadwinner" juxtaposed with a quintessential stay-at-home wife looking after the children or perhaps highlighting the superiority of one race to another due to associative factors, essentially fall under the category of common stereotypes we are exposed to through mass media. 

Continual subjection to stereotypes perpetuated by media embeds in our minds a prejudice against those at the centre of the injustice and hence in my opinion, advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people. It is incorrect to primarily misconstrue reality regarding a certain group of people, however what intensifies the doing more so is when the thin line between a stereotype and practicality become blurred in societal views. Often, humour is utilized as an excuse for such falsified portrayals despite the fact that an advertisers essence of humour may not align with a considerable segment of the viewership. With mass media, the audience being reached is too diverse to please everyone through restricted depictions. However, at the same time, advertisers need to keep in mind that ideologies promulgated in advertisements can have drastic consequences on  propelling or conversely hindering the overarching societal mentality on a subject, making it crucial for advertisers to be vigilant in the process of creating advertisements. 

Nivea Print Ad Response

The print advertisement assigned to my group was a Nivea ad illuminating the brand's new moisturizer as the principal product being endorsed. The ad itself was produced as a marker celebrating, as the top-left textual component explicitly states,100 years of Nivea. 

Whilst the ad can be viewed holistically to deduce its fundamental purpose, the intricate melange of elements that elevate the advertisement are critical in regards to the cultural, social and historical insights they collectively provide.

To primarily contextualize the production of the ad, the ad is a pivotal part of Nivea India's campaign celebrating the brand's 100th anniversary. The significance of this event is emphasized by having Anushka Sharma, a renowned Indian actress, as the fresh face of the campaign. Whilst having celebrities endorse products with the aim of appealing to a greater consumer base is a common technique employed by marketers, the choice of Anushka Sharma being the central figure in this campaign is even more pronounced as it sheds light on the Indian society's standards of 'ideal' beauty. Sharma, in India, is widely admired for her naturally attractive aesthetics and more so due to her skin tone being on the lighter end of the spectrum. The Indian society, although relatively less in contemporary times, continues to be submerged in a rigid mentality whereby fair skin, as opposed to darker skin, is beauteous and therefore grandly valued. This facet of a historically embedded Indian ideology is arrested and effectually woven into the advertisement as artificial light is shone on Sharma to accentuate to the viewer her flawless fair skin, which implicitly is attributed to the Nivea body lotion. 

The advertisement also, whether deliberately or not, captures the hypocritical dimension of the aforementioned ideology as the "fair skin is beautiful" notion is applicable fundamentally to Indian women and not necessarily the men. This contrast is clearly visible in the advertisement as Sharma's male model counterpart has a considerably darker skin tone and has yet been deemed as 'product-endorsing' worthy. This aspect further reveals the unrealistic societal expectations that Indian women continually battle with, starting at a very young age. A hint at gender roles in the Indian society is also apparent in the advertisement as, according to the ad, a woman is required to alter her physical appearance to be more desirable to a man. 

Interpreting the social context of the advertisement, the intimate atmosphere established by the positioning of the models essentially cements an associative link with the body lotion and finding a partner. In fact, it may also be implied that applying Nivea's body lotion could enhance a woman's appeal in a way to attract more men. Sharma's direct eye contact with the viewer complemented by an alluring simper echoes an assurance that any woman purchasing this product would be as beautiful and attractive as Sharma, and hence capable of attracting more men. 

On a more general scale, this advertisement effectively empowers young women, as Sharma, a beautiful young woman, dominates the advertisement in the entirety despite there being a man in the ad as well. However, more specifically, Indian women who share similar traits, predominantly in terms of having light-toned skin, are incontrovertibly empowered in this commercial as these physical features contribute dramatically to Sharma being the principal focal point in an advertisement promoting exquisite, flawless skin as a result of the brand's moisturizer. Conversely, the marginalized group would perhaps be darker skinned Indian women who do not align with the illustrated beauty standards as the limelight is beamed directly on a celebrity embodying society's paradigm of Indian beauty. 

