5 questions
Mar. 15th, 2007 10:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smittenbyuI have always been bad at asking questions. I don't like doing them actually. Hence, LJ, where people (some of you anyway) just pour your hearts out. So, I thought I try this out. One has to overcome things one doesn't like.
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fugney
1) You've lived in a lot of cities - which is your favourite (apart from Hawaii)? Why?
hmmmm... My life has lived in different cities according to different stages of chidlhood, puberty, and young adulthood. I got lucky. My primary years were in India, Patancheru to be precise, my middle school years was in Rome, high school years in Singapore, and college in Hawai'i, and now work & grad school in Kuala Lumpur. Brazilia was the only odd one out and stayed only 1 year, when I was 4 years old. I remember just bits and pieces and often forget that I have lived there. So, I won't count that in this question.
Patancheru - Agricultural campus really - safety, security, an extended family on campus. Tons of friends, a wonderful childhood! Comfortable home of a city yet midst of agricultural fields where parents never had to fear any of the evils parents often worry about
Rome - international friends, community service, ease of public transport
Singapore - efficiency, friends
Kuala Lumpur - food, driving, friends, food.
That's the things I liked in each place. To pick one place, is tough, but if I really had to choose based on my experiences and the city, I would have to say Rome. Patancheru was absolutely fabulous. It was a childhood that was precious, privileged, and a bit rare in the world of urban growth. It really was, but a lot of it I don't remember, and at that time it was not a city! ;)
Rome is where I came out of my shy shell. I took the bus alone, I made friends on my own, I travelled to Paris with my new classmates without my parents. It was a whole new world and a whole new culture. I also turned from a slightly below average student to a near A student! Studied on my own! Got started in community activities. Learnt a lot about life and it was a time of innocence that turned into maturity. People noticed me, encouraged me. I learnt about feminism, the meaning of being citizen of the world. The sky was no limit. I blossomed ;)
Singapore was safe, efficient, and neat. But it has no charm, no history, no art, and people were polite just when they made some $$. Of course, it's a generalisation and there were some people we met who were just wonderful, but being an Indian from India, and an expat kid going to an international school was the worst combination to be at that time. They claim no racism exists. right. I can't take denial (only I can live in it, you see.. :P).
2) Do you have a favourite song?
Anything by Bon Jovi cheers me up when I am down. JamesBrown's I Feel Good always picks me up. And the Sound of Music soundtrack and more so the movie got me through many sick days over the decades!
3) What did you make of the Telugu mythological movies when you were a kid? What do you make of them now?
Most of the mythological movies I saw were in Hindi. Actually, they were the Hindi series that played on Doordarshan on Saturdays or Sunday mornings. We didn't watch much TV. But I remember seeing the one with NTRama Rao. I was amazed at all the fireworks that followed the clashing of arrows. That was just brilliant and we (kids) spent hours upon hours figuring out how that actually happened! But I believe you are asking more of the movie & the stories told. But yes, as dad being an aetheist, the stories were always shared as stories with a moral at the end but nothing more. A few of them he didn't let us watch as he thought it was rather a load of rubbish. So, I didn't see that many to really answer it in further detail. I was more eager to go out and play.
4) How well can you read and write Telugu?
Not well at all. I didn't take Telugu at school. I took higher Hindi & lower Sanskrit (and that is being useful now that quite a few words in Malay take Sanskrit roots!). I learnt Telugu from grandpa & mom at home during summers. I recognise the letters still and take an hour to read a page. Forget writing! There was a time a few years ago I wanted to pick it up and practice but it hasn't happened. I haven't written in Hindi in decades as well! Atmost is when friends ask how to write their names and that's in Hindi and not Telugu.
5) How much progress do you think women's rights has made in India, and in the Indian diaspora over your lifetime?
There are a few reasons I can't really answer this question:
- When I lived in India, I lived a very sheltered life. The kids on campus were kids of scientists from around the country. Of course, in some cases this doesn't change much. But it had an impact. There was no such thing as "you can't do this because you are a woman", etc. All the women amongst us have grown into career women and wives second. There were of course one or two families that stuck with traditions and the women were married off rather young without being given much of a choice. Even the maid who worked for the many houses, her daughters' lives have improved. They are educated and have gained their independence from abuse and poverty. For myself, dad is different and hence my life has been rather good. And although my extended family is still conservative, women have always had the opportunities to follow their dreams and were treated with the respect, etc. But that's about as much exposure I have gotten.
- As for Indian diaspora, it varies from country to country and the origin of people really. The diversity amongst Indians is just too huge to lump them together. And then again, I didn't have too many Indian friends living abroad and was never immersed in the Indian community living abroad.
- And experiencing life as a child is often different than seeing life through the eyes of an adult. I have experienced and had more female friends living overseas who were abused and had their rights infringed upon. There seems to be more opportunities today than there were back-in-the-day yet there are still places where they haven't changed much in India. But I believe that applies in most places - issues are similar, the expressions are different. India just beats others because of the sheer numbers & volume.
Now you:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "I too am an egomaniac."
2. I respond by asking you five questions. You will answer them, because you like talking about yourself.
3. You will update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
From
fugney1) You've lived in a lot of cities - which is your favourite (apart from Hawaii)? Why?
hmmmm... My life has lived in different cities according to different stages of chidlhood, puberty, and young adulthood. I got lucky. My primary years were in India, Patancheru to be precise, my middle school years was in Rome, high school years in Singapore, and college in Hawai'i, and now work & grad school in Kuala Lumpur. Brazilia was the only odd one out and stayed only 1 year, when I was 4 years old. I remember just bits and pieces and often forget that I have lived there. So, I won't count that in this question.
