Embracing My Heritage

I was raised by two strong women in my life, my mom and my grandmother. Born into a family with a business background, my father was the ‘breadwinner’ in the traditional sense. My mom and grandmother looked after us and all our needs. When I moved abroad at the age of 23, I had to relearn life very harshly.

They were naturally the people we would run to as kids after school or classes. They supported my brother and me in all aspects of life, including education, and shaped us into the individuals we are today. My grandmother is a fabulous cook, and I fondly remember narrating my social science answers to her in the kitchen around grades 6 and 7. She would cook a delicious meal by the end of the chapter. This happened throughout my schooling, as long as I can remember. I passed through school with flying colors thanks to her assistance and my accountability towards her.

Fun fact: although she herself studied until the age of 18 and English wasn’t her best subject, she always encouraged me and never let me feel unsupported in my education. I always felt held, supported, encouraged, motivated, and soothed by her and her words.

Then I entered law school, life happened, and I managed to decently adult myself. Recently, I started my first blog, which has been quite exciting. I always felt that I wanted my writings to reach a vast audience. I love hearing people’s feedback, suggestions for more content topics, and having insightful conversations that my blogs usually bring.

However, I noticed I wasn’t really getting similar feedback from my own family. My mum’s first languages were Punjabi and Hindi, and she learned English as her second language in school and university. My grandmother was also educated in Hindi, with English as a second language.

When it came to me, I was born into a world just 50 years after independence. We had been well-colonized, and English was adopted in all aspects of life: government documentation, restaurant menus, schools, social status, and more. Before I realized it, I started thinking in this language and felt comfortable expressing myself in it.

There is nothing inherently good or bad about a language, but it can be a barrier to communication. Communication should put both parties at ease and create a meeting of minds—something I strive for with my blogs.

I wanted the same for my family and everyone else, including the 1.5 billion people, many of whom are comfortable in Hindi. I wanted my writings to reach more eyes and hearts. Therefore, I decided to have all my blogs translated into Hindi. If needed, I’ll translate them into more languages. I also plan to explore Hindi literature myself and stimulate my thinking and writing further.

So, please stay tuned for varied content in Hindi in the future. For now, enjoy all the blogs which can be easily translated into Hindi with a click at the top corner of the blog.

Happy Reading! Thank you for your time and attention. It means a lot to me to have your attention, even for 10 minutes. Your love, feedback, and support keep me going! If no one has told you today, I believe in you, I have faith in you, and I love you!