On the occasion of Indian Independence Day An expatriate like me should have nothing to say Yet the umbilical cord binding me to the land of my birth Is hard to cut off- I can state that whatever I am worth Today is because I was raised an Indian My sense of identity remains butContinue reading “Always.. Indian”
Tag Archives: Indian
The Heart of an Immigrant Writer
“The immigrant’s heart marches to the beat of two quite different drums, one from the old homeland and the other from the new. The immigrant has to bridge these two worlds, living comfortably in the new and bringing the best of his or her ancient identity and heritage to bear on life in an adoptedContinue reading “The Heart of an Immigrant Writer”
Fragrant memories
I read in medical school that olfaction Is associated with memory and emotion More so than the other senses four- I have understood this fact more and more Having left my home and moved away Olfactory memories have been there to stay- Each time I prepare spiced chai in my kitchen My nose-brain connection creates theContinue reading “Fragrant memories”
Tribute to Indian Classical Dancers
Exposed to various cultures I have been Myriad performing arts I have seen Yet when I think of unparalleled grace, The image that I conjure is the face Of a classical dancer from India immersed Into the very soul of her dance, well-versed In fluid movements and facial expressions Recounting tales from an ancient nationContinue reading “Tribute to Indian Classical Dancers”
Spiced up
All the perfumes of Arabia Will never even come close To the fragrance of Indian spices Packed in a pinch-like dose.. Memories are wrapped in spices Each spice has a unique association Emotions each spice evokes in me Causing from my present a dissociation, Transporting me to a mystical land Where food is an expression of culture PreparationContinue reading “Spiced up”
If life were a Bollywood movie…
Indians will know what I am talking about right away, but as for others, I am talking about the Indian film industry which churns out a large number of movies every year. While the content and presentation of movies in Bollywood has changed in keeping with the changing times, some stereotypes are so quintessentially BollywoodianContinue reading “If life were a Bollywood movie…”
Always an Indian at heart- Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani
Above: Holiday lights showcasing the Taj Mahal in Philadelphia This may sound strange and duplicitous for someone who left her country to pursue greener pastures to say, but I’m going to talk about it anyway…I still consider myself deeply patriotic. Having aspired to travel the world as an ambassador from India (by joining the Indian foreignContinue reading “Always an Indian at heart- Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani”
“Holy” or “sweet”?
I was eating pasta with basil pesto sauce the other day, and was reminded of the holy basil… Now everyone is familiar with sweet basil, the one that is used in Italian cuisine. Personally, I love the flavor imparted by sweet basil, and have used it in Indian cooking too. However, in India, there is noContinue reading ““Holy” or “sweet”?”
The Inscrutable Indians
Disclaimer: This post is just meant to be humorous. I have no intentions of making fun of either my parent culture or my adopted culture. I come from a strange land on the other side of the world…the land of elephants and snake charmers, where women are as good as slaves, where we break outContinue reading “The Inscrutable Indians”
Indian at heart
As I have mentioned previously on my blog, I live in the US (in Philadelphia). I immigrated to the US about 8 years ago from New Delhi, India. While I have imbibed American culture to some degree (more so at work), I remain a true blue Indian at heart. These are a few ways inContinue reading “Indian at heart”
Passion...unbridled 