TOP 10 Most Ridiculous Indian Stereotypes

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Recently the Indian Government announced that anyone calling people from the North East 'chinki' will be sent to jail. India is painted with various community caricatures: the chatty Gujaratis, crotchety Maharashtrians or the whimsical Parsis. Of course, people love to have a good laugh at such community stereotypes; so here's a look at what iDiva readers had to say about the most ridiculous stereotypes in India.

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Mahek Chhaya, Gujarati
“The most outrageous thing I have heard is ‘oh you are a Gujju? You guys do arararara right?’ Just because we are Gujaratis, it does not mean we go around the place chanting arararara at every instance. Ridiculing the accent Gujju people have is again a tad too much. ‘The snakes (snacks) in the hole (hall)’ joke has been done to death too. Most ethnic groups have a certain way of talking owing to their vernacular but there’s much more to us.



Karishma Tiwari, Parsi
All my friends call me a ‘mad Bawa’ and everyone thinks that my family is an eccentric group of people. While yes, generally Parsis are a little hyper, stereotyping all Parsis that way is not fair. Personally I don’t get affected at all as no one uses these words with malicious intent. It is all in good humour!



Shruti Menon, Malayali
As soon as I mention my name, all the pre-conceived notions and jokes follow. Right from calling me ‘Lola Kutty’ (of Channel [V] fame) to imitating the South Indian accent, I've come across all possible jibes. Everyone thinks that all Malayali men wear lungis and we women just pour the whole bottle of coconut oil on our heads. To all this, I just nod my head in jaded resignation and realise how ignorant these people are.



Anurima Roy, Bengali
We Bengalis are the people who are highly intellectual and ALWAYS eat macher-jhol (fish curry). These are some of the stereotypes we fall under. Another ridiculous remark I've heard is that we belong to Bangladesh! But I am not oversensitive about this and take it in good spirit.





Aarushi Singh, Punjabi
Well, once at the airport, a group of guys all shouted 'Balle Balle' as my brother and I walked by. That is definitely one of the most outrageous things I've come across. Sardar jokes have been around for decades and since the community treats these indulgently, this stereotype has built around us. But personally, I am not offended by these jokes. They are an exaggeration to tickle people’s funny bones.



Akash Rai, Maharashtrians
All Maharashtrians are assumed to be 'Ghati' and the menial jobs are assumed to be our domain. That is absolutely rubbish. Not all the bais (maid servants) are Maharashtrians. A large number of us are literate and prosperous. And what irritates me is that the poorer sections of our society are publicly criticised more.





Bryce D'Sa, East Indian
Apart from calling all Catholics 'Maca Paos' (a term used originally for Goans for reasons still not clear to me), they also think that all of us say 'What men!' This is probably the worst stereotype because most Catholics in Mumbai actually don't say that ever!





Meet Pasari, Marwari
The most common stereotype for Marwaris has to be the phrase 'Kanjoos Marwari'. Even though we spend money on various clothes brands and we treat our friends too, this phrase is still attached to our names forever. It is very common and I have no issues with it unless it is done with bad intention.



Rajiv Sharma, Bihari
Most of my friends think that all Biharis are illiterate and caste-killing is our hobby. There is also a misconception that most Biharis have jobs as taxi drivers and mechanics. That is untrue. People need to be educated and one should stop such stereotypes.



Sonia Lulla, Sindhi
So I'm a Sindhi and 'Chindi Sindhi' is a common tag for us. The only things we do are laugh about it and move on. People have outgrown making opinions about others simply by hearing such things. I mean Parsis are called 'Bawas', and are said to be less smart. But despite being a small community Parsis are doing exceptionally well and everyone knows that. So basically these words don't bother people if mentioned in a non-offensive manner.

Image courtesy:BCCL