I wanted to update my blog but couldn’t think of a specific topic. So I responded to every letter of the alphabet with the first thought that came to my head.
1. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves: the first story I learned to read in English. It was the day after my sixth birthday. It was the Ladybird edition, and I felt very proud, accomplished, and independent in the moment. It kills me that there are 773 million illiterate adults in the world today, most of whom are women.
2. Baba: what I call my dad. Easily, one of the best, most reliable, and trustworthy sounds in my life.
3. Chhaya: my maternal grandmother’s name. It means “shadow” or “reflection” in Sanskrit. In Hindu mythology, Chhaya and Sanjana are the two consorts of Surya, the Sun God.
4. Dilli: Delhi. Home.
5. Equinox: such a cool word though I don’t think I quite know how it’s different from “solstice.” Yes, you may tell me. I will forget. That’s okay. No one needs to know everything. I bet you don’t know the name of Amrita Singh’s character in Suryavanshi. It’s Suryalekha. Fine, I didn’t know it either and had to Google it.
6. Falak: a word for “sky” in Urdu. When used in writing or speech, I believe it’s to imply immensity or enormity. Urdu isn’t a language I know but it would be neat to learn.
7. Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne: a beloved story, and subsequently, movie for children in Bangla, although its multiple layers make it like Shrek, in that it has enough complexity to make it riveting for adults. However, unlike Shrek, GGBB has no feisty Fiona. In this adventure story of a musician and a singer, women are completely absent. Is it still a good story for children if it excludes 50% of them?
8. Huckleberry Finn: what a cool kid! My first literary crush. He is “lawless,” independent, and doesn’t go to school. When you are a kid yourself, why wouldn’t such a badass be your role model?
9. Ikrimikri: the first word of a children’s rhyme in Bangla. The word itself doesn’t mean anything as far as I know. It’s been adopted into my Bengali-Sikh household though, as the go-to term for itchy fabrics and textiles.
10. Juniper Tree: a Brothers Grimm fairy tale replete with evil stepmother, children “as white as snow,” stew seasoned by tears, a song that starts with the words, my mother, she killed me, my father, he ate me….What more does a story need?
11. Kanishka: one of ancient India’s greatest emperors. A staunch upholder of religious syncretism. Funny that nearly 2,000 years since he was around, we need his beliefs more than ever before.
12. Laura Lyons: a key character in the best Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.
13. Ma: self-explanatory. How I wish I was eating her mutton curry for dinner tonight.
14. Nabanipa: the name of my Pishi, or paternal aunt. She is my buddy, my pal, my partner in eating ice cream, the BEST person when it comes to reading stories out loud. She is funny and generous. Being in her world means being surrounded by love, affection, great shopping, and good food.
15. Obstinate: one time in a weeklong-writing workshop, the instructor told us to choose a word that best represents us. This was mine.
16. Pomegranate: I love the word. I love how the fruit resembles tiny, gleaming rubies; that it makes you work hard to taste it; and that it’s been a staple in so many ancient myths and folk tales.
17. Quetzalcoatl: one of the words I learned after coming to the Western Hemisphere. I still don’t pronounce it right, but I love how it looks and sounds, and I know it’s the name of a Meso-American deity.
18. Rajasthan: good food, terrific silver jewelry, history everywhere your gaze lands, plus the site of memorable vacations for my family and I, given that this is our neighboring state. In the golden city of Jaisalmer, I remember we stayed at one of the original homes inside the ramparts of the 12th century fort. Also, I am not calling Jaisalmer “golden” out of sentimentality. It’s called so for the yellow sand and sandstone used extensively in the city’s architecture.
19. Serendipity: I love how this sounds, but it took me forever to remember its meaning.
20. Thai food: if someone forces me to give up Indian food and choose something else that I would happily eat for every meal.
21. Umbrella Man: One of Roald Dahl’s many, many amazing stories for children. His short stories for adults remain among my favorites. They are so creepy and delicious.
22. Vlad’s Castle: Granted, history and fiction aren’t the same, but I couldn’t have imagined the intro video would have such soothing music.
23. Willow: I think every Enid Blyton book had a willow tree somewhere.
24. Xi: one of the most useful words to know for Scrabble purposes.
25. Yellow: oddly showing up in a lot of my home décor these days.
26. Zed: Not zee. No, if I haven’t changed my pronunciation in 14 years, I will not be doing so now.