Through language, we touch others and, inescapably, bare who we are. This maildrop explores the languages I have worn over time—which ones, in which accents, under which names.
We have been introduced to you as Mishti so I'll go with that. Incidentally, I love both of your names and the images/associations they conjure up in my mind :) I happened to have come across your piece quite by chance. I simply started listening to you even before reading it with no expectations and no backstory. I was captivated instantly. Loved your voice, the ease of delivery, the conversational tone and then the contents, totally wow-worthy! So relatable on many levels really. As a fellow first generation American, the experiences we share are unique, distinct and cannot be duplicated and certainly not experienced by our future generations. And then as a parent, I really enjoyed your journey of navigating and understanding the role of the languages in your life. It is so special that you took the opportunity to live in India and experience the sense of belonging as a Hindustani despite or shall I say in spite your passport :) And finally, I want to encourage you to keep exploring and writing as these type of stories can only be told by the immigrant generation or they will be forgotten!
thank you so much for writing this. agreed- so many first generation stories to try to process and capture! It was my first time trying to mix in audio, so I'm so happy that you enjoyed that part too. much much love!
Dearest bitiya, I have read this piece so many times since I first received it on the mail. Today I heard the voice note as well. I could already “hear” you even as I read; but it was fun to enjoy the moments of music and conversation you had looped in.
What you write about is something two of nephews have grappled with ( maybe still do) and bua-beta have had long conversations on identity and voice. Straddling lines is never easy. It’s more often than not a tightrope walk!
You seem to have found your voice and your identity as YOU: both Indian and American;
And am glad you’re not ashamed of either.
My love is always with you; you know you are very dear to me ; and I hope one day we can be friends. I’d love to be able to spend time with you; talk with you; understand your world ; and have you stay over.
Aunty, this almost brought me to tears, thank you so much for deeply seeing into the heart of what I was trying to communicate. Sending so much love back to you. Your travels always inspired me as a kid, and I look forward to trading many stories together as friends for years to come <3
Cid, hola, wow! Thank you. It made my day to hear from you. Life is beautiful, indeed-- I hope you are finding ways to enjoy the sunshine despite the madness going on. (P.S. As you read, I'm working on my Spanish-- if there are Spanish language songs or media that speak to you, please pass them on! Learning through art!)
What a wonderfully written essay! I love Vidushi, I love Mishti, I love the soul you choose to be!!! Look forward to reading more. Thank you for the interesting read as well as the thought process and conversation it has generated in my head. We all take a long time to choose our names and the names of our children -- we try to create an identity with those names so a name seems to be important. Wonderful just wonderful.....
Beautifully written and articulated perfectly. Like you, I have always struggled with my accent (Brooklyn) and being reprimanded by professors that every attorney would laugh and think I was not bright. Like you I started studying Latin very early on in school (5th grade), went on to Italian and Spanish and never felt like I wouldn't be mocked or criticized for mispronunciations and my accent. I gained confidence after living in Italy for a semester and now will embrace all accents with intent. Like your parents, I believe names and meanings of your children's names is of the upmost importance. (Arya which everyone told me is an Indian name means pure and exalted in Sanskrit, warrior in Hebrew and Buddhist texts, air in Italian, a melody in English, and in Hindu translated as goddess parvati.) I feared getting side glances by Indian mothers/fathers and feel some negativity towards an Italian/Irish American naming her half Puerto Rican and Irish/Italian daughter after a commonly used name in their culture. I was and continue to be grateful that they do the exact opposite. They smile, look at me and Arya, and I get a sense of approval almost a feeling of inclusion. Names are just that names and we can take many (I met a woman who was given the name Patricia but being in Switzerland was nicknamed Trixie whereas in America it would be Patty, Tricia, Trish,..). Different cultures, geography, dialects, can all change a name, so I believe names help us figure out who we are, everyone else can f*ck off. I searched through Greek mythology texts, the Bible, Gaelic books, but in the end Arya came from my favorite book A Song of Ice and Fire and it suits her perfectly. Vidushi I love the uniqueness and beauty in your name it fits you perfectly!
This is such a beautiful, thoughtful reply-- thank you so much, Patty. You made my day reading this! So glad to hear that this resonated with you and your own experiences with accent and language. And I think the name you chose was so intentional and powerful, and Arya should be proud to carry it with her always. Much love.
