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Indians are not a monolith. It is a Europe sized union of diverse cultures, ethnicities and complex internal power dynamics. It is a cliche, but one that bears repeating.
In this case, you're reading her answers at face value. That's wrong. Her responses are signals, meant to identify her as part of the legacy cultured class. India's economic development has been paired with the rise of India's noveau riche. Conservative counter signalling is how legacy elites separate themselves. FOB immigrants vs 2nd Indian-Americans have similar dynamics. 2nd gen millennial/genX Indian Americans are likely kids of the legacy elite. The FOBs are the aspirational ex-peasants hoping to become the noveau riche. These groups do not get along.
Zohran is a great example. He signals a strong association to Islam. But, his family has been post-religious communists for 3 generations. Zohran's performative Islam is primarily meant to separate him from the noveau riche Muslims who are going through their 'we are actually liberal now' phase.
This writer is similar. Her last name (Kaur-Kohli) means that her parents married across cultures and religions (marathi-punjabi, hindu-sikh). You'd think she'd have lectured her own parents about their 'problematic' marriage.
If a person with a clean American / British accent tells you anything about Indian culture, feel free to ignore it in full. It's like learning about Italy from Tony Soprano. Hell, I've been away from India for half-a-decade and I'm beginning to feel under qualified to comment on the state of India. Things change very fast back home.
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