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Being Parochial

I was at a sitar concert at a small venue recently and had never heard of the musician who was playing. It turned out to be a phenomenal experience - seeing sitar taken where it hasn't been before. He transitioned from ragas to western scales and back flawlessly. There were songs he had created and then songs there were songs by Beatles. It was fun to chat with the musician after and be able to tell him how awesome he was at such a young age. 

There is something deeply restorative about seeing young talent in a world full of pessimistic opinions about Gen Z. For me there is a second layer of hearing bad news about the fate of Bengalis in the world - our best days are west past us, maybe centuries past depending on how you are counting. It's all about reliving the glories of the past and having no proof points for here and now. 

I found myself sharing about my experience to my somewhat bewildered friends in Kolkata and abroad. You had to be there to feel what I felt but they appreciated the sentiment being Bengali and sharing in the common hopelessness about our collective fate. Our collective "kid" from Kolkata had gone forth and been of consequence in the world. It is interesting how the whole of us who never placed much stock in our Bengali identity growing up are have now turned so parochial. Even more ironic is that none of us call Kolkata our home or have any deep affinity for the city.

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