Patancheru - Agricultural campus really - safety, security, an extended family on campus. Tons of friends, a wonderful childhood! Comfortable home of a city yet midst of agricultural fields where parents never had to fear any of the evils parents often worry about
Rome - international friends, community service, ease of public transport
Singapore - efficiency, friends
Kuala Lumpur - food, driving, friends, food.
That's the things I liked in each place. To pick one place, is tough, but if I really had to choose based on my experiences and the city, I would have to say Rome. Patancheru was absolutely fabulous. It was a childhood that was precious, privileged, and a bit rare in the world of urban growth. It really was, but a lot of it I don't remember, and at that time it was not a city! ;)
Rome is where I came out of my shy shell. I took the bus alone, I made friends on my own, I travelled to Paris with my new classmates without my parents. It was a whole new world and a whole new culture. I also turned from a slightly below average student to a near A student! Studied on my own! Got started in community activities. Learnt a lot about life and it was a time of innocence that turned into maturity. People noticed me, encouraged me. I learnt about feminism, the meaning of being citizen of the world. The sky was no limit. I blossomed ;)
Singapore was safe, efficient, and neat. But it has no charm, no history, no art, and people were polite just when they made some $$. Of course, it's a generalisation and there were some people we met who were just wonderful, but being an Indian from India, and an expat kid going to an international school was the worst combination to be at that time. They claim no racism exists. right. I can't take denial (only I can live in it, you see.. :P).
2) Do you have a favourite song?
Anything by Bon Jovi cheers me up when I am down. JamesBrown's I Feel Good always picks me up. And the Sound of Music soundtrack and more so the movie got me through many sick days over the decades!
3) What did you make of the Telugu mythological movies when you were a kid? What do you make of them now?
Most of the mythological movies I saw were in Hindi. Actually, they were the Hindi series that played on Doordarshan on Saturdays or Sunday mornings. We didn't watch much TV. But I remember seeing the one with NTRama Rao. I was amazed at all the fireworks that followed the clashing of arrows. That was just brilliant and we (kids) spent hours upon hours figuring out how that actually happened! But I believe you are asking more of the movie & the stories told. But yes, as dad being an aetheist, the stories were always shared as stories with a moral at the end but nothing more. A few of them he didn't let us watch as he thought it was rather a load of rubbish. So, I didn't see that many to really answer it in further detail. I was more eager to go out and play.
4) How well can you read and write Telugu?
Not well at all. I didn't take Telugu at school. I took higher Hindi & lower Sanskrit (and that is being useful now that quite a few words in Malay take Sanskrit roots!). I learnt Telugu from grandpa & mom at home during summers. I recognise the letters still and take an hour to read a page. Forget writing! There was a time a few years ago I wanted to pick it up and practice but it hasn't happened. I haven't written in Hindi in decades as well! Atmost is when friends ask how to write their names and that's in Hindi and not Telugu.
5) How much progress do you think women's rights has made in India, and in the Indian diaspora over your lifetime?
There are a few reasons I can't really answer this question:
- When I lived in India, I lived a very sheltered life. The kids on campus were kids of scientists from around the country. Of course, in some cases this doesn't change much. But it had an impact. There was no such thing as "you can't do this because you are a woman", etc. All the women amongst us have grown into career women and wives second. There were of course one or two families that stuck with traditions and the women were married off rather young without being given much of a choice. Even the maid who worked for the many houses, her daughters' lives have improved. They are educated and have gained their independence from abuse and poverty. For myself, dad is different and hence my life has been rather good. And although my extended family is still conservative, women have always had the opportunities to follow their dreams and were treated with the respect, etc. But that's about as much exposure I have gotten.
- As for Indian diaspora, it varies from country to country and the origin of people really. The diversity amongst Indians is just too huge to lump them together. And then again, I didn't have too many Indian friends living abroad and was never immersed in the Indian community living abroad.
- And experiencing life as a child is often different than seeing life through the eyes of an adult. I have experienced and had more female friends living overseas who were abused and had their rights infringed upon. There seems to be more opportunities today than there were back-in-the-day yet there are still places where they haven't changed much in India. But I believe that applies in most places - issues are similar, the expressions are different. India just beats others because of the sheer numbers & volume.
Now you:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "I too am an egomaniac."
2. I respond by asking you five questions. You will answer them, because you like talking about yourself.
3. You will update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
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no subject
Date: 2007-03-15 02:29 pm (UTC)- where is Patancheru? in what state in india? i'm curious.
- i didn't know you are Telegu. i'm Tamil. that makes both of us south indians. :)
- what international school did you go to in singapore? i went to an international school in indonesia and knew a bunch of students in singapore too. also, my family moved to singapore end of 2001 and my sister moved to an international school there (she was at SAS, but then moved to UWC so she could do the IB Program).
no subject
Date: 2007-03-15 02:41 pm (UTC)- I went to the Overseas Family School in Singapore. Also did the IB programme. I tried out for UWC, but was not good enough for them. I have heard UWC has sadly become rather cramped as the government thought it was wasting too much space by taking back a lot of their land back in the 90s! OFS also has its share of problems I believe.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-15 02:40 pm (UTC)And now:
I, too, am an egomaniac.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 03:07 pm (UTC)2. When you were a little boy (ok younger than 10 years), what did you want to be when you grew up? Where did you get that idea from?
3. What does your username (Fugney) originate from?
4. If you won a million bucks, apart from saving the world what would you do with it? I guess the question really is, if money was not an issue what would you do with life? Would it be any different?
5. Why do you read me? (I wasn't kidding when I said I was an egomaniac...
no subject
Date: 2007-03-15 11:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 02:37 pm (UTC)Anyhow, my dad started as a researcher in genetic engineering & plants. Over the years he has become a consultant & works in biodiversity of crops & plants.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 02:43 pm (UTC)