#culture

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
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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Vaishali A. Patel

Sep 24, 2020
2 min

Papadi or No papadi?

If you grew up in a Gujarati household you know what this vegetable or beans are. Many family members outside of India love growing this in their backyard so they can have this goodness fresh out of their gardens. The actual beans inside it have a distinct taste and especially the way this shaak is prepared. Papadi can be green or purple, long, short, small beans and large beans. There is one in particular that is called Surati Papadi and Vaalor Papadi. Cleaning and preparing

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11 Things to remember when marrying into a new Samaaj or community

Vaishali A. Patel

Jan 19, 2020
3 min

11 Things to remember when marrying into a new Samaaj or community

11 things to remember for desis marrying into a different community than your own. Does it matter if you are from the same Samaaj (community)?, when you are thinking of marriage? I know these days it really doesn’t however how do you adjust to your new life and make everyone around your feel included? I was born and raised in Baroda and I am married into a Surati family. So technically I am a Surodian?(😆)I absolutely love being an adopted Surati and learning everything about

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Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 16, 2019
2 min

DON’T YOU JUST LOVE A GOOD STORY?

One of the best ways a culture is passed down is through sharing stories and fables. I remember going to my grandparents’ house in summer vacations and waiting for the afternoon when everyone went for a nap except my great grandma who gathered all the neighborhood kids on her “Otlo”( front porch) and told us all amazing, magical, suspenseful, sometime scary stories. Here are five reasons I believe why we all love a good story: Possibilities: There is or can be another world b

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3 THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN ASSIMILATING IN A NEW CULTURE

Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 16, 2019
3 min

3 THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN ASSIMILATING IN A NEW CULTURE

When I was 16 years old, I came to America. We moved here for good. Many years since, there are distinct memories I carry with me about the first time I landed in the United States: 1. The peculiar smell of the air freshener in the bathrooms 2. The first time I tried cheddar cheese 3. How clean everything looked A somewhat surreal experience, it felt much like I was transported to a movie set in downtown Los Angeles, complete with bright lights and people who actually followe

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LEARN NEW THINGS BUT DON’T FORGET THE VALUE OF WHAT YOU KNOW!

Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 13, 2019
1 min

LEARN NEW THINGS BUT DON’T FORGET THE VALUE OF WHAT YOU KNOW!

There is a parable of a villager who goes to the city and learns english. Now he thinks he is superior and uses only english to describe certain words in his daily life. There comes a day where he is on his deathbed. He wanted water and he keeps saying, “Water… Water…”. No one understands what he is asking for as the other villagers only speak Gujarati. There is a water jug under the dying man’s bed but he dies saying, “Water… Water…”. So goes the saying, ” Water water karta

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Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 13, 2019
2 min

CULTURAL CONNECTION

There is a saying in Gujarati, “ Jya Jya vase Gujarati, tya tya vase Gujarat…” —Where one Gujarati lives, the whole land of Gujarat is there. Living in foreign countries we may identify ourselves with the land we live in, i.e Americans, British, Australian etc. However it is essential to learn your diverse and unique heritage that makes you who you are. We are all immigrants and knowing this makes you more empathetic and kinder towards all the diverse population around us. K

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DORDAA BAANDHAVAA — TYING A BLACK THREAD ON A BABY

Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 12, 2019
2 min

DORDAA BAANDHAVAA — TYING A BLACK THREAD ON A BABY

Gujarati culture is full of unique and special traditions and rituals. As there are many different dialects of Gujarati just in Gujarat, there are different traditions in different parts of Gujarat. Gujaratis love celebrations and to support that there are traditions for everything one can think of. This particular tradition is unique to the southern part of Gujarat, mainly near the district of Surat. As the people surrounding this area are known as Surati people. Dordaa lite

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FIVE REASONS WHY GUJARATIS BOW AND TOUCH SOMEONE’S FEET

Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 11, 2019
2 min

FIVE REASONS WHY GUJARATIS BOW AND TOUCH SOMEONE’S FEET

You know how when you show up at Gujarati gatherings and there are introductions and greetings, there is always that one person or more that bend down and say “Jai shree Krishna” or something similar and touches the elder’s feet? Right away you notice a grin on the older folk’s face. What a “sanskari” (cultured) person they are. There is religious and spiritual significance of doing this and they are completely valid if you are doing it from that perspective. Here are five re

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Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 11, 2019
3 min

GUJARATI WEDDING RITUALS 101

In this blog series we will be exploring different rituals and traditions of Gujarati culture and we shall begin with Gujarati Wedding. There are so many traditions associated with Gujarati weddings as normally it is a 3-4 day affair. Let’s begin with the pre-wedding rituals. Gujarati Wedding Rituals: Engagement Many Gujarati marriages are still arranged. However nowadays couples fall in love or find each other first before they disclose their intention of marrying each other

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SANSKAR GUJARATI NEWS: TRADITIONS EXPLORED

Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 10, 2019
2 min

SANSKAR GUJARATI NEWS: TRADITIONS EXPLORED

In this blog series we will be exploring different rituals and traditions of Gujarati culture and we shall begin with Gujarati Wedding. There are so many traditions associated with Gujarati weddings as normally it is a 3-4 day affair. Let’s begin with the pre-wedding rituals. Gujarati Wedding Rituals: Pithi/Haldi Gujarati weddings are at least 2-3 days long as there are so many different vidhis (rituals) to follow. This is true for all Hindu weddings be it Bengali, Tamil, Mar

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Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 10, 2019
2 min

GUJARATI LANGUAGE: REDISCOVER

Why Gujarati? Gujarati is the 26th most spoken language in the world. There are 65 million Gujarati speakers and growing. For some of us it is our mother tongue or Matru bhaasaa. This is the first language some of us heard when we came into this world. Gujarati is not the sweetest of languages as it can sound rude at times. There are so many different dialects of Gujarati. To name a few, Surati, Kathiyavadi, Parsi, Gamdiyu, Amdavadi, Mehsaana, Charotar, and many others. I hav

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Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 10, 2019
2 min

WHY BOMBAY BECAME MUMBAI

Sanskar Gujarati News: Many of you who travel a lot or read about India know that in the recent years the names of many big cities have changed. I was reading an article in the Gujarati Newspaper Sandesh the other day about this. The British brought with them many wonderful things however failed to appreciate the richness of the land they came to. One of my students whose family is from Baroda asked me what is the Gujarati name for Baroda because that doesn’t sound Gujarati:)

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