LMAO bhai, I'm NRI and trust me, white people don't give a shit about north vs south vs bengali vs gujrati.
YES, they will smile and act interested when you tell them "acksually I'm not Indian", because A) they don't want to be accused of racism and B) you're demonstrating a vulnerability that they realise they can exploit
White people tried to make me hate Fijians, but I could see through their manipulation. They try to make Fijians hate Indians too.
If you believe you can shed anything, then you're as naive as the Desis that I talk about
Remember what @13k says: You always take yourself with you.