No offense meant, but like a typical North Indian, I had always perceived that a typical Indian to be a Hindi speaking guy. Some of my closest friends are Tamils but that did not change my view a lot. To me Tamil Nadu was a state like any one of the 20 odd states of India and Tamil was its language.
However in Singapore and Malaysia, Tamil is one of the 4 national languages. In France, thanks to the immigration from Pondicherry, most of the people of Indian Origin are Tamils. I was a little surprised when people asked me if I knew Tamil, but now it makes perfect sense. It’s strange I understand my country better once I move out of it.