Pitch Presentation Reflection

Group: Inspire Your Desire (Shriya, Luiza and Fleur)
Product: Casio Keytar

As tasked, the central aim of our pitch was to convince Casio that our advertising agency—Inspire Your Desire—was the perfect fit to promote their new product (the Keytar) on a grand scale. In order to do so, we strategically incorporated the elements of carefully crafted appeals and persuasive techniques that underpinned and therefore propelled our pitch.

For instance, in order to enhance the ethos rhetoric, we decided that it would be effective to kick-start the presentation with an introduction to the agency and its reputation through highlighting the prestigious international awards we had been recipients of for our incredible work in the advertising field. The intended aim of this choice was to primarily lay the accolade-winning foundation of our agency whilst simultaneously canvassing a reliable/trustworthy image to the client. Complimentarily, we also introduced the concept of having The Beatles endorse the Keytar in our advertisements which again was an undercurrent of the ethos appeal as having the potential to have The Beatles in our campaign accentuated the status and reach of our agency.

The significance behind including The Beatles as opposed to any other musical group as a part of our campaign was in pertinence to the context of our pitch being in the 1980s in the United Kingdom. The Beatles were a group that had gained immense popularity during this time frame and hence were the group chosen as even the Clients would (hopefully) have been aware of their grand fan base that could potentially translate to being a segment of the consumer base of the Keytar.

In terms of relaying the principal idea itself, selective diction was employed with the purpose of evoking specific emotions in the Client subject to our presentation. For example, using connotative phrases like "I guarantee" and "we know/can" essentially conveys the charismatic conviction of the agency in the entirety whilst appealing to the logic and reason of the Client. As a team, we also formulated a slogan—"Now be a Star with your very own Keytar"— to augment to the Client the fact that the agency was already one step ahead in the planning process and would immediately proceed with the campaign were they to employ us.

In terms of the persuasive techniques whilst actually presenting the pitch, what I tried to focus chiefly on was sincerely trying to be enthusiastic about the product. I personally believe that for a presentation to be successful, demonstrating confidence in the material being presented whilst at the same time successfully communicating an idea to your audience in a engaging manner, is of utmost importance. Thus, in order to fulfill these aspects of a successful presentation, several rhetorical questions such as "Sounds hyperbolized?" and "How could we possibly do that?" were integrated to elicit a sense of curiosity in the audience and then satisfy the curiosity with the cued answer to the question. Another technique I used was to subtly, but consistently, signify the importance with which we regarded this opportunity. For example, I mentioned how Inspire Your Desire would run no parallel projects whilst in a deal with Casio as they would be our priority; this appeal would psychologically grant to them a status of superiority and how our company acknowledged this superiority.

All in all, I am very proud of how well our group worked together on this presentation as we distributed the segments equally and therefore shared the workload evenly. In regards to what I would do differently had I the chance to repeat the presentation, I would not change perhaps anything concerning the content of the presentation itself as I believe we worked hard to incorporate effectual arguments, appeals and persuasive techniques that elevated the content as a whole. However, in terms of my own presenting, I would most certainly get rid of the cue cards for the sole reason that whilst presenting I am so focused on engaging the audience through consistent direct eye contact and gestures that I often improvise my words/phrases on the spot. The cue cards that I had in hand during this presentation contained the ideas and exact phrasings that I had thought of as guidelines and hence glancing at the cue cards whilst saying something completely different utterly confused me and resulted in de-railing my thought process in the moment. In order to avoid this the next time, I would either try and prepare well enough to not have cue cards at all or if I am tentative and still feel the need to have cue cards, I would place merely key words as opposed to complete phrases/paragraphs on the cue cards.

Pantene Commercial

Love Your Hair Longer

The commercial, "Love Your Hair  Longer," promoting the benefits of Pantene Conditioner is essentially targeted at women who, as the name of the commercial suggests, experience problems regarding the growth of long  hair. 

