IT'S 2023. Meditation is cool, and Punjabis are confused. Why would you be quiet? Why not just find yourself between laughs and 'tikkas' at a buffet table?
Now that I have you hooked with a stereotype, let's get the others out of the way: the wild dancing, the heart on the sleeve, the country bumpkin, the fancy cars, the larger than life weddings. They are all true, but also insufficient. Like Chicken tikka masala is "Indian food" to someone in London, but does not even begin to cover the whole universe of Indian food.
Also, it's 2023. "Culture" is defined as what is trending on Instagram. Food delivery apps get you food from every part of the country. Malls look the same everywhere. You are watching a Korean web series with subtitles. Your grandparents have passed on and wedding rituals have been outsourced to Bollywood. Is there anything Punjabi, Gujarati, Malayali, Bengali or Tamilian about your way of life anymore?
Thankfully, there is. Deep within you. Hardcoded in your DNA. It shows up in the words you speak when pushed to the edge of happiness, sadness or anger. It is in how you dance when no one is watching. It is in the instinctive decisions you ascribe to your "gut feel", the terms of endearment you whisper to your partner, your "comfort food", and your people who feel like home.
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