Dear Mishti/Vidushi, this is so beautiful! Your parents were absolutely right in giving you the names and you absolutely live up to both of them - having so much 'wisdom' and thoughtfulness (beyond your years), as well as being so 'sweet' and innocent (despite your years!! Hahahaa!!!) God bless you, dear! Look forward to reading more from your end ❤️❤️❤️
Loved every word...written and spoken....you’ve made it more interesting with the background content as you spoke. It’s a heartwarming expression of something obviously close to your heart. I particularly loved the sentence, “ We both used the Hindustani....left for new cities”. You’re gifted with the power of expression. God bless!
Thank you so much-- and glad you enjoyed the bombay mail drops too. That one was a particularly fun one to write, exploring all kinds of taxi conversations I had after the first one I mentioned here :)
Mishti your article brought back a favorite memory of Gulzar which I am sharing with you. This one too is beautifully written. I really enjoyed reading and then listening to it.
Deepak uncle, thank you so much. That is an absolutely beautiful poem-- one that I would love to memorize and keep with me for a long time. I'm so happy you shared this!
Loved reading it, Mishti. Keep writing and delighting the readers. Neelabha
p.s. Met your mamma, for a very short duration in the company of some other friends, during her Delhi stay on the day POTUS was roaming around. We had a wonderful time. Bye. All the best.
Thank you so much for reading and dropping a note back! It must seem like aeons ago that you both crossed paths in Delhi, given all that has changed. I am glad you got to see each other before all this!
Thank you, dear friend <3 I think it's a clunky process that I will never quite figure out, but I think I'm making my peace with that. Have you felt similarly?
We have been introduced to you as Mishti so I'll go with that. Incidentally, I love both of your names and the images/associations they conjure up in my mind :) I happened to have come across your piece quite by chance. I simply started listening to you even before reading it with no expectations and no backstory. I was captivated instantly. Loved your voice, the ease of delivery, the conversational tone and then the contents, totally wow-worthy! So relatable on many levels really. As a fellow first generation American, the experiences we share are unique, distinct and cannot be duplicated and certainly not experienced by our future generations. And then as a parent, I really enjoyed your journey of navigating and understanding the role of the languages in your life. It is so special that you took the opportunity to live in India and experience the sense of belonging as a Hindustani despite or shall I say in spite your passport :) And finally, I want to encourage you to keep exploring and writing as these type of stories can only be told by the immigrant generation or they will be forgotten!
thank you so much for writing this. agreed- so many first generation stories to try to process and capture! It was my first time trying to mix in audio, so I'm so happy that you enjoyed that part too. much much love!
Dearest bitiya, I have read this piece so many times since I first received it on the mail. Today I heard the voice note as well. I could already “hear” you even as I read; but it was fun to enjoy the moments of music and conversation you had looped in.
What you write about is something two of nephews have grappled with ( maybe still do) and bua-beta have had long conversations on identity and voice. Straddling lines is never easy. It’s more often than not a tightrope walk!
You seem to have found your voice and your identity as YOU: both Indian and American;
And am glad you’re not ashamed of either.
My love is always with you; you know you are very dear to me ; and I hope one day we can be friends. I’d love to be able to spend time with you; talk with you; understand your world ; and have you stay over.
It was lovely when you’d come over last.
Keep writing; we’ll keep reading.
And we’ll keep feeling proud.
Aunty, this almost brought me to tears, thank you so much for deeply seeing into the heart of what I was trying to communicate. Sending so much love back to you. Your travels always inspired me as a kid, and I look forward to trading many stories together as friends for years to come <3
Hola Mishti
You are a natural storyteller. Great read, super interesting, captivating story.
I wish you continued success.
Peace and health to you.
Life is beautiful
Cid
Cid, hola, wow! Thank you. It made my day to hear from you. Life is beautiful, indeed-- I hope you are finding ways to enjoy the sunshine despite the madness going on. (P.S. As you read, I'm working on my Spanish-- if there are Spanish language songs or media that speak to you, please pass them on! Learning through art!)
I like your writings. Can we be friends?
