New entry to reunite abhigya - Page 3

Originally posted by: sammy17

Oh even I don’t speak Hindi as I’m a british Pakistani but my mum speaks Punjabi and hence bakwaas is such a commonly heard word in Punjabi plus I’ve learnt so much Hindi from watching Indian serials and especially historicals where they speak in shudh Hindi I believe.

I’m Indian by descent but was brought up in South Africa and then moved to England. Add to that I’m 4th generation Christian so the Indian in me goes as far as how I look. The languages aren’t spoken where I’m originally from and it’s only towards the end of last year that I’ve started to watch Indian serials and 1 or two Bollywood movies. I’ve learned that British Indians and Pakistanis are much more in tune with their culture than where I was brought up (probably coz they still have links/family members back home). It’s quite tricky for ppl like me when it comes to fitting in and feeling a sense of belonging, it’s never quite anywhere so even the Indians back in South Africa consider themselves purely South Africans (of Indian descent). I speak English and Afrikaans (an African language that is close to Dutch).  Is it just the older generations in British Indian/Pakistani homes that speak the languages? Do the younger ppl speak it? 

Originally posted by: deefy89

I’m Indian by descent but was brought up in South Africa and then moved to England. Add to that I’m 4th generation Christian so the Indian in me goes as far as how I look. The languages aren’t spoken where I’m originally from and it’s only towards the end of last year that I’ve started to watch Indian serials and 1 or two Bollywood movies. I’ve learned that British Indians and Pakistanis are much more in tune with their culture than where I was brought up (probably coz they still have links/family members back home). It’s quite tricky for ppl like me when it comes to fitting in and feeling a sense of belonging, it’s never quite anywhere so even the Indians back in South Africa consider themselves purely South Africans (of Indian descent). I speak English and Afrikaans (an African language that is close to Dutch).  Is it just the older generations in British Indian/Pakistani homes that speak the languages? Do the younger ppl speak it? 

I can’t speak for most people. In my case i’ve actually lived there. I grew up in Canada but for some insane reason my dad decided to move to pakistan when i was starting out high school. There i attended two schools, a convent for O levels and a Private school for A level. I was genuinely surprised to see a lot of kids couldn’t speak Urdu properly despite of the fact that they’d grown up there their whole lives. Mainly because their parents put alot more emphasis on english which is honestly sad. 

My urdu was actually pretty good until i moved to pakistan and english words and slang started mixing in it. That’s mainly because at home my parents so urdu and punjabi. My dad used to read me alot of urdu poetry as lullabies. Imagine sleeping to Allama Iqbal and Faiz ahmad Faiz 😂

That being said i know a few kids who grew up entirely in Canada but speak decent urdu/hindi/ punjabi. There are also some that just don’t It just depends on the parents i guess regardless of where one lives. Like i said there were kids in Pakistan who couldn’t speak urdu properly and i mean just normal urdu, not even the purw version of it. 

I think some parents find it easier to immerse into the culture by just emphasizing on one language. And also if they aren’t comfortable speaking it themselves they can’t really pass it on 

Originally posted by: misfit007

I can’t speak for most people. In my case i’ve actually lived there. I grew up in Canada but for some insane reason my dad decided to move to pakistan when i was starting out high school. There i attended two schools, a convent for O levels and a Private school for A level. I was genuinely surprised to see a lot of kids couldn’t speak Urdu properly despite of the fact that they’d grown up there their whole lives. Mainly because their parents put alot more emphasis on english which is honestly sad. 

My urdu was actually pretty good until i moved to pakistan and english words and slang started mixing in it. That’s mainly because at home my parents so urdu and punjabi. My dad used to read me alot of urdu poetry as lullabies. Imagine sleeping to Allama Iqbal and Faiz ahmad Faiz 😂

That being said i know a few kids who grew up entirely in Canada but speak decent urdu/hindi/ punjabi. There are also some that just don’t It just depends on the parents i guess regardless of where one lives. Like i said there were kids in Pakistan who couldn’t speak urdu properly and i mean just normal urdu, not even the purw version of it. 

I think some parents find it easier to immerse into the culture by just emphasizing on one language. And also if they aren’t comfortable speaking it themselves they can’t really pass it on 

It might have something to do with the fact that ethnic languages serves no real purpose in a country where it’s not an official language (outside of ones home ofc). Quite the contrary actually, it can really alienate kids from the ppl they’re brought up around (even more so than physical appearance currently does), and it is human nature to want to fit in to your surroundings and belong a part of the community. It is sad to extent that ppl kind of lose their culture when they emigrate to some countries but at the same time what use is certain cultural elements when it achieves nothing but further segregation. I personally think it’s not a loss of culture but an adaptation to a new one. It’s whats always happened with mingling of humans where they took some of what the know, added some of what others know, taught some of what they know and suddenly there’s this whole spectrum of differences. 

