Wow, I can’t believe I am writing my last blog. Time flies! My entire blog is centered about the theme “A Girl in Translation” where I explored all my passions and interests through the perspective of the younger-me back in Mumbai and the current me at Penn State University. And how a girl in translation came to be is through Travel! I love traveling, seeing new destinations, meeting new people and spending quality time with your loved ones whether it is a trip to Europe (which I haven’t been to yet) or simply a road trip to D.C.
“Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection,” Lawrence Durrell once said. I have found the above statement to be truly very powerful and true! This can be viewed from the view of trips to places or in my case, the entire moving to a new place experience. If you recall from my first blog post, I was really reluctant to moving to the US back in eight grade because sure there were great opportunities here but leaving all my loved ones behind was really tough for me. With the exception of a few adventurous souls here, it is human tendency to be reluctant to change and leaving things that we are very familiar with and fond of. But today, I can gladly say it was all for a wonderful reason and I have developed in ways that I never would have had I not gotten out of my all-the-familiar and comfy Mumbai life. I have actually learned a lot about myself and have a more lucid perception of myself than ever before. It has also given me a very broad and better-developed perspective on the world.
Martin Buber once said, “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” I can absolutely testify for Buber’s statement based on my own experiences! When I started school in Long Island, NY, I had no idea what I was in for. But within two months before I moved to PA, I had formed such a close bond with all my friends and teachers there and same with my school in PA.
Everyone says there are better opportunities here as the reason why we moved but I couldn’t have possibly imagined all the wonderful things I have been exposed to and been able to do – Never held a tennis racket in my hand and now it is one of my biggest passions; lived my dream by being in the OR and observing a surgery that one day I aspire to perform; and many other little things like being able to speak Spanish, go caroling, be at a football games with 120,000 people and much more. Most importantly, I met some of the best people that I wouldn’t even know the existence of had I not moved out of my little shell!
And now, here at Penn State, I couldn’t be any happier! Dreading the “new girl” image for the past few years, I missed being a core part of a group and having the connections I shared with my friends back in Mumbai and I am thrilled to say that I can’t complain anymore! I have discovered my Mumbai right here at Penn State among the daily banters and laughter of my dearest friends!
Thank you for reading about this Girl in Translation! 🙂
India’s literacy rate ranks 168th among the 234 countries. Only 66% of India’s population is literate compared to over 80% of most other countries. India ranks 105 among 128 countries in terms of Educational Development Index (EDI). Despite these poor rankings and statistics, there are fewer things that receive more importance and attention than education in India today. Education is at the core of most conversations; a measure of a person’s standing in society.
Being a student in both India and the US, if there’s any one topic I can shed light on the most, it is the educational system and values. To start off, kids usually start their education an year earlier on average; this is why most Indian immigrant kids are usually the youngest ones in their respective grades. The educational ladder is similar to the one in the US, with a few modifications: Kindergarten (except it is split into two years: Junior and Senior kindergarten), 1st through 4th is considered primary school (equivalent to elementary school), 5th through 12th is considered secondary school (a combination of middle school and high school), college for 3 years for a bachelor’s degree, followed by 2 more for a master’s, and it obviously varies for a specific profession (For instance, in medicine, they usually receive a MBBS degree before attaining a MS/MD).
Some major differences include the following: 1. Class sizes which are double to triple the class sizes here (yes, overpopulation is to blame). 2. Students don’t move around; it is the teachers who do. 3. You don’t get to pick your classes, it is the same for everyone. 5. Private schools are often more common and prestigious than government schools (public); the opposite is true for colleges. 6. Education takes up a huge part of your expenses and thus many who can’t afford the fees either don’t end up in schools or the schools that they end up in, aren’t the best ones. 7. There are three different systems – SSC, ICSC and CBSC (listed in increasing order of prestige, quality and difficulty). 8. Tutoring for over 2-3 hours daily outside of school is the norm.
