I am thankful for having the opportunity to know my family in India. As a small child my baba (which means dad in Bangla) always made it a priority to incorporate his native Indian culture into our life in America.  My father came to the U.S. in the year 2000 to start a new life that would help him provide for his large family back in India.  Eventually he started a family with my mom, here in Hawaii. 

Being that I was the first born, from the beginning my baba, and mom went to great lengths to make my childhood as happy and fun as possible, and so we celebrated the traditional American holidays, and in addition we celebrated all of the Indian holidays as well. Some favorites are the Holly Festival of Colors, Durga Puja, and Diwali. The Holi Festival of Colors is an ancient tradition that marks the end of winter and honors the triumph of good over evil. Celebrants light bonfires, throw colorful powder called gulal, eat sweets, and dance to traditional folk music. Durga Puja Holiday is one of the biggest festivals of Bengal and commemorates the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. It unites people from all castes, creeds, and religions to celebrate togetherness through the blessings of Goddess Durga. Diwali is the festival of light a symbol of the spiritual victory of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. 

When I was four years old, we took a to take a trip to India, to visit my baba’s home country, and all of our relatives. It was my first time there. I felt so grateful to have the opportunity to meet the Indian side of my family.  Our journey across the world began with my family packing an abundance of luggage. Three days, and many flights later we reached Kolkata India. Upon our arrival  at the family house I was swept up by many different ecstatic aunties, uncles, cousins, and my grandma. That day was the first time my grandma met me, my baby sister, and my mom. We all immediately felt completely accepted by the family and I soon grew to love all of them. 

Since my first trip to India, over the years, I have been back five times and every moment that I am able to spend there in that amazing place, with those amazing people, I cherish greatly.