I think, many emigres live with this sense of disconnect from their cultural roots. They, then, attempt to recreate the country of their memories; sometimes, funnily enough, they recreate things that are no longer in vogue in the old country. For instance, today, I was thinking back to the pre-refrigerator, pre-TV days of my childhood. Remember, the earthen pots (matkas) from which we drank the cool, fragrant water with a delicate flavor of clay, in the summers? I figured I wanted to buy some matkas for our house here. Now, who keeps earthen pots any more in urban India?
Here is an interesting story about the Shahs, a wealthy family in Mumbai. Girish Shah is a diamond merchant living in a Malabar Hill skycraper. Here's what his flat is like.
The doorbell is a thick multi-coloured cotton string attached to a hook with a tiny bell. Pull on it and a brass bell booms inside, like the temple bells in villages. Shoes remain at the door, and you step onto a brown floor made of one-inch thick cow dung spread evenly on a half inch base of clay.
Also,
... the housemaid lights a concoction of dry cow dung, dry neem leaves, a dash of homemade butter and a pinch of camphor at dusk.As for the kids,
Sons, Tanmay and Rishabh, and daughter Dhwani attend an exclusive gurukul nearby. "I keep them away from television and movies," says Shah. "They are trained in archery, which has done wonders for their concentration and memory development."Mr. Shah is recreating his rural roots in Mumbai (I should say, though, that he is a social and environmental activist, and this, more than nostalgia, is why he has chosen to do what he does.) For the full article, see http://www.the-week.com/25jun12/lifestyle_article1.htm
Here in the U.S., we, Indians, attempt to recreate the India of our past with our Hindu Sunday schools, weekly temple visits, our insistence on speaking our mother tongues at home. This is all well and good, and perhaps, the best one can do. But truth be told, one can hardly recreate an entire living experience through a patchwork of practices.
3 comments:
Hi Ramesh:
A comment for you:
"But truth be told, one can hardly recreate an entire living experience through a patchwork of practices."
The last line of Ramesh's entry prompted me to write. As both the daughter of immigrant parents, and a mother of U.S. born daughters, I am not fully equipped to provide the experiences of an Indian childhood. I do however, feel the need to educate my daughters about what it means to be of Indian origin, as an intrinsic part of their sense of self. A non-Indian will not necessarily make the fine distinction between my daughters and my parents. My daughters will be expected to speak knowledgeably about their ethnic origin, an "ambassador" if you will. Providing them with an understanding of Indian culture, values and tradition equips them to move forward in their social worlds and provides alternative viewpoints from that of their peers. This is especially helpful as my eldest begins her journey through high school. Inherent to being a young adolescent, she is looking for something unique about herself as well as an escape hatch from peer pressure. An appreciation of her Indian origins and an understanding of Indian contributions through the ages to the world, can provide that and more.
Ramesh,
Hope
you find an
earthen water cooler ( gooja ). Good luck :)
Now that you brought it up, I can appreciate how innovative our rural
folks were. I grew up
in a village and still remember the "little gadgets" we can no longer
see there. When I was
a kid the only things that used to bother me in that village were loud
speakers. When I
went to my village recently, I was sad to find that the likes of the
gooja have totally
disappeared and the likes of the loud speaker have completely taken
over my ( once cute
) village.
Hi appa! I think your blog is very good. It must have taken a long time to write that!! I will read your other blogs too.
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