PS: I'm not creepy
What a wonderfully written essay! I love Vidushi, I love Mishti, I love the soul you choose to be!!! Look forward to reading more. Thank you for the interesting read as well as the thought process and conversation it has generated in my head. We all take a long time to choose our names and the names of our children -- we try to create an identity with those names so a name seems to be important. Wonderful just wonderful.....
Beautifully written and articulated perfectly. Like you, I have always struggled with my accent (Brooklyn) and being reprimanded by professors that every attorney would laugh and think I was not bright. Like you I started studying Latin very early on in school (5th grade), went on to Italian and Spanish and never felt like I wouldn't be mocked or criticized for mispronunciations and my accent. I gained confidence after living in Italy for a semester and now will embrace all accents with intent. Like your parents, I believe names and meanings of your children's names is of the upmost importance. (Arya which everyone told me is an Indian name means pure and exalted in Sanskrit, warrior in Hebrew and Buddhist texts, air in Italian, a melody in English, and in Hindu translated as goddess parvati.) I feared getting side glances by Indian mothers/fathers and feel some negativity towards an Italian/Irish American naming her half Puerto Rican and Irish/Italian daughter after a commonly used name in their culture. I was and continue to be grateful that they do the exact opposite. They smile, look at me and Arya, and I get a sense of approval almost a feeling of inclusion. Names are just that names and we can take many (I met a woman who was given the name Patricia but being in Switzerland was nicknamed Trixie whereas in America it would be Patty, Tricia, Trish,..). Different cultures, geography, dialects, can all change a name, so I believe names help us figure out who we are, everyone else can f*ck off. I searched through Greek mythology texts, the Bible, Gaelic books, but in the end Arya came from my favorite book A Song of Ice and Fire and it suits her perfectly. Vidushi I love the uniqueness and beauty in your name it fits you perfectly!
This is such a beautiful, thoughtful reply-- thank you so much, Patty. You made my day reading this! So glad to hear that this resonated with you and your own experiences with accent and language. And I think the name you chose was so intentional and powerful, and Arya should be proud to carry it with her always. Much love.
Beautiful!
thank you so much!
Dear Mishti/Vidushi, this is so beautiful! Your parents were absolutely right in giving you the names and you absolutely live up to both of them - having so much 'wisdom' and thoughtfulness (beyond your years), as well as being so 'sweet' and innocent (despite your years!! Hahahaa!!!) God bless you, dear! Look forward to reading more from your end ❤️❤️❤️
You make me smile! Much love, and I can't wait to send more stories soon :)
Beautifully crafted, meaning of misthi so well thought. All the very best for all your future endeavours. Great beginning.GOD Bless
Thank you for the kind words, I very much appreciate this!
Loved every word...written and spoken....you’ve made it more interesting with the background content as you spoke. It’s a heartwarming expression of something obviously close to your heart. I particularly loved the sentence, “ We both used the Hindustani....left for new cities”. You’re gifted with the power of expression. God bless!
Thank you, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your close listening and reading. Excited to write and record more :)
Wonderful article on names, languages & accents. A mix of genuine emotions & a lucid style makes it an interesting read.
Note for other readers: If you liked this article, try 'Mumbai Mail Drop #4'.
Thank you so much-- and glad you enjoyed the bombay mail drops too. That one was a particularly fun one to write, exploring all kinds of taxi conversations I had after the first one I mentioned here :)
Mishti your article brought back a favorite memory of Gulzar which I am sharing with you. This one too is beautifully written. I really enjoyed reading and then listening to it.
https://urduwallahs.wordpress.com/2014/03/22/yeh-kaisa-ishq-hai-urdu-zabaan-ka/
Deepak uncle, thank you so much. That is an absolutely beautiful poem-- one that I would love to memorize and keep with me for a long time. I'm so happy you shared this!
Loved reading it, Mishti. Keep writing and delighting the readers. Neelabha
p.s. Met your mamma, for a very short duration in the company of some other friends, during her Delhi stay on the day POTUS was roaming around. We had a wonderful time. Bye. All the best.
Thank you so much for reading and dropping a note back! It must seem like aeons ago that you both crossed paths in Delhi, given all that has changed. I am glad you got to see each other before all this!
Thank you, dear friend <3 I think it's a clunky process that I will never quite figure out, but I think I'm making my peace with that. Have you felt similarly?