Some negatives of the education system in India:
-Corruption/Bribery: Even though most of the people are honest and sincere, those few dishonest ones are quite widespread and thus give rise to such trends.
-Suicide rates: India ranks among the top most countries when it comes to suicide rates; a student commits suicide about every 2.5 hours. Students die more often from suicides than from deteriorating health conditions.
– Overpopulation ->> Crazy Competition! It is SO hard to get into a good university because you can be off by 0.01% and still rank 100 places below someone because there are so many in between.
– One exam determines your future; there aren’t as many assignments and projects to buffer your grade. Because of these pressures and the crazy competition, cheating is so common.
The One Size Fits All Phenomenon
”For a fair selection, everybody has to take the same exam: Please climb that tree” (Contestants include a monkey, an elephant, a fish, walrus, and a fox). People aren’t allowed to create their own schedules/choose their unique paths.
Some Positives:
-Sharp Memory: You will find that most of the Indian students will have a really sharp memory power because the schools make them memorize so many things like the periodic table, multiplication tables (over 20 sometimes), etc. One of my friends here at PSU, who is from Delhi, can tell me the Molar Mass of Tellurium without ever looking it up.
-Susceptible to taking pressure and/or better at grasping new things.
– No loopholes – study all three tiers of sciences, languages, etc. One size fits all may not be very appealing but it does educate you and make you well-rounded.
-Pushed harder/not spoon fed at all- more prepared for the real world!
– They have projects and presentations, too and are integrating more and more application based assignments and volunteering, etc. these days.
– More awareness regarding the negatives of the educational system is being raised through media and other mediums. For example, the movies Taare Zameen Par (Stars on the Ground) gives us insight on the adult driven, competitive educational culture by portraying the life of a dyslexic, yet highly talented kid’s life and struggles. Another blockbuster, 3 Idiots, highlights the narrow-mindedness of the society in regards to education and urges the need to change the educational system but with a very heart-warming story line and witty humor.
I love the education system here and it didn’t take me more than a few months to get adjusted to it either. I think it is very fair and plausible; I love the fact that the main focus isn’t simply on getting stellar grades but on actually having a thorough understanding and interest in the subject. I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to pursue my education here in the United States and of course more importantly at The Penn State Schreyer Honors College.
It was the summer of 2009. A regular Thursday afternoon. I was sitting in the drawing room painting my magenta aster; things were running in their routine motion, until the serene silence was suspended by my older cousin’s joyful proclamation, “It’s final: I just bought five tickets; we are going to the Law of Attraction workshop this weekend!”
….Hmm. “THE LAW OF ATTRACTION workshop. Should be interesting!” I thought to myself. Now I have always loved reading quotes on BrainyQuote.com, and motivational novels like “Nobody’s Perfect,” but never had a chance to attend such a seminar before. But after attending this mind-power workshop and watching the movie “The Secret,” I have truly fathomed the meaning underlying my all-time-favorite quote, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
I believe in viewing life through lens of optimism and attracting the desired outcomes through positive thoughts and emotions. I see it as a matter of choice: I can moan over getting a speeding ticket on a dull, rainy day, over a relationship that didn’t work out, over a rejection letter from the school of my dreams, or I can be grateful for dodging a potentially fatal accident, think that perhaps that relationship didn’t work out for the better, and that maybe I got rejected because I was meant to flourish at some other great university. Either way, the reality may not change. But, the latter choices can definitely enhance the coming experiences.
Many times, such concepts are scoffed upon as “self-help nonsense.” But I believe in it because I have witnessed it firsthand.
In 9th grade, I had to make a “Life Poster” including 15 goals that I want to have accomplished in my life. Of course, becoming a neurosurgeon, having a big-fat Indian wedding, and buying a house on the lake-side are not things that can be achieved overnight. But thanks to the positive approach strategy, ALL the short term goals have been accomplished. Here are a few examples to give you an idea.
