#debsaristories Indianness isn’t a country. It’s a habit. Indianness isn’t also about a day, it’s about everyday. I missed recent milestones like Handloom day and Independence Day for draping sarees but catching up today in a simple, light handloom multi colored uppada cotton saree! Wah a perfect drape for a 100F day. Teamed with simple ilkat cotton blouse. Been wishing for uppada silk from a long time and haven’t been lucky to find ‘merawala ‘ yet, well I am happy with this cotton version in the meantime. Migration doesn’t change certain things. Migration allows carrying pollen from one place to another so there can be fruits. Migration allows the birds carrying seeds to drop it elsewhere so new crop could grow. That happens with us too. I remove footwear instinctively although many homes allow footwear inside and store them in bedrooms. I believe that some germs are hard to fight and it’s best to leave our egos and footwear at the door as we enter home (our or others). That’s my indianness At the same time I don’t have a problem cooking and storing food to be eaten as leftovers the next day. I don’t stick to ‘giving away alias wasting’ food just because we couldn’t consume it same day. I guess in olden days there wasn’t a good system to preserve food for later consumption and the tropical weather doesn’t help much. That’s when we learn from what’s applicable and sensible today. That’s still my indianness I listen to old patriotic songs almost every other day just because I relate to them. Hey but I do enjoy the Bailamos, MJ and Ricky Martin as much as I heard them growing up. Showing respect to tools of trade including computers and books, valuing money, izzat for elders, automatically assuming our friends kids as our extended family, showing up at friends place without an appointment, sitting and sipping chai pakora, enjoying a non brainy masala mass movie and clapping with the audience, cheering for cricket team... koi indianness kaise chodega? You can do blood transfusions but can’t still get rid of it. Indianness is everyday. So is any day where you have chosen to settle for good. America, UK, UAE, Australia etc etc. to each their own. Just because one adopts a different custom or culture doesn’t make them less patriotic and vice versa. So long as we learn from the good we see around us and use it for good- it’s all good!

Pujo around the corner and first things first! My shakha pops already adorned my wrists. It’s reminder of the good times to come and memories to be made. It’s time for my favorite shaktiswaroopini to visit the earth again and to hit soul music with the conch shell that informs - she has arrived. Maa ashcheyn.