This summer--the summer of 2018--  I went to India for one-and-a-half months to attend my uncle’s wedding. For most Indian weddings it is traditional for close relatives of the people getting married to wear exceptionally elaborate gowns or suits. Being a close relative of the groom, I got to wear many extremely detailed gowns during the five days of ceremonies. I did most of my shopping with my entire family at a shop in Mumbai. We bought about sixty-five dresses--some for me, some for my grandmother, some for my aunt, and some for my mother. I chose to write about this gown in particular because it’s my favorite out of the lot and one of the only gowns that I didn’t leave in the village where the wedding was. It also was the only dress I wore outside of India. I thought that wearing it outside of India made it much more representative of how I interact with Indian culture because I interact with it an extremely Americanized way. I’m not experiencing Indian culture the same way my parents who grew up in India do.  For example when I went to India this summer I got to try authentic Indian food and while I was complaining about how spicy it was, my parents were happy that they were finally getting to have food that was sufficiently spicy again. I don’t spend much time in India, but things like clothing, food, and family are the main ways I make that culture part of my life.

– AK

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant