Before I start off I would like to make two things very clear:

The first one is quite simple. I lay no claims to being any good at blogging.

Secondly, we all know that many people use a blog for different purposes and needs. In this article I am going to talk about personal blogs only. Not about techno-blogs, info-blogs, news blogs, ad blogs, developer blogs and all other kinds of blogs which exist under the sun.

Having got rid of those two disclaimers let me say that I'm proud to be part of the community of Indian bloggers. I have read many different kinds of blogs but somehow Indian blogs have always attracted me. Although I must admit that I'm biased (being an Indian myself), I think I have found certain qualities common among Indian bloggers which seem to be missing from bloggers who come from other cultural backgrounds.

First of all, there is this typically and uniquely "Indian" passion among Indian bloggers who've adopted this form of personal publishing wholeheartedly and with complete confidence. On the other hand, I find bloggers who come from a Western culture to be a lot more inhibited and a lot less confident about opening their hearts to the world. This is a critical difference which makes all the difference. We Indians generally tend to put our hearts and souls into something that we enjoy doing. Western culture demands a certain restraint of emotion. They also tend to be a lot more concerned about privacy while Indians are generally more open. I guess it's part of our very culture that makes us so. Secondly, I think that the blogging culture itself has a different connotation in an Indian context. Most Indians seem to have fully accepted blogging as a form of art. An expression of our creative talents. A typical Indian blogger tends to be more poetic than his Western counterpart. This may or may not be true in specific cases, but I have generally observed this artistic side in so many Indian blogs. On the other hand, bloggers who come from a Western background to be a lot more journalistic in approach and a lot more serious. It's a fact that the typical blogger from a Western cultural background tends to use a blog as an instrument of democratic journalism and protest rather than a form of art. This is a crucial difference, I believe. The whole context is different and they tend to focus a lot more on serious political issues. Interestingly, Indians, even when talking about politics, tend to have a lot lighter approach. Which brings me to a very interesting point indeed. Your typical Indian blogger is a lot more humourous and tends to take life lot less seriously than the typical Western blogger. Again, this might be a cultural thing. An Indian is generally more philosophical about life and hence a lot more relaxed when facing the ups and downs of life. You find a very laidback, humourous, yet philosophical style in many Indian blogs. There is something I find uniquely magical and charming in that quality which attracts me and I'm sure which attracts a lot of others too. No wonder then, that Indian bloggers generally don't come alone but in hordes: they tend to form communities around their writings. And this is the essential quality of a successful blog - the ability to attract similar people with your writing skills.

Let me add that this is not a critique of other styles of blogging. I just wanted to explore some of the reasons why Indians make such good bloggers. Maybe some of the talent is inborn, while some of it is practice and passion. While my style of blogging definitely does not match the profile I just described, I still continue to admire the unique and endearing skills of my fellow Indians! Long live the Indian blogger!