#WhyDoWe

Vaishali A. Patel

Oct 10, 2021
2 min

Pitrupaksh / Shraadh

#WhyDoWe Do you know what Pitrupaksh or Shraadh is?⁠ ⁠ If you grew up in a Gujarati home, chances are you saw your elders or parents offering "Kheer" and "puri" to crows once a year in the memory of your ancestors and grandparents who have passed on. This 16-day period right before Navratri is dedicated to remembering and thanking our immediate ancestors. In this time we also thank all the sages, saints and rushis who dedicated their lives to learning, guiding and making the

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Vaishali A. Patel

Oct 9, 2021
1 min

Feeling Better When Dressing Better

#WhyDoWe I recently discovered something I had no idea about myself:⁠ ⁠ I actually feel better when I LOOK better! ⁠ For me, that means no longer just grabbing whatever old thing happens to be in my closet. It means making conscious choices and being sure I fill my closet with beautiful clothes, as well as the purely utilitarian ones. ⁠ Interested in my finds? Follow me on LiketoKnow.It where I share everything with you! For years, I thought taking care of others around me wa

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Vaishali A. Patel

Oct 8, 2021
1 min

Desi Calendars

#WhyDoWe Have you heard of a "Datto" Desi calendar?⁠ ⁠This is another example of "tell me you are Desi without telling me you are Desi"! Many Desi homes, especially Gujarati homes, will have a version of a Desi calendar in their house. Adults often like to know the "teethi" and "taarikh"(dates) for certain festivals and celebrations through out the year. ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ We used to receive a parcel from our family in India every year right around Diwali (Indian New Year) with "Mithai"(s

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Vaishali A. Patel

Oct 7, 2021
1 min

Janmashtmi Celebrations

#WhyDoWe What did Janmashtmi Celebrations look like when you were younger?⁠ ⁠ For me, it was staying up untll midnight, welcoming the birth of Krishna bhagwan with "Nand gher aanand bhayo, jai kanaiyaa laal ki" with manjira, tabla, breaking the dahi haandi (mataki) or krishnaji's favorite maakhan hanging way up high, human pyramids, lots of abeel and gulaal throwing, bhajans chanting, singing all day long and eating Panjari and other delicious treats as prasaad! This is what

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Vaishali A. Patel

Oct 6, 2021
1 min

Dressing in "chaandalo" or "bindi"

#WhyDoWe Tell me you are Desi without telling me you are Desi.⁠.. ⁠ One of the things I looked forward to as a young girl in the 80s - 90s during Garba was getting to dress up and put on my "chaandalo" or "bindi". Putting on make up was not an option, as one of my Pappa's friends used to say, "Chhoti bacchiyaa make up nahi lagaati". Man, did we get creative with the bindi game though! There was a time where they sold these small pots with liquids in them with stamps and we wo

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Vaishali A. Patel

Oct 5, 2021
1 min

Are you just in it to win?

#WhyDoWe Are you part of the race? Do you care if you win or lose?⁠ ⁠ During one of my morning readings recently I came across this little gem of a phrase in Gujarati:⁠ ⁠ "મારે હરિફાઇમાં નથી ઉતરવું, ખાલી જોવું છે કે કોણ પહેલો આવ્યો અને કોણ હાંફી ને થાકી ગયો"⁠ ⁠ Maare Harifaai maa nathi utrarvu, khaali jove chhe ke kon pehelo aavyo ane kon haafi ne thaaki gayo.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ There is more to life than simply winning or losing. We all strive to be the "BEST" at what we do, we want to be

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Vaishali A. Patel

Aug 19, 2021
1 min

Familiar Desi Indian Phrases

#WhyDoWe What is a Desi phrase you heard all the time growing up?⁠ ⁠ "MARA MATHA PAR MOOK"⁠ ⁠ Whenever I asked my mommy where should I put something growing up, that's the answer I usually got... "Put it on your head!"😃 There are quite a few phrases like this that are part of our daily vocabulary as Gujarati folks! Others I hear all the time include:⁠ ⁠ 💮 Tel levaa jaa (Literally go get oil, meaning do whatever you want)⁠ 💮 Maathu naa khayish (Stop eating my head - leave m

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Vaishali A. Patel

Aug 19, 2021
1 min

Going All-Out for Birthdays

#WhyDoWe So, tell me you are Desi without telling me you are Desi. 🤣🤣 ⁠ For the longest time I thought this is how everyone in the world celebrated their birthdays! At Desi birthdays, you see people actually feeding the cake to the birthday boy or girl (even when they are much much older, like 90 something!). You will hear "your turn, now you feed her/him" and then take a picture with that person. ⁠⁠ ⁠ The "Happy Birthday to you" song is not enough. "Baar baar din e aaye...

