I will be sharing mini snippets of my life as a South Asian during this amazing month. For the first ten years of my life, I was obsessed with my culture. I grew up living in a typical Punjabi household with my Parents, Puah (Aunt), Granny and Baba (grandad). I didn’t go to preschool so I spent all day with my grandparents for five years.

I was taught to speak very fluent Punjabi. I would watch Bollywood movies all day long and episodes of Mahabharat with my Baba. I would dress up in my Granny’s chunnia (scarves) and dance to 90’s Hindi songs haha (that part hasn’t changed at all). I eventually started Infant school. The majority of my classmates were Indian, mainly Gujarati. Here, we were taught about every aspect of Indian culture as well as every other religion and culture which was truly awesome!

I would spend a lot of weekends in Handsworth, Birmingham, especially on Soho Road. That place was like my version of Disneyland. It still has a very special part in my heart. My Nanni would take me to a music store and treat me to the latest Bollywood soundtrack on cassette tape. We’d go to the Gurdwara, have langhar and Nanni would show me off to all of her friends there. I loved chilling with the older ladies,I’ve always been an old soul.

My culture was so deeply ingrained in me, that is, until I became a teenager…

@unleeshd