Sindhu Shivaprasad
Met 2023-02-17 09:00 at ITC Gardenia, 1 Residency Rd, Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru, Bangalore, India.Raised in Abuja Nigeria and loved it. People express themselves loudly, free, spontaneous. Teachers there cared for her well-being outside of school.
Returning to India was culture shock. Needing permission to go to and return from the restroom in school.
This self-consciousness made her retreat into her mind, still to this day.
Lived in Dubai for 5 years. Family loved being away from relatives in India, beyond judgement and involvement.
Lived in Sheffield, relished her independence.
Talked about norms: Nigeria norms, Dubai norms, England norms, India norms. Third culture kid.
She taught me how to put sugar in my tea.
Bought her own home now since this will always be home base.
Go to Himalayas to write a book? Or make her new home have the same placebo triggers to be a place of creative writing?
She’s Kannadiga - a Kannada speaker - rare in central Bangalore now. Taxi drivers speak in Hindi to her and are thrilled when she replies in Kannada.
Tamils protect their culture stronger than Kannada/Karnatakans have. We’re more accepting of others’ culture than others are of ours. To our detriment. Karnataka has great prolific writers and artists, but the culture is not as strong since we haven’t protected it as fiercely as the Tamils.
South Bangalore is more conservative, people who are from here.
Loves the balance of tradition and modernity in Japan.
To be an outsider in a culture is the best because you can reap its benefits, but not be bound by its restrictions.