Accordingly, the credibility of the advertisement and its central assertion is strategically cemented by deliberately employing the celebrity status of renowned actor/singer—Selena Gomez—in an effective fashion that contributes to the ethos rhetoric of persuasion. Subsequently, the fact that Gomez herself voices the statements regarding the product itself is pivotal in augmenting the authenticity of the content of the advert as it better convinces the audience of the gravity of the statements being made by celebrity Selena Gomez due to her glorious presence elevating the central message of the advert.

In terms of the pathos facet of the advertisement, the central concept thrives on appealing to the desire of women who wish to have longer hair, by accenting Gomez's perfectly set and radiating hair, which could be their own if they were to purchase the Pantene product. This illusionary play on the emotions of the audience elicits a hopeful response as the Pantene Conditioner is illustrated to be the panacea to one's hair growth problems. The use of exceptionally bright colours, specifically yellow, in the advertisement also stimulates a more positive aura in the entirety for the audience's perception, which works in favour of increasing product sales due to the optimistic connotations complimenting the advert. The psychological impact of the advert has also been critically considered as visual animations of the Pro-V formula working its way through brittle hair miraculously transforms the hair to strengthen it. Furthermore, the incessant reiteration of the formula being "new" psychologically influences how the audience absorbs the product as 'better than ever', simply due to the label of the formula being new.

The advertisement itself was released in the United States of America, however, Selena Gomez is a globally recognized figure, thus making the advertisement impactful on a global scale. Furthermore, the use of one of her greatest hits, "Hands to Myself," as the playback music of the commercial evokes a sense of familiarity in an audience, despite the fact that they may not be acquainted with Selena Gomez herself, her song is well-known, making it an effective choice to use it in the advert itself. The use of the single"Hands to Myself" also highlights the advertisement being fairly recent as this song was only released in 2015.

The final persuasive element that can also be observed in this advert is the use of logos, which is the appeal to logic and reason. Gomez iterates how the novel "pro-v" formula of the Conditioner "micro-targets weak spots" and therefore makes the hair stronger. The use of critical scientific jargon can provoke an audience regarding the argument sounding legitimate and therefore make the advert more successful. The use of impressive animations that visually display the functioning of the Conditioner to strengthen the hair also enhances the overall message of the advertisement by making good use of the structural liberties of the medium it was delivered in.

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

I write to you with the desire to convey my perspective on the argument tapped into, concerning the phenomenon of 'Text Speak' and the ostensible torment it has inflicted on teachers, in your latest issue. Whilst I do concede with some statements made within the article, in the entirety, I am afraid that I disagree with the outright condemning of social media platforms and the indirect labelling of technology oriented colloquialisms as a liability to the acquisition of Standard English.

As a student/youngster of today's generation, I find it quite unsettling how the article (falsely) reflects the youth's ineptitude to draw a line between contexts that justify the utilization of a certain nuance of English. Yes, the youth indulges in a new form of English alluded to as 'Text Speak,' however, the evidence provided to support the argument of this practice mitigating one's competency in Standard English is quite unreasonable. The article claims that children these days spend a lot of their time on "Facebook" and "Twitter" which translates to them having "limited vocabulary." As much as I have tried to comprehend this claim, I just cannot begin to absorb it merely because exposure to the World Wide Web and said platforms has perpetually been credited as for expanding our linguistic capabilities by constantly being introduced to novel words and phrases. So much so, new neologisms that have emerged from online phenomenons like 'Text Speak' are today even being legitimized by the Oxford English Dictionary. In my opinion, the English language has been subject to change throughout the of course of history. With every evolving generation comes an evolved form of the language, and for our generation technology just so happens to be the catalyst for this change.

