What it Means to be an Indian

For some, the thoughts come easily, dripping with patriotism or pure venom. For others, it needs hours of conversation for the words and feelings, usually buried deep or hardly ever considered, to surface. INDIA TODAY presents frank, unguarded thoughts of some of the best known -- and some totally unknown -- people across the nation who make up the fabric of India. After 50 years of Independence, this is the voice of India, a reflection of who we are. It shows how far we have come. And how far we need to go.

Interview by KALLI PURIE
Photograph by BANDEEP SINGH

RAHUL DRAVID, Fighting spirit of the Indian team

I feel secure in India. At home, we take India for granted. It is on tour that I miss the familiarity of home and you ralise you can only be at peace at home. So, sometimes, when I hear people talking about India, saying something incorrect, I feel it's important to make a point to them of what we actually are.

And no, I don't need to be a Test cricketer to feel Indian. If you get too pumped up and start saying, "I will do this for my country", you often end up doing something stupid. But the most fantastic feeling for me is when, after a match, people sometimes say, "You made us proud." I feel best then.

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