How Indian Society forces you to be introvert
So it was RCB vs CSK (6th April, 2026). Most of my hostelmates are CSK fans, and it's fine, but what's not fine is saying that we'll bully you if RCB loses when I didn't even say a word about the game. And no, I have never bullied or even jokingly made fun of someone's team, because I'm an RCB fan and I know what it feels like to be on the losing side. It stings, it feels like hell, especially when you are obsessed with RCB and cricket as I am. You make scenarios in your head about how RCB could have won the game, about how some bowling calls, some field placements could have been different, about how it was a wrong shot by Kohli at that point of the game.
So coming back to the game day, they all said what they had to, and I didn't even speak a word, not because I am afraid, but because it's not worth arguing or playing with them. I have trained myself to remain silent in such situations, for good or bad. Now, as I said, I am obsessed with RCB and cricket. I was 200% sure that RCB was going to win because they are a far superior side than CSK, and trust me, it doesn't even take someone obsessed to know that if you have watched enough cricket.
Now the question is, did I say anything after RCB thrashed CSK badly that night? I didn't. Why? Again, it was predictable, and I try my best to be nice to others, expecting them to be nice to me too, but I end up being disappointed most of the time. And it's fine, people can have personalities I don't resonate width.
Well, the question is, why have I trained myself to stay silent on most occasions? Am I an introvert? Anyone who lives most of their life in solitude and loves spending time on introspection is the idea of an introvert for me. Well, maybe I am one, but some people are not born introverted; they just become one because they realize that most conversations aren't worth having. You can just save a lot of your energy by talking to people who have real thoughts and opinions, people who understand that two individuals can have different opinions, people who don't think of themselves as the reincarnation of Lord Krishna, people who don't keep saying stuff to prove that they are the best, while they are anything but better.
I can talk to myself for hours without needing to bother anyone. I don't talk to a lot of guys in my college, not because I think I am cooler than they are, but it's just that I'm not interested in them. I'm not interested in the things they talk about, the way they talk, the way they act; it's just annoying.
I think it's something about Indian society collectively that forces you to be an introvert. Say you go to a park, and there is a couple in their mid-30s with a kid who's enjoying his soft drink. Now it's probably a 10-year-old, and you don't expect a lot from one to care about cleanliness and environmental hygiene and blah blah, but you expect adults in their mid-30s to be more aware about such things. Well, the kid finished his soft drink and threw the bottle in the middle of the lush green park despite a big fat dustbin standing just a few steps away on the sidewalk.
I was there, grooving to the usual “Let It Happen” and observing all this, and expected the couple to teach the kid some manners or fix his mistake because they had the perfect opportunity to show what it looks like to be a decent human, but they chose not to. Now I wanted to intervene and teach them a lesson, but it's not worth it to get into it with strangers-the chaos that comes with all that is more than my affinity for Mother Nature. So I just sat there being silent, and it was just another incident where the ROI of speaking up wasn't worth it to pursue the deal.
Do I sound like I live most of my life inside my head, and my life is miserable??? You guessed that right, my imaginary reader.
Navigating through social life as a whole has never come naturally for me. So these days, I try not to make it harder than it actually is.