Hey World, We Need To Talk About How Often You Describe India As "Vibrant"

We can all do better than this.

Whether you've been here or not, whether you're from here or not, we can all agree on one thing: India is vibrant as heck.

Google

LOOK AT ALL THIS VIBRANCE.

SLB Films

But, vibrant as it may be, don't you think we're getting a bit tooooo dependent on that word when it comes to describing us?

answers.yahoo.com

I mean, honestly.

answers.com

In 2015 alone (i.e. the past 6 months), the New York Times has used "vibrant" to describe India's health care sector...

... and our dancers...

... and our democracy...

... and our study of languages...

... and our investment cycle...

... and our street food...

... and a living room, to name a few things.

REALLY, GUYS?

BollyPop / Via ShowMaker Pictures

^ That list is far from comprehensive (research included 5 minutes of Googling) and it's still too long.

YRF

When I ran a search for the exact phrase "India is a vibrant country," Google gave me THIRTY-TWO THOUSAND results. Y'ALL.

Other words that popped up a lot included: exotic, chaotic, diverse, rich, and vivid.

"What's the big deal?" you may ask. "Chill out and embrace your vibrance, bro," you may say.

Sony Pictures

And you'd be right. It's not a bad word and I'm grateful to the world for not having branded us much worse. That said, it runs the risk of becoming short-hand for the Eat, Pray, Love-esque, George-Harrison-selfie-with-the-Taj-Mahal-ish, Diplo dancing in a palace with peacocks, white girls wearing bindis to Coachella version of India that keeps us on the "exotic" fringes of global pop culture rather than allowing us to wiggle into the mainstream.

AND IT'S JUST LAZY WRITING.

Red Chillies

YOU CAN ALL DO BETTER. "Vibrant health care sector"? REALLY?

FOX

And they're not alone in having irrevocably linked this descriptor with our des. Here's what a few other publications have deemed "vibrant" just in 2015:

• Huffington Post: Indian culture, the festival Vaisakhi, Holi celebrations, Indian spirituality, Indian melodies, Hindu communities abroad, and a Himalayan valley.

• The Wall Street Journal: Indian democracy, Indian military uniforms, the economy, Modi's shawl.

• The Guardian: Delhi, Delhi's party culture, the Indian cricket team's pace bowlers, Indian massage techniques, and the beaches of Goa.

• The Economist: India's services sector.

• And, of course, there's us: Indian streets, New Delhi, and India's internet culture.

So, creators of content and culture, take a pledge with me today to never use the word "vibrant" to describe India unless it really is the most accurate, most efficient, most effective adjective you can think of.

Surely your vocabulary is more ~vibrant~ than you're letting on. 😉

Star TV