India
I’ve been meaning to write this piece for a long time, but couldn’t articulate it or put it to paper. It’s so hard to describe the role it plays in my life especially as an immigrant in the US. It’s so intangible and much more than the physical landscape or validation of our collective identities. It’s a feeling, an ‘ahsaas’ that stays regardless of where we stay or travel. It’s a feeling of pride : When a non-Indian colleague asks me ‘where are you from?’. I say ‘India’ as a matter of fact, but with an inherent smile every single time. I feel like bragging about it like a parent does for their ‘topper’ child. In return, people sometimes try to cover up their personal opinions of India related to poverty, heat, pollution etc. Other times they express their excitement for ‘exoticness’ of India, appreciating its strong heritage and culture. In either way, my sense of pride never flickers. It stays, permanently with me, all the time. It’s a feeling of never g