Blog Archives

The “Colombo Bharathas”: A Merchant Community  Joe “Malli” Vaz *** The ghosts of forgotten family histories haunt the children of immigrants, pressing us to take on the role of scribes to recover and record those enduring tales implanted deep within our childhood memories. Iruthamma De Votta kin Source:Thuppahis This experience loosely corresponds to what social scientists studying diasporic identity describe as an interesting rule of three: The first generation to immigrate tries to “blend in,” often leaving their traditions and culture behind. Their children—the second generation, who are born in the new country—become superficially curious about their identity and ancestry. But surprisingly, it’s the third generation that struggles to figure out who they are and where they came from, showing a strong desire to connect with the old country, language, culture and cuisine.  Periamma In the arc of my family’s narrative, the generations of my great- grandparents and grandparents have been the ...