Firstly, shouldn't the spelling be chauvinist and chauvinism? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauvanism
Secondly, on a more substantial note, the fact that diaspora Indians get Nobels (but hardly any Indians back home), could well be because their work is better known in the centres of power that take the decision on such awards. There has been much debate on the politics of granting Nobels. Of course, Gandhi couldn't get one, though he is made out to be a real hero in much of the Western discourse at the global level today. If India had more economic power and was itself awarding global prizes, I guess we would soon be believing that Indians are the most intelligent people on the planet. We would love to rub shoulders with them then (just as some expat Goans rediscovered their Goanity when Goa became a hot tourist destination for the West some years ago). So, what is a good test for global-level achievements? Winning Nobels, football World Cups, nuclear bombs, or feeding your people? I agree however with Radha's wider point that it wouldn't hurt if we were more critical of ourselves. In some ways, we are like the Portuguese, always defensive. For that matter, correct me if I'm wrong, I think even the British are better -- quite a few of the best studies on British colonialism came out from Britain itself! Being critical of the negative aspects of one's culture can only improve the situation. As far as Goans go, we absolutely lack, in the extreme, any sense of being critical. We are experts, of course, at critiquing whoever we define as The Other! FN
