Journal of a Gulf born NRI

I was born and brought up in Saudi Arabia, and went for further studies to India.

Some of my experiences-

We, Gulf kids were considered to be show-offs by the other people because of our Manglish.(mix of malayalam &English). We spoke Malayalam at home and I had learned to read and write my mother tongue, so it was quite ok for us kids.My Dad was particular about us knowing the culture and language of Kerala.

Going for vacation to our hometown ,was always very exciting ,starting from the shopping, packing, plane journey and all. Unlike nowadays ,we used to have those big suitcases which would be filled with gifts- chocolates, clothes, bags ,perfumes, tiger balm,axe oil,nuts, milk powder, tang etc.

Being able to play outdoors in the courtyard(muttam) was very thrilling for us, who were used to the flat life. Rain, enjoying nature, carrying umbrellas and even wearing flip-flops all added to the fun.

Attending weddings, wearing jasmine flowers(mulla poov) in our hair, Indian party wear, bangles,having henna applied by my Aunt Shajitha and sitting under the sheds(panthal),and having food were all good memories.After that washing our hands in the temporary basins with hanging soaps,getting dirt on our clothes (which we were not used to).

Travelling in jeeps which used to carry a lot of people, also the Maruthi and Ambassador cars were a new experience for us Gulfites.

Eating seasonal organic fruits like Jackfruit and Mango...😋.Having the salted pickles my Aunt Raihana used to make.Eating flattened rice with coconut milk and banana (Avil milk,called Kochu koya in our place). Having early morning black tea with a snack (kaali Chaya) followed by a yummy breakfast.

Going to the famous restaurants of that time-the old Paragon to have Vellapam,Hotel Sagar to have Poratta,chicken curry,beef, Delicacies from Saintha's restaurant near the beach.Going to the Ice-cream parlour after playing in the beach side.😀😋😀.Shopping in S.M street ,having fresh banana chips and black halwa ,which our Kozhikode is famous for.

Going to the beach and eating peanuts, wrapped in cone shaped paper, going to the theatre. Staying at cousins houses, Eating my Grandmom's ( Velliaummachi's) tapioca, staying in the ancestral house(tharawad) where we had so much place to play, are memories I still cherish.

The things I didn't like were the mosquito bites I used to get all over my body.

Even during power cut it was fun to sit around a candle or the emergency light😊.

My cousin sisters Asma and Sahla were my best buddies. We used to play with coconut shells, old bottles, leaves, mud etc. My cousin brothers used to buy the sticky candy for us.Drinking fresh water from the well (since we were used to drinking bottled water in the Gulf).

Our elder cousins used to tell us stories and used to take us to the fields to play. The scenery was breathtaking with green fields.

The time spend with my Aunts and Uncles were also very nice. It was exciting to see my Aunts lighting the old traditional stove(adupp) .Another thing I used to feel amazed with ,was the earrings the ladies used to wear in the olden days(chitt).

My uncle is a writer and lyricist- Kanesh Poonur, so he used to take us to the press, radio stations etc. Our family had started a motorcycle business, another one of my hobbies was riding on the bike with my Uncle(Samad Elapa) or my cousin brother.

After a vacation of 2 months ,it was always very heartbreaking to go back.

Masha Allah my dad has 2 brothers and 4 sisters, so bidding bye to them, my Grandmom and cousins was difficult. My Granddad passed away when I was around six, so I haven't been with him much.

The years went by, I continued my studies in India ,got married and was in Kerala for some years.

The memories I had of Kerala ,my hometown back then, is something I still cherish. Now of course so many things have changed in my hometown and unlike those days connection is mainly online because we are in different places. Before, visiting relatives was lots of fun. Now, although we can keep in touch easily,it's mainly virtual and the only time everyone gathers would be for family meet-ups and weddings.

My Grandparents -