I had never held a tennis racket in my hand until the week before my tennis tryouts! Every day, I would go out on the courts and fail. My uncle urged me to quit. But I believed that I would improve and make the team. And this is Methacton Girls’ Tennis team we are talking about– Pac 10 Champions for 6 consecutive years. That year the team had the highest tryout rate in the entire decade. It was nearly impossible and yet, it happened! I made the team and have improved tremendously since that day!
I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be a part of one of the top high school sports teams had I let myself be disappointed during practice and not kept an optimistic outlook.
Another such incident: One day, as I was looking through the Course Planning Guide, I spotted a section captioned “Senior Awards Night.” The little-ambitious-freshmen in me had fantasized the event way beyond proportions. It was a dream to be recognized at the event and although the event was predominantly for seniors, I was one of the very few to have been awarded as a junior.
Public Speaking is not most people’s favorite activity. In fact, most people dread it. This is because we despise being in the spot light where people can notice and potentially judge our each and every move. What if we blank out in the middle of it? What if we pronounce words wrong? What if we make a fool of ourselves in front of ALL of our classmates? It’s a scary thought. So when it came time for our RCL speeches, I, like almost all of us, wasn’t quite thrilled. But there are certain things we could do (which a lot of us did) in preparation to help us reduce the chances of the above mentioned incidences occurring.
To begin, content obviously matters; one should make sure that their speech/presentation is full of substance and valuable points, and includes a thorough analysis of the artifact. However, when it comes to speeches and presenting, content alone doesn’t cut it. As they say, it’s not all about what you say, it’s about how you say it!
Certain strategies work better than others in keeping the audience captivated and delivering the message effectively. These include having a visual aid such as a video, a power point, or even a simple picture because that provides the audience some basis to go off of. Secondly, we all get slightly shaky and sweaty standing in front of the class, but if we let the audience see through that, the nervousness sometimes takes over their entire presentation. Thirdly, stronger and more articulate (varying pace and tone) voices had a greater impact on the audience than those softer and lower in volume. Lastly, even though we all tend to do this to some extent, saying “um” instead of other filler words seemed to be a common pitfall that could be avoided. Making frequent eye contact was one of the very crucial factors of the speech as well. Finally, it all comes down to repeated practices! Practice really makes a huge difference; you could distinguish between the ones practiced really well and those that needed some more. PRACTICE makes PERFECT! 🙂
Namaste! Hello! Ni Hao! Same message presented in so many different sounds and characters! That’s the magic of languages. Growing up in Mumbai, one of the most multicultural cities of India, I was exposed to many different regional languages including the national language of Hindi, the state language Marathi and my mother tongue Gujarati. Each of my friends would speak a different language at home or at least a different dialect. Research has proved that as children we are capable of grasping an ample amount of information and this ability diminishes over time; language is the perfect example of such an ability – It is much easier to develop linguistic skills or learn a new language at a younger age. So, speaking 4 languages (the three mentioned above and English from school) at the age of four/five, I have developed a deep sense of love and fascination towards different languages and cultures.
We don’t always think about it (and take it for granted) but Language is such a precious gift to mankind! It helps us not only get our message across and communicate with others but it creates a strong connection among people on the basis of their shared language/culture. If we were living in our native, homogeneous society, someone speaking the same language as us wouldn’t be a surprise, but since we are in America: how often have you met someone you speaks your native language (other than English, perhaps Swedish) and gotten excited and asked them where they are from? How they speak so fluently? When did they move here (if they did)? There is an automatic sense of belonging! Language also gives us so much variety – even if you only speak English, just the mere exposure to all these other exotic languages like French and Spanish is so fascinating – the charming accents, the embedding of phrases (Bailando/Shakira) in songs, the different sounds, and for some even learning curse words in different languages. Some fun facts about Languages: According to Google, “There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the world today. However, about 2,000 of those languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers. The most popular language in the world is Mandarin Chinese. There are 1,213,000,000 people in the world that speak that language.”
