I was inspired to write this after reading an article on rediff ! (yeah I somehow still like rediff ). The link to that article has been provided at the end of the blog.
The moment you meet someone for the first time it's common practice in our country to ask "where are you from"............that's been a tough question for me. I have had to go through this routine.
Stranger/friend: So elli, Bangaloora
me: No, I am from Palghat, Kerala
stranger/new friend : So you are a mallu.
me: No I speak tamil at home and have been in Bangalore for 9 long yrs and so I know Kannada
This has been a routine conversation each time I meet someone at Bangalore.
The fact of the matter is my roots or so called origin is Palghat, Kerala and I belong to this community commonly referred to as Palghat Iyer's, but I have never lived there. I was not even born there.My parents were not even brought up there but I still claim that I belong to Palghat. My grandparents moved out of Palghat in their teens probably. It's getting a little dizzying right now.
I had my schooling at Trivandrum, college at Bangalore and working in Bangalore/Dallas. Yet I speak a language that is not a part of any of the three places. Every region I have lived in has left an impression on me....my lifestyle, food, dress, language etc.
As the article says life has become a nomad of sorts where in constant quest for economic prospects ( job is an economic factor) people (in fact Indians) travel to wherever there's an opportunity waiting. They start living there and modifying their lifestyles to suit that place. They start drawing influences from that region and start undergoing a change. Imagine a person who has lived across 3-4 regions in his life span.
For me to trace my roots has been easy since my parents constantly remind me about the place, the culture. My food habits and customs followed at home are still authentic to Palghat.
The article also makes an interesting mention about the challenges this pose to new generation kids. They have a tough time tracing their roots.
The same question........"where are you from" might be daunting for a kid. For e.g: my niece who is 2 yrs old might have a tough time accepting the fact that she's from Palghat, forget telling others. She does not even remember India forget visiting Palghat. Imagine the challenges that she would have as a kid or my sister would have explaining it to her. My sister tells me that the little one is learning English faster than it's mother tongue !
As more and more Indians make the world a "flat" place and migrate such cases are going to increase. Will smaller communities cease to exist, will unique small cultures, customs fade away ....I don't know just yet, ASK THYSELF !!!!!!!!!
also read : http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/aug/07guest1.htm
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5 comments:
hmm ... you are going through the blogging phase too ... everyone does ... there comes a time when you feel the need to express yourself, be heard, and connect with other souls ... a time when you need to know that you are not walking this earth in vain ... and that your thoughts, feelings, and emotions matter and add value to your little universe of human connections ... i think you'll discover that writing can do amazing things to you ... you'll sort of discover yourself in time ... and it's an amazing tool for catharsis ... just blogging your emotions into cyberspace with simply the knowledge that some soul may stumble by to read it is in itself powerfully cathartic ... i think these are important times for you ... times that you want to capture in writing so that you can reminisce them in the future ... this will definitely help you grow ... the perfect framework for reflecting on your past, evaluating the present, and thinking about where life is taking you ... continue to push the boundaries of the topics you would like to write on ... and you'll be in wonder of how it begins to shape your life for the better ... happy exploring ... i shall be cheering you!
thanks vijay.....echo every syllable of what you said...the feeling is amazing
And yes expanding the boundaries bit is something I gotta be working hard on !!!!
Hey Ranga... its really true that people discover themselves with the culture and taste given by the parents .. the coming generation especially our children is gonna really think twice before speaking about our roots..lol
Anyways pretty good one mate!!!
gud writeout there, bro.yes its indeed going to be diff for the future generation to trace their original roots ,with hardly any ppl staying in ther place for origin. primarily, for economic n financial growth with the migration of ppl to diff places across the world, todays children r truly confused about their native!!!!!! they r born in a diff place, grow up in diff place, shall move to some other place for future prospects. infact, im amazed how quick they adapt themselvess so fast to the changes each place has to offer.i really wonder!!! if my 2 yr is going to even accpet the so called norm of vegetarianism , dress code, religious customs n beliefs that we grow up with. its going to be def a big challenge for today's parents facing these challenges...... if any one out there culd truly suggest a soln....im ready to listen.
keep writing bro, there's def a gud lot of ppl there to listen, inspire, comment on..........help u grow in all ways.im always there for u........
I have no qualms, no denials in saying that my Indianism is pretty much limited to a quickly diminishing taste for its food. Beyond that there is little that is Indian about me. Ofcourse many of my values can be considered Indian. But I have formed more rational/moral arguments for them instead of deriving them from Indian scriptural traditions.
To an Indian nationalist's chagrin, I don't think I have any particular love for India as well.
I just see it as an average country.
~ Vinod
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