Now, I understand how the manifestations of colloquial terminology and improper syntax and spellings may irk teachers. Nevertheless, what I do not understand is why technology is being accused as the primary reason for students' weakened awareness regarding the conventions of the English language? In fact, according to John McWhorter, a linguistics professor at Columbia University, the improper use of the rules of English is a relatively dated concept that can be traced back to several decades ago; thus, indicating that it is not purely the advent of technology that has caused this unfortunate notoriety to materialize. With all due respect, perhaps Mrs. Jordan should look into a viable solution to this problem as opposed to dismissing her students and their grammatical flaws as incorrigible. A balance needs to be struck between the exercising of the varied structures of English and I personally believe schools, where students spend a substantial amount of their time, should be a conduit to solidify this balance.

Sincerely,

Shriya Baweja

The King of Swing

By Shriya Baweja

October 12, 1984

Benny Goodman was an eminent clarinetist, bandleader and songwriter who made notable contributions to evolving music in the American society; subsequently becoming a pivotal figure in history or Jazz. He helped usher in the Swing era in the 1930s, which consequently earned him the title of— "The King of Swing."

Shriya: Thank you for being here with us today, Mr. Goodman. It truly is an honour to have you. 

Goodman: Thank you very much. I can't believe people would still want to listen to me talk at 74. 

Shriya: Well, people undeniably continue to crave your harmonious clarinet tunes. Don't you have a few concerts lined up?

Goodman: Oh yes, yes. I head to Tokyo tomorrow. I am quite excited about exploring Japan. 

Shriya: Wow, that truly is incredible. Now, may we talk a little about how it all started?

Goodman: Yes, of course. It has been a while since I have told my story. 

Shriya: So you began playing the clarinet at the age of 11. How did that happen? Were you always keen to play the clarinet?

Goodman: So one morning my father decided to take my brothers and I to the synagogue in the vicinity (in Chicago). I think they were holding free of charge music lessons or something like that. When we landed up there, the teacher decided that I was rather small and handed me a clarinet, whilst my brothers were handed a tuba and a trombone. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little annoyed. But had I made a fuss about it, I wouldn't be where I am today, would I?

Shriya: Absolutely, for today you are credited as one of the most iconic figures in the history of clarinet and Jazz music. So much so, you introduced a new language to it, the Swing. What inspired you to pursue this unconventional style?

Goodman: I'll be honest with you— really, all I wanted to do was convey my passion through my music and playing all that dull music that was existing in the 1900s was not something I enjoyed. In fact, I clearly remember my fellow bandmate, Gene Krupa saying, "If we're gonna die, Benny, let's die playing our own thing." And that was it, we decided that we would deviate from all that boring "music" and make our own. What came as a result was labelled as Swing. 

Shriya: That was quite a bold step. Were you afraid of the reception or contrarily the flack that you could potentially receive?

Goodman: Like I said, we set out on a mission of playing music that we wanted to play. Whether people liked it or not was not the utmost of our concerns. However, we were fortunate enough that our music was widely embraced by the public... at least eventually. 

Shriya: What do you mean when you say "eventually"?

Goodman: Let's put it this way, music concerts in the 1900s were mostly for the posh people in town who could afford to splurge and go sit in a theatre to admire the peaceful melodies played by an orchestra. However, when we first played our unusually upbeat music at the Carnegie Hall in 1938, along with it was coupled cheers, applauds, the snapping of fingers and the most troublesome, care-free dancing. The wealthy were disgusted by this ostensibly "rowdy" music that caused people to break into a jig in public places. It took a while, but people became accustomed to our way of playing, and dancing became a tradition at our concerts. 

Shriya: How fascinating! You were a man that broke down numerous social barriers with your confidence and courage. You also had one of the first racially integrated bands in the history of music. How did that come about?

Goodman: I said it back then, and I'll say it a thousand times if I need to. I was selling music, not prejudice.  I didn't and I still don't care about how a man or a woman looks. As long as they can play the level of mastery I want played in my band, they are in. I worked with many influential men including Charlie Christian and Teddy Wilson. The world should not be denied the talent of individuals based on their race or ethnicity. 

