ever wondered why a bengali is so close to his own culture as a marathi is to his own...or a tamilian or a gujrati...i never thought of it as much till a recent trip i had to chandigargh.
I went for an official trip to Chandigargh when I understood what the meaning of "roots" is...it is something magical...though i am born in dehradun...brought up in many cities (dad being in IAF had to move every 3 years) for work I lived in Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and now Mumbai....I practically have no identity...
on the streets of Chandigarh i could hear people speak punjabi (i don't speak the language well)...but it got my blood tingle...i saw the girls and guys .. sardars, and sardarni's - the look of punjabi totally stands out...i could feel my pulse raise when i was in the city...the patiala salwars, the kada's just the dilect....and then i knew..."that" was my root...
i have never given region any more importance than the nation - nor am i doing it now...but now i understand the magical power of roots....i have faint memories of visiting punjab as a kid to my grandma to Ludhiana...just a few days and nothing more...still my stepping into the city got my pulse ticking...that is when i understood what "roots" mean....i am an Indian....but also a - "punjabi by nature"
2 comments:
What you say is very true. Being abroad for many years, whenever I visit India, I too experience that "roots" feeling.
Well not sure if I will ever get a feeling of being amongst my kind any place in the world.
But I get what you mean and I think it is very important to understand where you come from and retain that which is unique to you (language, heritage etc) as long as it is not illogical or a waste hehe.
I do understand the whole 'being at home' though. Use to go to Pune often when I was a kid and the place would feel so alien. It was actually less of a holiday and more of torture
Post a Comment