For our first unit in English, we worked with College Essay Essentials, by Ethan Sawyer to write a College essay. This book walked us through the steps to get the perfect essay while also answering the same prompt from this unit: Who am I? I chose to write about my struggle with embracing my culture and how I have overcome that and work to embrace it more and more everyday.
Anjali. My name used to be just a word to me. Due to multiple moves around the world during my childhood, I became exposed to a multitude of cultures. I also became accustomed to a multitude of mispronunciations of my name, from Ann-jah-lee to Onn-jah-lee; I just accepted it. I wished I had a more normal name like Ashley or Emily, and I hated being the girl with oily hair and weird-smelling food. I begged my parents to pack me “normal” lunches like sandwiches or pasta. I lived two different lives; a very “American” life at school and an “Indian” life at home. I struggled to find ways to connect with my friends and family, longing to merge my different lifestyles. No matter how much I tried, I was still “too Indian” at school and “too American” at home—I couldn’t win.
In high school I realized the personal and cultural significance my name held. On the first day of Ninth grade English class, we were prompted to write a short biography on our name. This project allowed me to dive deeper and ask my parents why they named me Anjali (Un-ja-lee) and what it means. I learned how I, and many other Hindus, received their name. A priest assigns you a letter based on the planetary positions at the time and place of your birth. My letter ended up being “V,” and my parents chose Vani. However, my mom already wanted my name to be Anjali, so Vani became my middle name. Exploring the culture behind my name, I became more invested in learning about the Hindu holidays and traditions. More importantly, it rekindled my love for the diversity of design, variety of fabrics, and the intricate design detail inherent to traditional Indian clothing.
One year when my grandmother gave me a new Indian outfit, I decided to wear it to school in an attempt to merge my two “lives” and share an important part of myself with my peers. I was still apprehensive with the idea because I was so concerned about what everyone else would think. My sister helped me realize that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks; just be true to myself. I am beyond grateful that she encouraged me to wear a kurti to school; not only did it push me out of my comfort zone, but I began to bridge the gap between my two “lives.”
Similarly, with my name, I wore my culture proud to show it off to the world. My name, no longer just a word, inspired me to build bridges. Through finding the confidence to express myself through my culture, I became adamant about the correct pronunciation of my name. One of the first things that I explored through my culture was clothing, kindling my passion for fashion. On a recent trip to India, I was exposed to many different regional textiles and patterns that are used to create garments. At a traditional handicrafts emporium I learned about block printing from some local practicing artisans. This ancient printing technique, where carved wooden blocks are dipped in dye and stamped by hand onto cotton or silk, was passed down in their families for many generations. After that trip to India, I was so inspired by the different textiles that go into making an outfit that I became impassioned to intertwine parts of American clothing to create garments that highlight both cultures. My dream is to find ways to share my culture with the world, and my dream as a designer is to establish a flourishing brand of Indo-Western clothing. This modern style fuses some Desi spice into everyday clothing, sometimes as simple as elegantly showcasing a pair of statement jhumkas [earrings] with jeans.