In the summer of 2018, I travelled to India for the first time with my family. As a British born Indian girl I was excited to discover my roots and explore my heritage. I wrote an article about my experiences on Gal-Dem so give it a read!
But what did I learn about the specifics of the Indian way of life which is a contrast to the British Indian way of life? Visiting my family in India really solidified this. I decided to write a blog post about it!
- It’s common for people to eat on the floor at mealtimes. Sitting cross legged with a plate of bateta shaak ( potato curry) on my plate, eye level with my family I found myself eating more mindfully, really taking in the taste and visual imagery of the food. As I was balancing food on my lap, I couldn’t really eat and scroll brainlessly through my phone at the same time
- Even though I’m Indian, I found there was a stark contrast to the way I was viewed by Indian natives. It was obvious I was a tourist from everything to the way I dressed to the way I spoke (more on that in the next post). Relatives would often ask me if I spoke Gujarati (my mother tongue) and I would hear workers talk about me thinking I couldn’t understand them.
- The blunt inequality was made blindly obvious to the amount of adult and child beggars on the streets. It forced me to appreciate the fact that I had a roof over my head and food and I that I was travelling India as a tourist, able to visit restaurants and stay in hotels.
- Family and culture share different vibes to the UK. The relationship between caste and marriage is a significant value in Indian culture whereas in the UK, it is more overlooked.
- The driving in India is WHACK. Constant speeding, hanging on for dear life and cows in the way! There are no rules.
- In parts of India, it is the norm to dress modestly, no miniskirts and keep shoulders covered. People will stare.
- Navigating the markets is a strength. Big contrast to Camden. People’s persuasion will be dialed up to a 100 and you will have to put your bargaining skills to the test.
- If you think Indian food in the UK is good you’ve underestimated how unbelievably Peng and beautiful the food is in India. I developed a serious addiction to Aloo Parathas at breakfast with Indian tea and don’t get me started on the Paneer.
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If you enjoyed my post, read my article on Gal-Dem for a deeper discussion on how I reclaimed my roots: https://gal-dem.com/wanderthirst-reclaiming-my-roots-in-india/
Let me know what you think in the comments x
Twitter: @Naveeshaaa
Instagram: @Naveeshaaa
I’ve just read this post (and the other one)! It’s nice to see that you had a good experience and immersed yourself in the culture. 🙂
Aw thank you! Yeah I did 🙂 Also nice to hear from you, I still need to catch up on your posts and I will do so soon!
It’s nice to discover other British Indians via this platform. Great little read 🙂
Thank you 🥰
Nicely crafted !:)
Thank you 😀
I have been to India 3 times! A lot of what you said are things I noticed as well as India!! Even though I am Indian, I remember locals staring at us, which is something I just got used to in the end!