You’d think I already spoke (and could write and read in) four languages before I came here, so an additional language wouldn’t scare me. Well, it did! Because the ones I spoke at home were different languages (not dialects) but still were quite similar to some extent – I could mix up a word or two and it wouldn’t hinder the ability of the other person to grasp what I meant. Until I moved to Long Island, I don’t think I had ever even heard of Spanish….I am aware of how surprising and sad it is. So, even though I was in eighth grade, they placed me in seventh grade Spanish for obvious reasons. The first week was an absolute nightmare! I had no clue what Señora was going on and on about for days, even weeks! So then I would go home and just religiously study the glossary to learn as many vocabulary words as I could. And then when I moved two months later to a new school, I was placed in eighth grade Spanish. I was surprised myself over time, how much I fell in love with the class, the language and the culture! A big chunk of credit goes to my amazing Spanish teachers: they were nothing but the best! I don’t know how this miracle happened (after missing almost a semester), but at the end of the year, I ended up with the highest average in my grade and was awarded as “The Spanish Student of the Year”.
And currently, I am planning on minoring in Spanish and also going to Panama over the spring break through Global Medical Brigades. So, explore new things, different cultures, different countries, authentic foods, because you never know what you might fall in love with!
No one thing makes me happier than food. Well good food. (Sleep can be considered a competitor). Just like languages, food is something very central to every human on Earth no matter what continent they live on or what culture they are a part of. Besides some overlap (stemming from our worldliness and openness to explore new cultures), each country/region has its own unique set of foods representing the rich flavors of its culture, similar to a language or dialect.
Indian food can go two ways: some people absolutely love it while some, not so much: too sweet or too spicy! But you will rarely find someone call it bland or tasteless. Spice is the secret! There are over sixty different spices that are used in everyday cooking; encompassing everything you can think of as “taste-yielding” from salt, sugar, turmeric, black pepper, red chili, asafetida, cloves, mint, ginger- garlic (yes, we consider them spices), saffron and much more. No wonder the intense smell of Indian food is renowned throughout the world. Also, the amount of variety is incredible – whether you want sweet, salty, spicy or sour! Part of the reason is because there is an even proportion of vegetarians and non-vegetarians whose needs and preferences need to be fulfilled. Moreover, the regional diversity adds to the wide variation; each state has its own taste. Going from the far north to the southern part of India, one will barely find any resemblance in the ingredients and spices of the dishes. Some names you might be familiar with, include Samosas (the triangular shaped fried or baked “pastry” stuffed with potatoes, onions, peas, etc.), Tandoori Chicken, Paneer/Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan, and Chicken Biryani. But these aren’t even the fifth of the dishes we eat in our daily lives! (For those who are well-acquainted, my personal favorites are Pav Bhaji, Indo-Chinese- Manchurian, Pani Puri, Jalebis and Gulab Jamun).
Also, there is NO such thing as curry! It took me almost five years to comprehend what people were referring to when they uttered the word “curry.” There may be over hundreds of various dishes that may fall under that label and yet have little to do with each other. So, according to Wikipedia, anything including “meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish, either alone or in combination with vegetables,” “wet or dry,” seasoned with “coriander, cumin and turmeric” can be classified as curry. Oh, it could be completely vegetarian too! Defines it so precisely. Just a few months ago, I discovered that there is a thing called curry powder in the market for preparing Indian cuisine and I was so surprised! How could they “auto tune” all those dishes with a single “curry” flavor?
