It occurred to me recently, whilst watching BBC's "Empire", that most of the countries I've lived in have a strong British influence. Whether colonised as India was, or a member of the commonwealth, the British influence is strong and recognisable. India. Canada. New Zealand.
But it is the entanglement of Indian and British culture that is of most interest to me. I often get asked which country feels like home and although I can never find the elements of my upbringing in just one place, I usually answer "England". In truth, it is both India and England that have always had the strongest semblance of "home" and since both cultures are laced with tangible traces of the other, it makes sense to my soul. I grew up in England wearing Punjabi suits and eating curry, surrounded by Indians...and lived in India surrounded by the remnants of British rule, attending a British boarding school, having afternoon tea and living in cottages built by the British.
Although my parents' Scandinavian roots have been ever present in my upbringing, it is the combination of British and Indian which has the strongest connection to the fabric of my existence. They go hand in hand for me. It is while devouring a dosa in South London or riding the extensive Indian railway put in place by the British that I feel most complete.
Although my parents' Scandinavian roots have been ever present in my upbringing, it is the combination of British and Indian which has the strongest connection to the fabric of my existence. They go hand in hand for me. It is while devouring a dosa in South London or riding the extensive Indian railway put in place by the British that I feel most complete.