It’s really surprising to hear u were read poetry in Urdu as I have never known anyone to have such experiences. In fact even the Hindu and Muslim Indians I know follow a pretty watered down version of the religion (at least compared to what I’ve seen if the serials are anything to go by). I guess it’s down to previous generations who either forgot or just didn’t see a point. I’m interested to know if you’ve got any kids and whether whether you pass down traditions exactly as u were taught or also a lighter version of it? If u don’t mind 

Originally posted by: deefy89

It might have something to do with the fact that ethnic languages serves no real purpose in a country where it’s not an official language (outside of ones home ofc). Quite the contrary actually, it can really alienate kids from the ppl they’re brought up around (even more so than physical appearance currently does), and it is human nature to want to fit in to your surroundings and belong a part of the community. It is sad to extent that ppl kind of lose their culture when they emigrate to some countries but at the same time what use is certain cultural elements when it achieves nothing but further segregation. I personally think it’s not a loss of culture but an adaptation to a new one. It’s whats always happened with mingling of humans where they took some of what the know, added some of what others know, taught some of what they know and suddenly there’s this whole spectrum of differences. 

It’s really surprising to hear u were read poetry in Urdu as I have never known anyone to have such experiences. In fact even the Hindu and Muslim Indians I know follow a pretty watered down version of the religion (at least compared to what I’ve seen if the serials are anything to go by). I guess it’s down to previous generations who either forgot or just didn’t see a point. I’m interested to know if you’ve got any kids and whether whether you pass down traditions exactly as u were taught or also a lighter version of it? If u don’t mind 

I get that completely. I was just a bit challenging growing up to keep a balance growing up but not too much. I was a bit different but growing uo i realizes that being different isn’t so bad. As much as i hated living in Pakistan when i was actually there (simply because how different and challenging it was in all aspects because of those differences) in retrospect it  was the best thing my dad could have done for me. I can adjust anywhere and have a much greater understanding of two different worlds now. Although alot of the time i do feel like I don’t fit in either place entirely. I miss both Canada and Pakistan when i’m away from it. 

As for the poetry aspect, i get love for English literature from my mother who was a professor in it and for Urdu from my dad who wanted to enrich my life with it i guess. He thought the best way to make me understand depth of  life, love and values is through poetry and since I couldn’t read it then, he used to sing it. I can read it now and i love it. The kind of depth it has is so different from english, there is just so much more there because the language has more words to express oneself. 

Also lol no i’m not married and don’t have kids yet. I’m in my final semester at university but when i have kids i’d love to pass down my love for literature both english and urdu to them. 

Originally posted by: deefy89

I’m Indian by descent but was brought up in South Africa and then moved to England. Add to that I’m 4th generation Christian so the Indian in me goes as far as how I look. The languages aren’t spoken where I’m originally from and it’s only towards the end of last year that I’ve started to watch Indian serials and 1 or two Bollywood movies. I’ve learned that British Indians and Pakistanis are much more in tune with their culture than where I was brought up (probably coz they still have links/family members back home). It’s quite tricky for ppl like me when it comes to fitting in and feeling a sense of belonging, it’s never quite anywhere so even the Indians back in South Africa consider themselves purely South Africans (of Indian descent). I speak English and Afrikaans (an African language that is close to Dutch).  Is it just the older generations in British Indian/Pakistani homes that speak the languages? Do the younger ppl speak it? 

@Bold- It is mainly just the british indian/pakistani elders who speak their own language, most of the young gen don't know their own language except for gujrati speaking indian muslim community who I have met (for some reason all indian muslims in the uk only seem to be gujrati, which surprised me as there are muslims in so many different parts of india that I find it strange that every indian muslim i have ever met in the uk are all gujrati). It appears the gujrati speaking indian muslim community actually teach their new gen to speak their own language more, else majority of pakistani new gen like myself don't know our own language, probs because we aren't pushed to speak in our own language at home. 

