I never realized the power of my mother tongue until I was 10. I grew up listening to the Marathi and Hindi languages, as they were the only things I ever heard until I went to school. Marathi was the language I said my first word in, the language in which I learned to communicate with my parents, the way they interacted with me when I was a small girl. It’s the only language I speak to my relatives in. It gave me a sort of connection to other people who spoke the same language because we started on the same wavelength.

My love for Bollywood movies started when I was just 6 or 7 years old. Though, surprisingly, it didn’t really kick off until the lockdown in 2020 due to Covid. When I was little, the most important things to me were the Bollywood songs. I would sing them in the shower and try to remember them when my friends and I were playing Antakshari. Antakshari is a very popular game in India, where you take the last syllable of a specific song and try to think of a song that starts with the same syllable. Though most of all, I used to love Bollywood songs because of dance.

Today, I want to take the time to talk about my grandma (Nani, my mom’s mother). Growing up in an Indian household, I was used to being around a lot of my relatives and family friends. I’ve always loved being part of a large community, a large family, especially during Wedding Season. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve known to dress up in Indian attire and go for poojas (prayers), and celebrations of various kinds. I know a lot of my extended family by name and grew up having small talk. Though I think my favorite family member besides my parents, is my grandma.

Hi everyone, I go by my virtual name Navaka. I am a girl from two worlds. My idea behind starting this blog is comprised of a lot of factors. In my life, I have attended 6 schools (both in India and USA), lived in two countries, visited 14 states in India and 13 countries in the world which includes three continents. I have always liked travelling and have written about my experiences ever since I was 6 years old. The reason I’m starting this blog is because I want to put my experiences on the table and create memories.