Punjab in the❤️of South India

Born to a Punjabi family, I happen to be raised and bred in South India owing to the incidental settlement of my previous generation that originally hailed from Pakistan. After the partition in 1947, my father all of two years of age was brought to this side of the border by his single mother along with his siblings, out of which a few relocated to Madras (now known as Chennai) for reasons better known to them.

While some of my paternal uncles and aunts stayed back to settle in the north and grew families in a typical Punjabi environment, we in comparison had an upbringing exposed to South Indian tradition, festivals, food, clothing, language and the like.We were obviously influenced by both our friends and teachers at school besides being surrounded by a South Indian ambience due to our neighbourhood at home.

For my mother, who moved from Delhi to Chennai after she married my father, it was rather demanding of her to adapt to such an extreme culture disparity. Initially, more like a fish out of water with no way but to survive, she soon learnt the local language (imperative to communicate with domestic helpers) and although unwillingly but slowly acquired taste for the local food as well. That,eventually became a regular part of the menu in our otherwise 'Punjabi Rasoi'  Today, South Indian cuisine is top in her list of favourite foods.

Idly, Dosa, Sambhar, Rasam, a variety of rice and chutneys etc became our preferred staple food to aloo paranthas or makki ki roti with saag. Even today, I love the aroma of the tempering curry leaves, the sound of spluttering mustard seeds, the creamy texture of freshly extracted coconut milk and sweet- sour taste of pulpy tamarind, all of which is liberally used in authentic South Indian cooking.

Moving from food to language- my brothers and I became adept at speaking Tamil(the regional language of Tamil Nadu) more fluently than our mother tongue- Punjabi. Our annual summer vacation to Delhi (where my maternal side lives) extended further to Punjab that privileged us to celebrate the colourful culture of our roots, enjoy the warm hospitality of our folks and be pampered to relish a variety of delectable Punjabi cuisine. This connection made sure we were not deprived of loyalty to our ethnicity, thus keeping our own traditions and beliefs fully alive. We, in return amused our cousins with whimsical conversations in Tamil that kept them curiously entertained. Leaving Punjab with numerous memories to cherish, we were glad to be back in Chennai to our permanent home.

Strangely but matter-of- factly, we never faced racism here.We were not only accepted but also loved and admired for our uniqueness among them. We shared food on occasions, welcomed each other to our homes, participated in their festivals, exchanged interesting social and cultural facts and also made lifelong friends like family.    

While our flamboyancy and larger- than- life attitude intrigued them, their simplicity and mindfulness  taught us humility, peace and contentment.   

No matter where in the world I go,a part of me will forever live in the heart of South India where I have had the fondest years of my life. I  have been fortunate to be brought up with a distinctive mash up of cultures that has largely attributed to making me the person I am today.

Home is where the heart is!