Originally posted by: misfit007

I can’t speak for most people. In my case i’ve actually lived there. I grew up in Canada but for some insane reason my dad decided to move to pakistan when i was starting out high school. There i attended two schools, a convent for O levels and a Private school for A level. I was genuinely surprised to see a lot of kids couldn’t speak Urdu properly despite of the fact that they’d grown up there their whole lives. Mainly because their parents put alot more emphasis on english which is honestly sad. 

My urdu was actually pretty good until i moved to pakistan and english words and slang started mixing in it. That’s mainly because at home my parents so urdu and punjabi. My dad used to read me alot of urdu poetry as lullabies. Imagine sleeping to Allama Iqbal and Faiz ahmad Faiz 😂

That being said i know a few kids who grew up entirely in Canada but speak decent urdu/hindi/ punjabi. There are also some that just don’t It just depends on the parents i guess regardless of where one lives. Like i said there were kids in Pakistan who couldn’t speak urdu properly and i mean just normal urdu, not even the purw version of it. 

I think some parents find it easier to immerse into the culture by just emphasizing on one language. And also if they aren’t comfortable speaking it themselves they can’t really pass it on 

For me it was even more difficult to learn my own language because my mother speaks punjabi whereas my father speak pahari/mirpuri. Both sound the same to me but apparently aren't and have many differences. 

Originally posted by: misfit007

I get that completely. I was just a bit challenging growing up to keep a balance growing up but not too much. I was a bit different but growing uo i realizes that being different isn’t so bad. As much as i hated living in Pakistan when i was actually there (simply because how different and challenging it was in all aspects because of those differences) in retrospect it  was the best thing my dad could have done for me. I can adjust anywhere and have a much greater understanding of two different worlds now. Although alot of the time i do feel like I don’t fit in either place entirely. I miss both Canada and Pakistan when i’m away from it. 

As for the poetry aspect, i get love for English literature from my mother who was a professor in it and for Urdu from my dad who wanted to enrich my life with it i guess. He thought the best way to make me understand depth of  life, love and values is through poetry and since I couldn’t read it then, he used to sing it. I can read it now and i love it. The kind of depth it has is so different from english, there is just so much more there because the language has more words to express oneself. 

Also lol no i’m not married and don’t have kids yet. I’m in my final semester at university but when i have kids i’d love to pass down my love for literature both english and urdu to them. 

I must say it’s so insightful speaking to others who share similar experiences. I get what u mean about not quite feeling like you belong, I feel the same - only for me the places are between England and South Africa. Unlike your case I have no connection whatsoever to where I descend from (India). 

You speak as though your are much older hence the assumption you may have kids 🤣 

What was it like growing up in Canada, having moved from Pakistan? Was the adjustment really difficult? Sorry for all the questions, I am quite nosey 😆

Originally posted by: sammy17

@Bold- It is mainly just the british indian/pakistani elders who speak their own language, most of the young gen don't know their own language except for gujrati speaking indian muslim community who I have met (for some reason all indian muslims in the uk only seem to be gujrati, which surprised me as there are muslims in so many different parts of india that I find it strange that every indian muslim i have ever met in the uk are all gujrati). It appears the gujrati speaking indian muslim community actually teach their new gen to speak their own language more, else majority of pakistani new gen like myself don't know our own language, probs because we aren't pushed to speak in our own language at home. 

I suppose that’s what happens when you’re born in a country you don’t descend from. Seeing as it’s all you’ve ever known it becomes your country and other countries become “foreign”. 

bold - I guess unless you and others like you will have dealings with Pakistan in the future, it will be quite pointless learning the language when it will not be made use of. Those born here will likely live, work, have kids and die here would they not (not to sound morbid) 

Originally posted by: deefy89

I suppose that’s what happens when you’re born in a country you don’t descend from. Seeing as it’s all you’ve ever known it becomes your country and other countries become “foreign”. 

bold - I guess unless you and others like you will have dealings with Pakistan in the future, it will be quite pointless learning the language when it will not be made use of. Those born here will likely live, work, have kids and die here would they not (not to sound morbid) 

I've been pakistan a few times plus have to meet relatives over here all the time who no english and I don't know any of my own language to be able to have a proper convo with them so I speak in a broken urdu xD So I find knowing my own language would be easier at least to speak to my relatives and family member who live here and in pakistan. 

Originally posted by: sammy17

I've been pakistan a few times plus have to meet relatives over here all the time who no english and I don't know any of my own language to be able to have a proper convo with them so I speak in a broken urdu xD So I find knowing my own language would be easier at least to speak to my relatives and family member who live here and in pakistan. 

I suppose in your case it would come in handy after all 😅 where about in the uk do u live can I ask?