<p>
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=bc3f134ea3&view=att&th=147c738735f746ac&attid=0.3&disp=emb&realattid=ii_hyqcavj23_147c7125b21f0304&zw&atsh=1" alt="" width="342" height="456" /> </div>
<p>
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=bc3f134ea3&view=att&th=147c738735f746ac&attid=0.6&disp=emb&realattid=ii_hyqcavdy2_147c7125b21f0304&zw&atsh=1" alt="" width="342" height="456" /> </div>
<p>
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=bc3f134ea3&view=att&th=147c738735f746ac&attid=0.1&disp=emb&realattid=ii_hyqcav8a1_147c7125b21f0304&zw&atsh=1" alt="" width="342" height="456" /> </div> </div>
<div class="gmail_default">
This was between meeting a group of Santosh’s friends for Philz coffee and a walk around the Infinite Loop and meeting more of his friends in Zenny, an Ethiopian restaurant in San Jose. We had some interesting conversation because they travel a lot. We also saw a model of Apple’s Mothership which is under construction.
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
We got home late and woke early the next morning to go to the temple forAvaniAvattam/Upakarma. It was optional for me but I went anyway and my interest in chanting returned. Some close friends have been pointing out how I talk about religious things more often nowadays. I guess there are a lot of festivals this month – I did a simple version ofVaralakshmipooja –</p>
<div>
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=bc3f134ea3&view=att&th=147c738735f746ac&attid=0.7&disp=emb&realattid=ii_hyqctq1e5_147c71fc2409f299&zw&atsh=1" alt="" width="342" height="456" />
</div>
<p>
for prosperity of everyone and food for all children. And my second attempt at Mangala Gowri was far more impressive than my first.
</p>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
<div>
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=bc3f134ea3&view=att&th=147c738735f746ac&attid=0.5&disp=emb&realattid=ii_hyqcv0276_147c720addbdd3d1&zw&atsh=1" alt="" width="342" height="456" />
</div>
<p>
Apart from the season, I think it is also because as a married woman I feel more responsibility towards keeping the culture alive. I want my future kids to feel familiar with the smells, sounds, foods and feelings of the traditions and culture. Does it have much to do with my position on faith? I see them as quite separable. Culture stands quite well without its association with faith in god and one’s individual spiritual journey/questions and mental wanderings aren’t affected by several aspects of the culture. Of course this will be different for different people. I see enough cultural loss around me – languages dying out faster than biodiversity even in Europe where they haven’t taken English as their medium of education instruction (eg Plattdüütsch). So what hope is there for Indian culture with language as a key to that door where English is considered ‘cooler’ than regional languages and taught as the first language in so many schools? Santosh and I try repeatedly to speak more Tamil/Kannada but complex conversations happen only in English. I worry about my own role in the disappearance of my culture. Culture is alive not when you learn about it academically but when you live it. So I am trying to do my best to live some of mine.
</p>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
Wow, this is a very long email. I’ll leave you with an interesting related TED talk: <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_ryan_ideas_in_all_languages_not_just_english" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_ryan_ideas_in_all_languages_not_just_english</a>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
Looking forward to hearing from you.
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
Affectionately,
</div>
See also