Nostalgic Reflections

On Friday, January 26 th – it’s Republic Day, a day to celebrate our Independence and watch the parade near Rashtrapati Bhavan. But for me and my family, it’s also a day to celebrate wedding anniversary of my Nana Nani – my maternal grandparents. My childhood and teenage years include many memories with them, as I was raised by them after the age of 11. My mom, brother and I moved in with them after my mom’s separation. For those who’ve lived with grandparents would agree that it requires a different mindset and set of habits than living with parents only. Due to a large generational gap, you can’t share everything with them like you can with your parents – they’re emotionally distant from you in that sense. But, they bring so much warmth and unconditional love in your life, borne from their age and lesser need to control compared to your parents. My Nani, Kamla Devi was a Guru Nanak devotee and visited the Nanak Piao Gurudwara every day to serve and pray. It was her mor...

I was visiting Utah over the Labor Day long weekend, enjoying my time at a peaceful Airbnb when my mom told me about Kangana Ranaut’s interview on Aap Ki Adalat.  Living far away, she was my window into Indian entertainment and a source of cultural connection, especially at moments when I couldn't resonate with American entertainment.  Here's the link if you haven't seen the video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3wHgadR3Y8&t=2592s I started to watch her interview with Rajat Sharma...and OH BOY, she was admirable beyond words. I was hooked for the next two hours as she revealed dirty truths about the Bollywood industry and nepotistic realities of dynasty film culture.  Her honest account of her relationship with Hrithik Roshan was like naked truth - bare, powerful and open to judgement. It was courageous in the sense that she wasn't scared of being judged at all -- by the public, her family or Bollywood community. Whic...

I was getting ready to go to a restaurant in Delhi located in a luxury mall in Vasant Kunj. Needless to say, my excitement had built up in San Francisco over months to meet my extended family including Chachu, Chachi and Sahil who were visiting from Ahmedabad, my cousin Chinky di, Vijay jiju, Mayank and my cousins Jaya and Hardik. Growing up in Delhi, getting ready was one of my favorite things to do before any social event. Contemplating what to wear and how best to stand apart from the crowd were like second nature. I knew everyone would be noticing each other’s jewelry, number of designer label brands, cars they arrived in and how “rich” they looked. When so much importance was given to aesthetics, who wouldn’t like to get ready, right? However, as I stood in front of my closet on that Sunday, I felt conflicted about whether to wear brands/jewelry or not. There was pure excitement to meet my extended family. I just wanted to focus on nourishing relationships and connect with ...