Slice Of My Life Poem by Agastya Jain

India is like a pendulum
With one extreme Punjab and other Kerala
Distance wise they are 2830 km apart
Culturally they are like chalk and cheese
Punjab and Kerala both are mine

Born in Patiala to a Punjabi father raised by a mallu mother
What should I do?
Should I celebrate Christmas or Diwali
Should I eat idli or chole bhature
Should I wear a mundu or a kurta pajama
Should I do kathakali or bhangra
Should I believe in Jesus or one of the millions of Hindu gods
Punjab and Kerala both are mine

My Dadi's meals sound like a rhyme eat eat eat
My Nani's meals are like a set menu idli or dosa
My Dadi's only project is to get her grandson married in a big fat Punjabi wedding
My Nani's pet project is about where my career is heading
My dadu settles for nothing less than an Armani shirt and a Rolex watch
My nanu's extreme indulgence is in a new white shirt and a mundu
Punjab and Kerala both are mine

Proud to be studying in a world class Gujrati school
Lucky to be raised in cosmopolitan Delhi
Getting the best of both genes from Punjab and Kerala
And the best of these extreme cultures
There is never a dull moment in my life
Balancing my nanu' s quiet austere beliefs and
My dadu's ostentatious indulgences
I am truly humbled to part of the awesome 1.4 billion diverse population of this great country
Punjab and Kerala both are mine

Agastya Jain