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Festivals and Celebrations during Shraavan Mahino

Vaishali A. Patel

Aug 19, 2021
4 min

Festivals and Celebrations during Shraavan Mahino

#WhyDoWe NAAGPANCHAMI Many of us are scared of snakes. That makes sense, as many snakes are poisonous! However, in a farming country like India, snakes are important for farmers as they keep rodents and other creatures away from the fields. In Gujarati, "Saap" is snake and "Naag" is a Cobra. In the Hindu religion, Naag and Seshnaag are considered very important. It is believed that Brahma created Seshnaag, Shivji and wore it around his neck. Vishnuji rests on Seshnaag in the

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Vaishali A. Patel

Aug 17, 2021
1 min

Do you own a Saavarani?

#WhyDoWe Tell me you are Desi without telling me you are Desi... ⁠ If you own a "Saavarani" "zaadu" or "peenchhi" raise your hand ✋🏾 This particular broom is a little different than the ones you see in western homes. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the actual type of Saavarani we grew up with but this one is close enough. ⁠🧹⁠ When I was younger I was rebellious (Yes, shocking I know 😄), one of the ways my mom used to love to discipline me and my siblings was using

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Vaishali A. Patel

Aug 17, 2021
2 min

Shraavan Mahino

#WhyDoWe What was self care and meditative life like for our grandparents? ⁠ ⁠ SHRAVAN MAHINO - Shraavan Month. Google may say it started in July, however per our Gujarati calendar it begins August 9th 2021. ⁠ Imagine a young couple working hard in the fields and at home, living with an extended family. Hard, labor-intense work in the fields for the man of the house, while the woman maintained and held the house front with children and elders in the house. The monsoon season

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Vaishali A. Patel

Aug 17, 2021
2 min

Share Your Debt and Sorrow

#WhyDoWe Would you tell people in your circle if you were in debt or terminally ill? ⁠ ⁠ “Dukh ane dard ek beejaa saathe vehchavu” (Share your sorrows and your debts with others) is a saying in Gujarati. ⁠ ⁠ I hear this often from our grandma. We as Desi people are a tight knit community, and we are there for each other in the times of our needs. Ma’s intention behind this phrase is that when you are experiencing pain or sorrows alone, it is easy to get caught up in our fears

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Vaishali A. Patel

Aug 17, 2021
1 min

Rotli

#WhyDoWe Tell me you are Desi without telling me you are Desi... Rotli no dabbo - Roti dabaa⁠ ⁠ I remember when we spent our summers in my Dada's house in the small village, there were no rotli no dabbo because they only made fresh rotlis, and we ate what we ate and shared the rest with the workers. There was no need to store them. In the city where we lived, it was necessary to have a container with a lid to keep the rotis fresh and warm. My mom had a round, stainless steel

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Vaishali A. Patel

Aug 17, 2021
1 min

Do You 'Act' Your Age?

#WhyDoWe "Act your age"⁠ "Aa ummare aa badhu naa sobhe ("This doesn't suit you at this age")⁠ ⁠ "At this age focus on Bhakti, raising kids, running a charity....blah blah"⁠ ⁠ I used to think: what do I know about fashion or style, or why would anyone care? The truth is, I am loving and discovering this side of me that truly enjoys good, sustainable, carefully and lovingly created fashion. Is it too late for me to explore this? Some may think or say so, but here is the thing,

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Vaishali A. Patel

Aug 17, 2021
2 min

Oombaraa Pujan

#WhyDoWe Have you seen women around you cleaning the door frame (Oombaro) and putting kumkum dots or divo by it?⁠ ⁠ Why do we do "Oombaraa pujan" as Hindus?⁠ ⁠ In Bollywood movies, we have all seen the images of a married woman entering her new homes for the first time and kicking the Kalash filled with rice inside the house by taking a step with her right foot in the doorframe. One of the beliefs is that Grains (anaaj or Dhaan) was considered a sign of prosperity, and as the

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Vaishali A. Patel

Aug 17, 2021
2 min

Raising Daughters Like Sons

#WhyDoWe "I have raised my daughter like a son” (Maari dikari ne dikaraa ni jem moti kari chhe) hmmm... How about “I have raised my son like a daughter”? (Maaraa dikaraa ne dikari ni jem moto karyo chhe”⁠?) ⁠ Progressive Desi parents say this with pride that they are so open-minded that they are raising their daughters to be independent, to be educated and to earn their own livings. Traditionally, in a patriarchal society, women or girls stayed at home, cooked, cleaned, raise

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Vaishali A. Patel

Aug 17, 2021
2 min

Judging Those Who Don't Speak English

#WhyDoWe We look the same, we dress the same, we eat the same food, then why do you say he is Bengali, Sri Lankan, Pakistani? And why are we called Indian?” my little nephew asked this question one day.⁠ ⁠ It got me thinking how did some people who thought of themselves as superior to everyone else, came to a new land and spliced it up in different parts. Before the British invasion, we were a one big large nation and a force to be reckon with. ⁠ ⁠ You have to give it to the

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