Surviving the past five years being a vegetarian wasn’t a big feat, but it was no piece of cake either! I lived at home for the most of these years where my mom cooked for me so that was no trouble but whenever I would go out with friends at places like Five Guys or Chick-fil-A (where all our school fundraisers used to be), all I could really get were French fries and a veggie sandwich (which usually is below the acceptable standards, assuming they are not used to making many of those for their customers). But, so far I haven’t had not-having-any-options dilemma at the dining commons here; they really try to incorporate everyone’s needs for which I am really glad and grateful. I have always loved Mexican and Italian food, (in addition to Indian of course) but in the past few months I have explored and tried many different cuisines like Japanese, Thai, authentic Chinese and have loved the experiences! So, go try out new foods, you might just discover your love for a new taste. If you might be interested, there are two Indian restaurants downtown that I have been to five times already – India Pavilion and Kaarma. (P.S. I recommend the previous one). Hope you enjoy the pictures below 🙂
Color makes life so beautiful! No one likes a dull, gloomy day but you’d rarely meet someone complaining about rainbows, sunlight, colorful autumn trees. Well, I too have always held a deep love for colors – in all forms, but today I am going to talk about my passion for art! In the wise words of Robert Liu, “It’s a requirement for every Asian girl to be good at art.” [I know what you are thinking – Indian is Asian]. I am absolutely no prodigy at art but I genuinely enjoy it and do it with all my heart and hence it usually turns out all right.
I was in nursery/pre-school when my parents discovered my love for drawing – I’d draw on the walls, the desks, clothes – everywhere! So, my parents and an older cousin would enroll me in local drawing contests or art fests, just for the fun of it. And every once in a while, I’d win a certificate or a little prize. In second grade, they put me in an art class but that only lasted for a month or so because all they would do is give you pictures to look at and draw from. So, my real inspiration for art and all the crafty things I did came from my best friend, Nivedita! She is four years older than me; we lived in the same apartment complex for more than 10 years; we have been there for each other through thick and thin. She is a natural! She just started her career in photography and is amazing at every form of art you can imagine (including dance and cooking, and the credits for what I know about them also go to her). We would set up “Arts and Crafts classes” where she would teach us sketching, drawing, painting with different type of paints, calligraphy, and create things like pencil holder, wall hangings, portfolio covers, greeting cards, etc. out of seemingly waste material like ice-cream sticks, book covers, and other decorative material.
Finally in seventh grade, I decided to join the mini bandwagon of a few of my best friends and prepare for the Elementary and Intermediate Art State Exam. It comprised of a year-long art class where they prepared one for the six different topics on the test– (Pictures attached)
Memory Drawing (drawing a scene described in the prompt; usually involves human figures)
Nature Drawing (flowers)
Design (you are given what to use: ex. 3 lines, 4 curves, 2 circles, 1 triangle, etc. and you create a unique design using those items)
Still Life (a few items such as a bucket, towel, fruits, etc. are placed in front of you and you are to use your depth perception to recreate the image on paper)
Free Hand (Usually involves drawing symmetric and curvy objects)
Geometry (Using compass and ruler, you are to create a given design)
The exam is spread over three days (2 topics per day). The last day of my exam was the day I left Mumbai for the USA, so it was really stressful. But, luckily, I got an A and it was all good.
In eighth grade, I had a mandatory art class in middle school and I couldn’t have been happier. We learned calligraphy, origami, painting, sculpting and sketching. I was super delighted that one of my art pieces was placed in the display section. But honestly, after eighth grade, it’s been a real struggle to find time and opportunity to explore and build up on my art skills. Besides any art embedded in school projects and drawing random pictures for my 10 year old brother to paint in, there is barely any artistic activities in my day-to-day life. I do wish sometimes that I had more free time and my best friend from Mumbai to do art with. However, every once in a while, an artistic opportunity appears and my inner passion, or rather thirst, for art is fulfilled again!
If someone were to ask me about my hobbies, the first thing that would pop in my mind would be – DANCE! Dance has been a crucial part of my life these past seventeen years. In the crudest sense, I had started dancing since I was two (as you can see in the picture below). But, it wasn’t until I entered fourth grade, when my parents enrolled me in a proper classical Indian dance class in my neighborhood. No, I don’t do classical dancing. I just like free style. Any form actually. I have been expanding my forms from Garba and Bollywood freestyle to Salsa, Waltz and recently Rumba!
