There's always so much hostility in these posts about race.
I identify myself as "South Asian" / "East Indian" racially.
My background is Potohari-Punjabi (Langrial Jatt, whatever that means). I was born and raised in Canada, but my father who came very humble beginnings (both of his parents were illiterate villagers) made it a point throughout my life to understand my roots AND not in a superficial way. But to understand where we came from in such a way that I would realize the tremendous opportunities available to me in the west and my responsibilities given those opportunities. For whom much is given, much is expected.
Within that context, I have always looked at "pride", whether it be racial or national pride, as foolhearty. Instead, I prefer to be brutally honest about who I am and where I come from.
Having seen the faces of my many relatives, I can not deny our "racial" diversity. We are the descendents of "Dravidians" (or whatever name you want to give to the aboriginal indian groups that nobody ever seems to want to associate with because of their darker hue), and of the numerous migrants that travelled through Northwestern India (from the "Aryans" to the Scythians, Greeks, White Huns, etc.).
My paternal grandfather and my maternal great-grandfather were first cousins but they were so different physically, that they easily could pass for other ethnicities. My paternal grandfather was a short, dark skinned man that probably could pass for a South Indian or Sri Lankan. While my maternal great-grandfather was tall, fair skinned and had blue eyes. Yet these men were close relatives from the same village!
This range of phenotypic diversity within my family + what I know from history = my people are MIXED, with a decidely strong SOUTH ASIAN (INDIAN) component.
So at the end of the day, what am I? I'm a racial hybrid ******* like most humans...and it's not a matter of shame or pride, it's the facts.