I am like… pasta upma?
Today morning as I cut veggies to the strains of Lalitha Sahasranamam in the background, my mind was on other things. Like assimilation and fitting in. K and I visited our friends of a long time yesterday late evening. They have a college going son who among other things is extremely intelligent and a topper at school. A fresher at college he was having issues fitting into popular culture. On our way back home our conversations revolved around how much nurture plays a role in assimilation. As an immigrant, it becomes imperative to allow kids to seamlessly merge with the world out there. Much as kids are apt to straddle both worlds with ease, the parents find it harder to make that transition.
As is wont, my mind came back to me and us in particular. Would we ever really really fit in? There is just one person of Non-Indian origin in my first circle of friends and possibly a handful of friends at work. Any get-together I have at home is more than likely to see just Indians. It is not that I go out of my way to exclude myself from integrating myself with the mainstream, just that I possibly don’t make it a point to go and put myself out there.
Reaching no conclusion I went back to the job on hand. I was making upma. Not just any upma but pasta upma. A light bulb glowed somewhere. Isn’t it true that I was like the pasta upma? True to my core nature but integrating the new ingredients in a familiar style of cooking? I did not think of pasta as alien but I did have issues making pasta the way it is authentically made. So I end up using pasta in a way I am comfortable with and in a way that is easy on my stomach.
Is it possible that I might end up creating my own versions of popular culture? Very! I think so.
Interesting analogy! :–)
Btw how are you liking Shantaram? I have started it and I am slowly ambling through it, while other books I read faster, not impressed.
@SK: Actually I quite like Shantaram. Specially the sections where he mulls about how much sin is there in a crime. Felt it to be true of most decisions that are in the grey areas. Its a dense book though and I have been reading it for over 3 months now, little at a time.
Superb Laksh, but at times I feel its better to be a Pasta Upma or someone who creates their own version of the popular culture. Who knows the prevailing popular culture could’ve been someone else’s ‘Pasta Upma’.Isn’t Laksh?
Pasta Upma - never thought of that before
Although, don’t agree with Pasta upma, agree with your philosophy.
@Deepa: True! Didn’t think of it that way.
Today morn I was reminded of that and decided to do it. It was yummy! 
@Akay: Well! the pasta upma owes its origins to the days I was at digital. Tired of semiya and rava, Jyo and I used to make upma with macaroni and we loved it.
Interesting analogy; having had pasta upuma or a version of it, can totally relate to it too:)
Yep! It IS like pasta upma. We integrate and move on changing with all that we imbibe everyday! :–)
Laksh,
The more and more I read your musings, I feel that we have quite a lot of things in common. (Good language/writing skill is definitely not one among them) I’m always asking my husband whether we will be able to raise our son here, there is so much cultural difference and he will be caught in between our expectations and peer pressure. I still feel alien here after 5 years in US.
@JustSomeone: Glad am not the only one who feels that way
@Rads: Very true. Wonder what else is in store
@Madhuram: We do seem to have a lot in common. Gotta catch up over phone. As for your writing skills. I think they are great. I enjoy your posts.