You think you left the social class system back home, when you left India? Think again!

Perhaps, classes are part of our social life. May be this is how society works – one group of people trying to put down the other group while struggling to prove its own superiority.

The Indian society in the foreign lands has its own social classes, its own divisions. From outside, these divisions are not very visible, not very noticeable. This should come as a no surprise to those who have lived abroad amongst other Indians. You may see these partitions less if you are very isolated from rest of the Indian society overseas.

These classes are not based on your last name, cast or creed. Rather, the division is based on your social acceptance among the Indian diaspora. This somewhat hidden division is less visible an outsider – those who are not Indians or not a part of Indian community.

These classes or groups have their own way of looking across this social division. The locals – those who grow up abroad among the foreign culture, have their derogatory term for these new comers: FOBs. Similarly, first generation desis and these new-comers have their own name for the local Indians – ABCD. By end of the day, it boils down to how you look across the pond.

The ABCD:
This class or subgroup comes from the westernized desi society, mainly the second generation of Indians. This social group is much more in-tune with the local (the foreign adopted country) ways of living – their language, the slang and the dress-code follows the local trends. Their life-style is less desi or Indian, and much closer to the western ways of life.

This self-styled ‘cool’ group of Indians is mostly born and raised abroad. They are much more adapted to the society of the adopted country and the local ways of life. They often have a social circle of their own. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: abcd, abroad, Culture, Desi, diaspora, fob, india abroad, Living Abroad, Non Resident Indian, NRI, NRIs, social class, social classes