Shriya: I completely agree with you. You were an inspiration to musicians in the early 1900s and you continue to be one today. The finesse in your music is yet to be transcended. Thank you for taking out the time to talk to us. 

Certainly Uncertain

Growing up, I internalized the notion of being in an Identity Crisis, as much of my childhood was enmeshed in one. At the tender age of five, I was whisked away from everything familiar to me; from the place I was born in and the place I learned to call home—Canada. After living apart for almost five years due to my father’s employment in India, my parents had finally decided that it was about time our family settled down in one place and this place just so happened to be the city of Mumbai in India. Not anticipating the enormity of the move at the time, I left Canada with my little box of timbits, a big smile and not to miss out, a very strong Canadian accent. Little did I know how problematic this "foreign" twang of mine would turn out to be.

It was finally the day of my admission process to the school in our new locality; a considerably big day that shall hopefully check off the looming worry of getting into a school. After several months of hunting for apartments across almost all of Mumbai, we had finally bought our own in a building called Avalon, and the school in the vicinity was the one I was about to apply for. With almost 20 schools sprawled across the suburb, it was essential for me to get accepted to this one as it was merely a 7 minute drive from my apartment building and the less the commuting time in Mumbai, the better.

Accordingly, said process actually involved an interview with the principal. What the school desired to "interview" a 5 year old about is still beyond me. Nevertheless, my mother had prepared me well enough for this interview by asserting simply two things repeatedly: a) be polite and b) smile wide.

As we lingered at the main reception in the grand school lobby, anxiety started coming over me. My eyes frantically scanned the long queue of parents and children waiting to be interviewed by the principal.

To distract myself from the situation, I began speaking to my mother regarding our next trip back to Canada. However, in the midst of our conversation, I realized that a lot of glances were being shot my way. Was there something on my face? Had I been wearing my shirt inside out? Why were people staring at me?

"Mom, why are people looking at me weirdly?" I voiced my concern in a hushed tone.

"They are probably just reading the notice board behind you," my mother brushed it off.

But the ogling did not cease. And soon enough with the ogles came suppressed chuckling. I think I even caught a—"She speaks so strange, doesn't she?"

I was so confused and troubled by the situation.

"Can we please just go back to my old school?" I croaked as vivid memories of my teachers and friends projected themselves as fleeting images in my mind.

"I promise we will be done in no time with this interview and I am sure you will love this school!" My mother tried calming my qualms.

Finally, after almost an hour of waiting outside, we were called inside the room.

“Hello. How are you today? ” A friendly voice ricocheted as we crossed the threshold into the principal's office. 

“I am good. How are you?” I piped up before my parents had a chance to respond. The warmth in the voice had promptly made me feel at ease, being the reason I responded as I did. 

The principal's glance immediately averted from my parents to me. "Wow, she has a really strong American accent!"She exclaimed.

"I am actually Canadian but I have a few American friends too..." I began rambling on with a familiar glimmer in my eyes, before my mother intercepted me with a slight tug on my elbow.

I immediately ceased talking.

The principal looked a little taken aback, as children in India are not usually very conversational with adults and the social butterfly act coupled with my hyper demeanour, oft tended to alarm those around me. 

My parents exchanged an uncomfortable peek and laughed nervously as my embarrassed mother handed the principal a folder containing the official documentations. 

We were seated and as the principal began perusing through the papers, she paused at one point and said, "Hmm..Canadian? Interesting...Okay, well there should not really be a problem with her admission to this school. Although, I hope she can speak Hindi?” She looked askance at my parents.

"Yes ma'am, we are..um...working on it." My father at least tried to sound convincing.

The principal, not very impressed, simply bobbed her head and after scanning through a few more documents, or at least pretending to do so, monotonously drawled, "Okay then, that is it for this interview. It was great meeting you. You shall be notified by the school in a week."

As we were about to leave the office, the principal fished out a candy from her chest of drawers and held it out to me. “Would you like some candy?” she extended her hand. Having learnt never to accept anything from a stranger, I politely declined her offer with a “No, thank you.”