Dance is not just a hobby but a great way of releasing endorphins and thus an awesome stress outlet! I don’t know about you but I am really not into running and consequently, running out of breath. But then again, just like any other teenage girl, I do get upset when that weighing machine goes higher. So dance is the remedy! Keeps you fit without torturing your cardiovascular/respiratory system. Dance also builds up on your creativity too when you are trying to come up with more innovative steps; it also builds on your coordination and motor skills as you try to remember whether you place your right foot first or the left one.
Dance is a great way to entertain and be entertained, as well. Growing up, I and my friends used to choreograph dances together over summers and breaks and then perform them on stage during various festivals (All Indian festivals have some form of dance embedded in them). This brought us a lot closer as friends and taught us how to work together as a team. And one of my biggest obsessions and favorite past times include watching Indian TV Dance Competition shows such as Dance India Dance, Nach Baliye (couple dance shows), and Jhalak Dikhlaja (a celebrity assigned to a choreographer). I get so absorbed in these shows and the boundless potential dance has to convey a message to the viewers.
Dances have an amazing amount of variety – ranging from Salsa to Bharatanatyam to Tango to Ballet! Even among Indian dances, there are so many genres such as Bhangra, Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Garba, and many more. Bollywood movies are incomplete without a dance sequence, however, most of the dances in the movies aren’t real dances, mainly romance sequences. But on a grand scheme, the dances in the movie incorporate all kinds of dance forms up to some extent, but competitive dance shows are a better medium for one looking for some real dance!
So when I moved here and attended school dances, jumping straight up and down or grinding wasn’t really like my type of dancing but then I found some friends that actually believed in dancing and it was all good. In the beginning, it was slightly tough to immerse myself in dance since I didn’t know the lyrics and it is VERY important to know the song well to make the best out of one’s dance experience! And recently I tried out for a Garba Raas team, Ghaamudyaaz, here at Penn State but their schedule seems too tight so I unfortunately decided to back out. However, I routinely go to their Ballroom dance lessons in the white building every Fridays with a wonderful group of friends and couldn’t be happier about it!
If there’s one thing that unites all of us on this campus besides the chant “We Are,” it is our Penn State pride! And a huge part of that pride comprises of our shared love and spirit for the sport of football. No, I am not a huge football fan, although at times, I wish I understood and consequently enjoyed the sport slightly more. But, my point is that sports play a huge role in our lives – whether as a form of entertainment, exercise, hobby, or commitment. They serve as a medium for us to connect with other people based on the common sports we play or follow, the teams we root for, or the players we so diligently support.
Badminton and Tennis are the two sports I am extremely fervent about; one I have played all my life and can even probably play in my sleep whereas the other one I learned from scratch just four years ago. Even though each of the two sports are unique in their own way (one is played with a shuttle cock in the air while the other is played with a tennis ball on the ground), there are many similarities (both use rackets and a net and are mainly hand-oriented sports) which is probably why I could use my skills from one to transition to the other.
Growing up in Mumbai, we would have seasons of different sports – a month of basketball where large guys would dominate our make-shift court, followed by a month of volleyball, then soccer (usually banned during monsoon months; that’s the time for carom, pool, cards, and million other indoor games) and the evergreen badminton! We’d play it late at night after dinner and homework when our parents hung out or went for a walk; we’d play it early in the morning over breaks and summer (yes we would voluntarily wake up early in the morning and get together to play badminton, go cycling, jump ropes, play cricket, etc.); we’d play it any day any time! As much as one would try to score a point against their opponent, the real fun was when the play was in complete harmony – the shuttle cock bouncing back and forth periodically!
