My husband and close friend took part in the Bay to Breakers 12K run in San Francisco. All I have to go by are their tales, and some photographs I saw in the newspapers the next day. But, by all reports, this is one hell of a race: The convention was to wear unconventional costumes, or in some cases the Emperor's finest clothes!
I hail from a community in South India, known to treat mavericks with disdain. It tickled me pink to hold my guns for small things and watch with interest the emotions my sayings evoked. Thankfully for me, my parents just shook their heads and moved on with their lives.
"I don't like flowers on my hair, it gives me a headache", I would protest, to gasps from aunts hushing me into not saying these unconventional things. Imagine a girl child not liking jasmine flowers to adorn her hair? * GASP! *
Or better still: "I don't like jewels, so please don't me make me wear these ornaments!" *By all standards, this was the best, since South India is well-known for its jewel craze, and not liking jewellery was like a cat not liking to eat mice.*
Luckily, I only had to endure this during my school vacations. Hailing from a country, which places unnecessary onus on others opinions of us, and a tradition of blending with the populace, I must say the US was a welcome change in outlook. And to hear about people running around like this, with nary a worry about what others think!
Tut Tut!: Just wait till the oldies in my village hear about this!
2 comments:
he he .. u wud like to know what i did on my wedding day ... I wore some "gold" ornaments in the morning after Puja and then removed them because they were so many of them. I said I will wear them in the night again. Oh My God, you shud have seen the responses of my relatives. My mom only stared hard at me, but my relatives were like I was talking blasphemy. They literally had their hands covering their mouths with a "haw!" :-) I stuck to my guns though. After marriage, I told my mother in law the next morning, I dont wear Sindoor :-). Well, thankfully I have a very nice and understanding mother in law so she just smiled and said, out it sometimes at least in the beginning if you can. Hee hee.
Hahah.. good one
Can't even begin to count the number of things my relatives would go gasping about had they known!!!
"Life is like that" *sigh*....so they would soothe their turmoil filled souls (-:
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