That seemed to be the last straw. “Of course, why did I think she would like Indian candy.” She sneered scornfully.

I never got a call back from the school. 

Bilingual Brainiacs

The article, "Bilingual Mind: Understanding how the Brain Speaks Two Languages," essentially elucidates on the complexities of the process of language acquisition. The casual conversational tone employed by the author allows the general reader to follow through the article without having to dodge labyrinths of esoteric vocabulary that would otherwise be comprehended only by psychologists or neuroscientists. Accordingly, the author sheds light on the fact that the process of attaining the fundamentals of any language culminates with the acquisition of about 50,000 words and the complimentary syntax and tenses principles of the language. I was already blown away with that statistic in the first paragraph of the article. However, what I found even more astounding was the fact that this was only the process for monolinguals. For those individuals who are bilingual/ trilingual or have knowledge of even more languages, the process of acquiring an additional language is equivalent to repeating the primary process for the complimentary number of times!

To a mono-lingual, this may sound exceedingly absurd. However, as an individual who speaks multiples languages, I find this fact even more absurd than a monolingual would! The sole reason being, I grew up speaking two language simultaneously, however I never actually reflected on how complex the process of language acquisition could have been. Nevertheless, my dilemma is quantified in the succeeding paragraphs where the author explains how the learning of two languages at a time is "work young children are not aware they are doing". This was probably why I was so oblivious to the noteworthy trait of multilingualism I possess. 

The article goes on to reveal how statistically, multilinguals outperform monolinguals at the Stroop Test due to the rapid code-switching they are accustomed to. Furthermore, potential differences in the structural development of a brain, based on language absorbing capabilities, is a wide-spread field of exploration that researchers are depending on to synthesize further analysis. While majority of the article is informational and allows the reader to comprehend the concept of bilingualism, the end of the article accents to the reader the pros and cons of bilingualism. The former comprising of rapid cognitive synthesis and stronger resistance to neurodegenerative diseases whilst the latter signifying the absence of large banks of solidified vocabulary at a younger age. 

All in all, the key ideas presented in this article unified to convey the complexities of language acquisition. Subsequently, this article certainly evoked a better sense of understanding of my own grasp over languages. To me, the acquisition of languages is an art; an art so abstract, the beauty of it lies in its abstruse intricacies. 

Thank you for reading!

P.S. Two posts in a day? I really am on a roll. 

English Emersion to English Immersion

Another day and another blogpost? Wow! The Lang and Lit course has miraculously allowed me to live my life-long dream of running a blog with more content than merely half a drafted blogpost. Quite an accomplishment really. Alors...

This particular post shall act as a medium of reflection on the short article "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan. In the article "Mother Tongue,"  the reader is introduced to the incessant conflicts Tan's Chinese mother is victim to due to her inability to eloquently converse in English. While Tan centralizes her article on the overarching mandated significance of the English language and vividly illustrates the horrid experiences her mother had to deal with as a non-native English speaker, what raises my concerns on the contrary is the pedestal that the English language has been hoisted on in today's world. I mean, it is for certain that the English language acts as a universal binding force between people of different ethnicities, however, does this interactional language possess the power to debilitate the bond prevalent in pre-existing languages of different communities? Maybe so.

To clarify where I am heading to with this post, let's take into consideration an example personal to me. Growing up, I went to elementary and middle school in the city of Mumbai in India. As mentioned in my preceding blog post, the national language of India is Hindi. One would hence expect that this is the most commonly spoken language in schools and amongst peers. However, that is completely false. In fact, the school I went to did not permit students to converse in Hindi unless it was during a Hindi lesson. The dominant language thus was English. Did I establish the fact that this was an Indian school and not an International school? Well that is how it was in majority of the schools. The emphasis laid on English strangely superseded that of on the actual national language of the country.

