I am a South Indian OR am I?

Socially when you meet people, very often they end up asking – So where are you from? In most occasions the answer is simple – You name your hometown and the conversation continues.

In my case, the scenario is slightly different.
Here’s how –

XYZ – Your surname is Rao, are you Kannadiga?
Me – No
XYZ – Oh, then Telegu is it?
Me – Well, Yes and No
XYZ (Surprised) – Yes and No, what is that supposed to mean?
Me – See, my father is from Vishakhapatnam and my mother is originally from Orissa
XYZ – Oh so you are a mix of Andhra and Orissa. So do you speak Telegu and Oriya at home?
Me – Well, No....see my grandfather settled in Delhi so my father grew up there and my maternal grandparents settled in Nagpur and my mom was born and brought up there
XYZ – Oh ok
Me – And there is more...Both my brother and me were born and brought up in Delhi
XYZ – Ah, that means you are a Delhite?
Me – But now I live in Mumbai
XYZ – So you are a mix of Delhi and Mumbai?
Me – Ughh...maybe but I am a Rao...

And usually, by the end of the conversation both me and the person I am talking to are left a bit confused.

This is because in spite of being a Rao, I don’t speak or understand Telegu. My mother tongue happens to be Oriya but again, I can’t speak the language and barely understand it. I was born and brought up in Delhi so the only languages I learnt in school were Hindi, English and at home, we spoke the same.

When relatives came over, we were supposed to impress them with a couple of words from our native language. Mom used to tell us how to greet them in a certain way but this was limited to some once in two year visits. Mom, we speak Hindi and English...stop forcing this on us....we would say and soon Telegu and Oriya flew out of the window.

Food again was territorial so I grew up on chole bhature, halwa, aloo poori, maa ki dal, butter chicken, naan, aloo/paneer/gobi/onion or even namak paratha, gol gappe and dahi bhalla. My taste buds weren’t accustomed to idli vada, sambar, rasam or dosa except some rare occasions (which were far and few)

We lived in Delhi where most of my neighbours were Punjabis (I’ve practically grown up in their houses) so celebrating Navratri, Lohri and making annual trips to Vaishno Devi became a norm. In fact I can’t recollect a single memory of celebrating South Indian festivals with such fan fare.

Thus, the question – “Where are you from” always leaves me puzzled.

Till very recently, I used to evade the question and say – I am hybrid. I am a mix of lot of things and it’s a long story so let’s just leave it at that. But some curious buggers wanted to solve this mystery and kept bombarding me with their – How, Why, But, What etc.

So finally, I caved in. Now whenever I am asked, I say – I am a South Indian and the conversation continues to other worldly matters.

Even though, I have never lived in South India, must have visited the place max 5 times so far, don’t eat South Indian food at home, don’t speak any South Indian languages, don’t follow South Indian customs and traditions but for convenience sake, I am a South Indian.

Or, am I?