reminiscing

I remember when coming to India was just a fond summertime memory where we spent time with Nani. The smell of diesel, damp earth and fried food were something we were used to. Monsoons were treacherous and all we could do was play go-fish at home until the rain stopped.

I miss the citrus smell of Odomos, the tapping of the watchman's cane, the crickets low hum at night, the bhajiwali who used to scream at the top of her lungs and the mali-kaka who used to give me roses from the garden. This is what India was to me when I was a child.

Now, India is my home - my present and future. Nothing that happens here surprises me anymore, I've grown accustomed to the atrocities and to the fact that I live in a male-dominated society. It has been nearly two years since we've moved here, and since then I've learned to become independent. I no longer depend on my mom to drive me around, all college related things are handled by me, I run errands and have learned how to cook a few basic dishes (enough to survive anyway). I now realize, that if I hadn't moved here I, at 20 years of age would still be relying on my mom to do everything for me. I thank my parents for pushing me out into the open battle field. Things are not easy as they seem - even though everything is rapidly developing.

All the things that were a mere memory to me....are now things that I'm used to seeing, hearing and smelling everyday. I let my senses guide me and show me a different world than the one I was familiar with. I see poverty, I hear the traffic, I feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, I smell diesel and I taste the sweet nectar of the flowers. This is the India I now know.