The colors Orange, White and Green

Next month, on August 15^th, India will celebrate her 65^th Independence Day. The day will be marked by the hoisting of the Indian flag at Delhi’s historic Red Fort by the Prime Minister of India. There will be flag hoisting ceremonies all over the country and the Indian tricolor flag with the colors ORANGE, WHITE and GREEN will be proudly displayed everywhere. But to me, India is not just those colors. With 28 states, my India is a beautiful amalgamation of cultures, languages, cuisines, festivals and colors.

Being born and raised in cosmopolitan Mumbai had its advantages for me. I grew up being a part of the many different aspects of India and those are the memories I am going to share today.

Growing up, I spoke three different languages at home….. Malayalam with my mother, English with my father and Hindi with my sister. My mother insisted that I not only learn to speak my mother tongue Malayalam but also read and write it. Today, many of my Malayalee friends in the US who were raised in Kerala have complimented me on my Malayalam which perhaps may not be as perfect as theirs but is still quite good. My father had very early on in my childhood asked me to talk to him in English so I could master the language. He would correct my grammar and encouraged me to read the newspaper daily, find a few words that I did not understand and ask him about it. Today, when I am here in the US, I have stepped out of many a meetings at work where I had to speak and been asked where I was educated. And when I answer….India, only in India….people have been surprised. My sister and I grew up conversing in Hindi and Hindi was also the language I spoke to most of my Mumbai friends. I can also understand Marathi, Tamil and Gujarati…yet, even with my ‘knowledge’ of 6 languages I have not even touched the tip of the iceberg as far as the languages in India are concerned…..because the 28 states in India each speak at least one different language.

I am a Malayalee…so I grew up celebrating the festivals of Vishu and Onam. Vishu is the Kerala New Year and we celebrated it every year with the ‘Vishu kani’ (display of auspicious items), ‘Vishu sadya’ (feast) and ‘Vishu kaineetam’ (money given by elders of the family to the young ones)…Needless to say, this was my most favorite festival. Onam marks the homecoming of the legendary king Maveli and we celebrated it every year with the ‘Pookalam’ (floral carpet) and the traditional ‘sadya’. But again, being in Mumbai I have celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights with lanterns, fireworks, rangoli (a decorative design of colors) and the snacks and sweets made by my mother and the neighboring aunts. I have been splashed with the colors of Holi and have enjoyed the Puran poli made during Holi by Maharashtrians. I have danced to the Garba for the Navratri celebrations by Gujaratis. I have attended Church and eaten the special sweets made during Christmas by my father’s colleague. I have eaten the seviyan and the incomparable biryani made by mother’s Muslim friends during Id. I have visited pandals and homes of friends to be part of the Ganesh poojas during every Ganesh Chathurti. I have seen the ‘Golus’ (display of idols on steps) in the homes of my Tamil friends during Navratri.

And what can I say about the weddings in India…they are colorful, joyful and it is a treat to be part of a wedding celebration in India…where every state has a unique wedding celebration. And so, I have danced at the ‘sangeet’ of my Punjabi friend’s wedding. I have seen my North Indian friends take the ‘saat pheras’ (seven rounds) during their weddings. I have been to Ahmedabad to attend our family friend’s wedding where I was introduced to and fell in love with Gujarati food….I will never forget the fresh aam ras (ripe mango pulp) and puri I had that day…a combination I had never eaten before…and one that is simply out of this world. I have seen my Maharashtrian friends get married in their traditional yellow sari. I have seen my Christian friend do the ‘first dance’ with her husband at her wedding. I have seen the ‘kashi yatra’ (a ritual where the bridegroom pretends to leave for Kashi ,a religious place in India and has to be convinced by the bride’s family to stay back and marry the bride) at the weddings of my Tamil friends. I have seen my Tulu friend be fitted with the ‘toe rings’ during her wedding. And of course, I myself have been married off in a traditional Kerala wedding.

Today, many of us feel that India is crowded, polluted and there is corruption everywhere. While sadly, that may be true to some extent, for me personally, India remains a kaleidoscope of rich culture and heritage. There is nostalgia in my memories of my India. And it is a fact that India continues to remain in the hearts of NRIs (Non Resident Indians) all over the world.

Signing off with India on my mind and this quote by Mark Twain

‘The land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splendour and rags, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pestilence, of genii and giants and Aladdin lamps, of tigers and elephants, the cobra and the jungle, the country of hundred nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions and two million gods, cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of traditions, whose yesterday's bear date with the modering antiquities for the rest of nations-the one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an imperishable interest for alien prince and alien peasant, for lettered and ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free, the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the world combined’