By Isobel Chiang, 07/11/2019. In the Airbnb I’m currently staying in, there’s a paperback book on my nightstand. It’s called “The Sikh Gurus,” and it’s an illustrated guide to the ten gurus of the Sikh religion. The first paragraph goes like this: Since the last few years we have been contemplating that our children, who have been studying in the Public schools, remain devoid of the knowledge of our heritage. Even some children do not know the names of our Ten Great Masters. The education without acquaintance of Sikh history is meaningless.
My research this summer is on the Chinese diaspora living in Kolkata, India. I’ve decided, however, to begin my research in New Delhi. I’ve been here for a few days now, and I’ve been spending my time exploring the city, riding the metro, wandering through the lanes of Old Delhi, sampling street food delights, and meeting with sources. The reason I’ve decided to begin my research here in Delhi— despite the fact that the Chinese community is concentrated in Kolkata— is simple: In order to fully understand a diaspora, one must understand how it is situated within a broader culture, community, and nation-state. It would be naive to study the Chinese diaspora as a discrete cultural unit, untethered and disconnected from India, or at the very least Bengal. This is because diasporas are necessarily relational: they exist in relation to both the country they came from and the land they now call home. I am in Delhi because, much like the author of “the Sikh Gurus,” I believe that an education without acquaintance of Indian history is meaningless.
I’m very glad that I decided to land in Delhi and not Kolkata. It’s been a perfect introduction to India, and has enabled me to acclimate to the climate (the current temperature is a staggering 40+ degrees), the food (which is delicious), and the general intensity and freneticism of the country.
Because my research this summer is based on the food culture within Kolkata’s two Chinatowns, I’ve been delving into Delhi’s food scene. Again, I think it’s important to be able to juxtapose and contextualize Chinese-Indian food with Indian-Indian food (or at least Punjabi food, as the phrase “Indian food” contains within it hundreds of varieties and regional subtleties). The food, unsurprisingly, has been outstanding.
I’ve also been able to meet with several sources while here in Delhi, but I’ll save that for my next post…