This mentality of English being absolutely critical for existence in this world has infested certain communities so greatly that the tribal languages are being comparatively less prioritized. Correspondingly, according to linguistsociety, there were roughly 6800 distinct languages being spoken globally in 1996 (1). Nonetheless, linguists have expressed their grave concern regarding the rapid decline of this number as more and more languages are on the verge of extinction. Some linguists have even gone as far as hypothesizing the loss of 40% of the remnant languages by the end of this century! Can there come a point where it all boils down to just 10 languages? Can you begin to fathom a world where perhaps English is the only spoken language? A world where the languages our communities once identified with crumble irreparably?

It may be true that this occurence won't unfold in the span of our lives. But the mere proposition is frightening.

Swinging back to the article itself, Tan makes a valid point about the adversities her mother encounters, however Tan herself does not bring up any points in accordance to her connection with Mandarin/Cantonese. She mentions how she speaks to her mother in "fractured" English. However, the reader is left in a cloud of ambiguity in terms of whether Tan herself spoke Mandarin/Cantonese?

I personally believe that it is so crucial to be able to speak your own language. This particular notion holds even more gravity if one is not residing in their home country as they are already in a sense detached from their culture. Thus, perhaps in the form of metaphorical compensation one must strive to learn their mother tongue. Regardless of where an individual is from, I strongly believe that one should take great pride in their roots and not try to escape them in any way.

This post turned out to be way more serious than I intended for it to be. Hence, as a feeble attempt to end on a light note~

                  What do you think about the supremacy of the English language on a global scale?

Again, if you actually made it to the end of this, congratulations!

Works cited

1. By Some Estimates, 80% of the World's Languages May Vanish within the next Century. "What Is an Endangered Language?" Linguisticsociety,org. Linguistic Society of America, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.

श्रीया बवेजा। Shriya Baweja।

The crux of my master identity indubitably rests in the title of this post, which also coincidentally happens to be my name. Having identified by Shriya Baweja for the past sixteen years of my existence, I am mightily convinced that this is the name I will be sticking to for the rest of time.

So let's break it all down.

The roots of the name Shriya can be traced back to it's Sanskrit origin. Sanskrit was essentially the principal language of Hinduism and is today eminently associated with the literary works in the sacred Hindu texts. Accordingly, in Sanskrit, the name Shriya has a range of denotations including— fortune, auspicious, talent and accomplishment. Ipso facto, Shriya is also considered another name of Goddess Lakshmi— the Hindu Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Therefore, it is safe to say that the name Shriya is very much intertwined with elements of Hinduism.

While the preceding paragraph may make it seem like Shriya, due to it's Sanskrit significance, is a rather common name in Hindu societies, that could not be farther from the truth. The fundamental reason for this is the fact that the name Shreya is deemed as the customary translation of the original Sanskrit term. However, the nuances of Sanskrit are such that despite sounding similar, both names accent different qualities. Consequently, Shriya is a very unique name in my culture. The number of birthday cards I have received with the name Shreya printed on the front? I lost count several years ago. My last name, Baweja, does not really hold much significance in terms of the literal meaning of the name. However, the Sanskrit-derived name has emerged to imply family, warmth and harmony.

To me, my first name—Shriya— connotes several powerful aspects as mentioned. Subsequently, the name also drives me to live up to it's significance. I constantly strive for accomplishment in what I put my mind to and I would like to believe that this trait is emanated from the aura of my name.

Thank you for reading!

Let's not get curried away!

Please feel free to jot down notes on how to be as Indian as possible throughout this post.

Namaste *insert folded-hands emoji* from the land of butter chicken and naan. I hope you have had a wonderful day so far. I actually have had a marvellous day. Kicking it off with my daily yoga routine, complemented by the soulful chanting of "Om" through an "Indian Yoga Tunes" CD I picked up from LuLu while shopping for spices, I truly couldn't have asked for a better start to my day. The serenity I acquired from my morning yoga was nevertheless vanquished by the brain wracking long day of math that ensued. I mean, math is probably the only productive use of time that Indians like investing in, isn't it?

