I Am an Indian

I am an Indian, dressed in a suit and tie;
The words roll off my lucid tongue in accents long gone by;
I rule, I charm, protest, explain, know every how and why.
What kind of an Indian am I ?

I am an Indian, with a roof above my head;
When I've had enough of the working day, I fall upon my bed;
My walls are hard, my carpets soft, my sofa cushions red.
What kind of an Indian? you said.

I am an Indian, with my belly round and full;
When my kid gets up in the morning she is driven to her school;
And if she's hot, the a/c's on, or she'll splash into the pool.
What kind of an Indian, fool?

I am an Indian with friends where friends should be;
Wide are the branches of my extensive family tree;
Big businessmen and bureaucrats all went to school with me.
I'm the best kind of Indian, you see.

- ' Riot '
Shashi Tharoor