Dr Rani Samuel shares her memories of growing up in India
I wanted to share a few funny things I remember growing up in India.
My first Indian Food experience in the UK
One of my first memories of dining at an Indian restaurant in the UK was the astonishment of seeing “Madras chicken/ lamb curry” on the menu. Having been born and brought up for 23 years in Chennai (formerly Madras), Tamilnadu, I had never once heard the name or tasted a dish called “Madras Curry”. Eagerly I tucked in, to my surprise, it tasted nothing like anything I knew! The waiter said it was a scale of spicy and this was moderate - well I could barely taste the spice. Now I do enjoy a Chicken Tikka from time to time.
Festivals Fanatics
People in India celebrate continually; so many weddings; colours. I remember many school holidays to celebrate Hindu, Muslim, and Christian festivals. Though I was a Christian, I remember celebrating Diwali with firecrackers every year. One of my other favourite Hindu festivals was the Festival of lights called, “Karthika Deepam”, where every house was lit with a series of oil lamps that adorned the windows, walls of homes and were also laid on ornate hand-drawn colourful patterns on floors called “Kolam”. On dark nights to see the flickering flames was fabulous. Another one of my favourite festivals was “Pongal”, this was a Tamil festival to celebrate harvest. A dish named after the festival called Pongal (both savory and sweet) was served in most houses. In other states in India the same festival has different names.
Learning a New Language
So many languages are spoken in India. I speak Tamil in addition to English. Some who live on the border of multiple states, speak 5 to 6 languages. Tamil is one of the oldest Dravidian languages. When I went to study medicine in Mangaluru (Formerly Mangalore), near Goa in the West coast of the Indian peninsula, I had to learn another language called Kannada, so I could speak to the patients. Though phonetically I could pick some of the words, the script was totally different. Thankfully, most people speak English. Growing up in Chennai, Hindi though the National Language was not compulsory to learn in Tamilnadu so I never learnt Hindi (regrettably).
Memories by the Sea
I grew up near Marina Beach in Chennai, which is the second longest beach in the world, situated along the Bay of Bengal Sea stretching across 13 Km. I enjoyed playing in the beach filled with endless sand. In Chennai, the sea is for public use and continues to be lined by colleges and universities along its stretch, instead of hotels. I have visited several beaches in the world but will always have a soft spot for the sandy Marina Beach filled with special memories.
Traditional Fashion
Women continue to wear Sarees which are still handmade. The one I am wearing is a “Kanchipuram silk saree” spun with gold thread. The grand sarees are mostly worn for special occasions. I wore this for my birthday. India is known for its colourful cotton handloom sarees. There are no dress sizes for Sarees, so anyone can wear any saree. I love wearing sarees, though I should confess it takes longer for me to get it right. It does have a majestic feel to it.
I am glad our trust is celebrating South Asian month and I got to share some interesting stories! I love living in multicultural Britain. I love working in my CAMHS team filled with people from all over the world. I feel fortunate and at home here, since people from anywhere can work together and all people are united by love and kindness which are understood by all, even across any language barriers.