Let's be real. No. Math is not the epicentre of the Indian culture. Neither are curry, elephants, snake charmers and yoga. Consequently, I may have employed a little bit of an exaggerated sardonic tone in the preceding paragraph and would thus like to clarify that none of those elements were really constituents of my morning. Actually, who am I kidding? I may have done some math today... but that is besides the point.

What I am trying to essentially zero in on is the fact that Indian culture in the entirety is gravely misconstrued in the western world. Whilst I could rant on for hours and hours regarding this topic, the predominant misinterpretation that vexes me the most is the fact that some people, for reasons I am yet grappling with, believe that Indians speak in "Indian". To keep it simple, let's put it this way: Indians speak the language Indian just as much as Americans speak American and Canadians speak Canadian. Basically, we do not speak Indian. However, I do not blame anyone for being under this illusion. I mean, I do to some extent understand where this misconception may have stemmed from. When a country is home to about 22 official languages and 13 different scripts, non-natives may have the tendency of settling the confusion by simply classifying them all as "Indian". And that is perfectly okay for no Indian expects a non-native to be acquainted with all these languages. I myself can only name perhaps 10 at the most. Nevertheless, India's principle national languages, to this day remain Hindi (not Hindu) and English. So while we may not converse in "Indian", we do on the brighter side converse in Hindi often.

Fun Facts-
#1 I can speak 4 of the 22 official languages of India.
#2 I do not eat curry every day (what a terrible Indian)
#3 I cannot tolerate spicy food (is she even Indian?)
#4 I have never seen a snake charmer in my life (definitely not Indian)

Thank you for reading!

안녕!

Moi

Hello!

My name, as you may or may not be aware of, is Shriya Baweja. Despite being born in Mississauga, Canada, growing up I have always identified as a Canadian-Indian for my true roots lie in the depths of Northern India. Needless to say, I am very proud of being associated with both these incredible countries. 

Moving on...If I were asked to describe myself as a person, I would like to have resorted to a google search of my own name, however, since I do not hold much of a celebrity status (yet), I guess google won't be of much help here. 

Nevertheless, in all seriousness, I do believe that I, like several other individuals, have a rather complex personality. Whilst simplicity is something I do excessively appreciate and admire, I just never have been somebody who epitomizes it. On the contrary, now that I reflect on my existence in the entirety, I come to realize the gravity of the myriad of personal experiences I have encountered and how they have essentially moulded me to be the person I am today. Whether for the better or the worse, I shall leave that up to others to assess. 

Before I proceed, I think it is crucial for me to solidify the fact that I am a (self-proclaimed) logophile, which if you are not familiar with, can in informal terms be expressed as a "lover of words". Although colloquial jargon is something I try to keep up with, I am much more appreciative of legitimate words and phrases. But I promise not to "hate on you" if you prefer the former to the latter. 

Apart from using big words to establish my literary capabilities (or incapabilities—perception is a game changer), I do have a few other scattered interests which include— reading, acquiring new languages, running, baking, playing the keyboard and the guitar, being sociable and trying to be humorous. My long term goals would encompass conquering the International Baccalaureate and then heading to a prestigious university to pursue medicine. Whilst I continue to explore potential career options, at present I am truly inclined towards Paediatric Surgery. 

In terms of the significance of language in our mundane lives, I believe that language is a tool we often take for granted. While language is incontrovertibly the basis of "communication", in my opinion, the importance of language exceeds just that. For instance, the identity of a tribe or a certain group of people is reflected in their language. Furthermore, language can also be classified as an asset we inherit from our ancestors; an asset that acts as a binding factor within a community. Similarly, the study of different nuances of language, ranging from visual language to literal language allows one to engage with the dynamics of different people, their thought processes and how they utilize language to convey certain messages; thereby, transforming language into a powerful device that acts as a linchpin between primary perception and comprehensive analysis. 

If you actually made it to the end of this, congratulations!

Ps- My friend Marika claims that these pictures represent me accurately.