So, when I moved to NY and PA, every time I was given the opportunity to play badminton whether in gym class or a graduation party, I never missed a chance and played my heart out. All my friends would always be very impressed and then I would tell them it’s because I have been playing it since I was three. But, quite honestly, I didn’t get that many chances to play it here and I really wanted to play a sport and be a part of a team. That’s when tennis came to mind! How difficult could it be? Doesn’t that involve a racket, too? Little did I know. The summer before freshmen year, I would coerce my dad, other times, my uncles to go practice with me every day. It was a torture to them as I’d play badminton with my tennis ball – hitting the ball towards the corners of the court and making them spring to get it. They’d push me to do better but sometimes would get frustrated and just tell me to reconsider my choice! Nevertheless, I kept going and in the end, all the hard work paid off when I made the Girls’ Tennis Team and progressed my way up through the four years. I wasn’t the best at it and am still not, but I have definitely improved tremendously and I really enjoy the sport.
One simply doesn’t talk about Indian culture without mentioning Bollywood! 😀 Bollywood is the core medium of the emerging culture of India; the nation’s latest clothing trends, music genre, popular issues, everyday lingo can all be gauged from the Bollywood movie running in theatres at a given time. Regardless of whether one falls into the category of people who absolutely adore it, or those who think it is superficially unrealistic and illogical (which it is at times), deep down, it runs in every Indian’s blood, and they know it. Like most young Indian girls, at least those who have spent some part of their lives in India or have been highly exposed to the culture through family and friends, I am madly and blindly passionate about Bollywood. Psychological studies show that there is a very critical period of imprinting in our post-natal development when we grasp on to certain things very quickly which tend to stay with us throughout our lives. Bollywood has been one of the things that has been embedded into me from the very beginning of my existence.
Bollywood, like any other medium of arts, has its genres which range anywhere from romance, comedy, school/college life, sports, history, and real life stories, to social/political issues. And even though story writers are trying to bring fresh and innovative ideas to the table, the norm is hard to eradicate – two guys fighting over one girl or vice versa; no matter the plot, the main hero always ends up marrying the heroine and it all ends happily ever after. Perhaps it may be this euphoric fantasy nature of Bollywood that keeps viewers like me so crazy about it. It’s a nice escape from reality at times where everything you wish would happen, happens and fills you with hope and renewed faith in the world! While on the other hand, most of the movies are based on simple day-to-day lives of people and the latest societal issues, so it brings the viewer even closer to reality and develops a sense of being able to relate.
Bollywood plays a huge role in the lives of Indians everywhere; on average, a college student watches a B-Wood movie in the theaters at least once every two weeks! It serves to entertain, inform, and spread awareness in the most appealing way possible! Bollywood movies would be nothing without their most upbeat, rocking and soul touching music that I can listen to for days without a break, the gorgeous attires and ornate jewelry that adorn the stunning actresses, and the romantic dance sequences! It acts as a connecting thread between Indians not only all over the nation (since India in itself is very culturally diverse) but also all across the globe. You can come across an Indian from Australia or even Nigeria (my best friend whom I met at PSU two weeks ago is a live example), and simply bond over your favorite songs, actors, dialogues, and other B-Wood shenanigans!
Because I was so deeply rooted in the Bollywood culture and was quite oblivious to the outside world until a few years ago when I moved here, the cultural transition was quite challenging. I had a really hard time enjoying authentic, logical and technologically advance Hollywood movies; without the spices and silly dances where the people in the background scene just automatically appear and know all the dance steps out of nowhere, they seemed a little dry at first. The only types I was used to were Disney movies, since I used to watch Hindi-dubbed version of those back home. And the sad part was, I come from Mumbai, one of the biggest metropolitan and westernized cities of India (as close to America as you’d get in India in terms of culture), and so I should have been able to adapt so effortlessly. All of my friends would have had zero problems! (They are still more aware of every TV show, music album and celebrity here than me). I love music in general, and I enjoy all sorts of music but because I couldn’t understand/memorize the lyrics with as much ease, it was always a struggle to completely immerse myself into it. But with time, as I was exposed to more and more of the American culture- music, movies and celebrity gossip- I have indeed started enjoying and appreciating the differences and similarities of the two -woods!
If you would like to try some of the best Bollywood masala movies/clips:
This is the perfect balance of fresh comedy, universal message, and Bollywood-ness:
