Desi-Potpourri

The sun rays are beaming through the slightly open window and you try to slide down under the covers, the alarm’s already been ringing and has been snoozed several times, not to mention the cock-a-doodle-do. Draped in 9 yards, hair adorned with flowers, tinge of yellowness on the face, melody of anklets, Mom enters with the filter kaapi in a tumbler and now you wake up to the aroma wafting your senses – a typical south Indian house-hold chores. Does this atleast sound familiar, if not get you nostalgic??
This edition of ‘YOU’ brings something that each one of us is familiar with or can closely relate to in the form of a ‘Desi potpourri’. This is no travel guide telling you about ‘Must places to visit’. It’s about penning down thoughts & capturing those moments which are so typical of India that you would end up saying, “It happens only in India”.
A train journey can never be boring, atleast in India, with the people around getting friendly in no time. You start talking about things like you were a family and even share food with someone who was a stranger few hours ago. Playing the good old Gilli-Danda, a crude form or maybe even the origin of cricket, in the nooks & corners must have been fun for some of us. Yet others would have been happy making splendid, endless Rangolis on the streets or getting the Indian tattoo done - Mehandi. Gone are those days??
Be it a festival or wedding, it’s got to be loud & colorful, the Indian way. When asked we proudly say, “Hum tho aisiche hai”. The road-side food, which is a favorite amongst most of us, may be addressed as unhygienic, unhealthy by others. But we say, “That makes it tastier” with a broad smile and boast about building our immunity naturally!
A petty fight at the municipal taps, which would soon boil into a world war 3, would be watched with much awe as though it was a live concert of Bryan Adams. Nobody dare intervene for the fear of becoming a common target for both of them! If Ripley’s believe it or not features shaving the head as strange, it’s a ritual for us. Be it the lungi or saree, kurta pyajama or ghagra, it speaks for itself – the Indian way of dressing.
Honking louder than the other person in a jam-packed traffic, knowing very well that it won’t budge an inch or celebrating a victory in the cricket match or worshipping the actors and performing more poojas for these stars than the Gods…The language, dressing, culture, food, and habits may all vary across the length and breadth of the country. But, the common thread holding us all together is ‘The Indianism’.
Welcome to India, the desi ishtyle. We churn out this edition of ‘YOU’ with all the Indian masalas, hope it pleases your senses and gets you walking down the memory lane….