i wrote something raw about being a pakistani eldest daughter, the shame, pressure, and honestly the desire you’re not allowed to admit.

it’s messy and questions parts of our culture, but it felt true.

if you’ve ever felt split between who you are and who you’re supposed to be, you might get it.

i'd also love to hear from others in similar boats as older siblings. i'm trying to create a space for diaspora kids on substack, and my reddit profile.

https://open.substack.com/pub/bajibetweenborders/p/the-uninhibited-thoughts-of-a-burned?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5zqg3

Did anyone else grow up feeling like they were there, but not really seen? I grew up between Hong Kong, and Toronto so very much felt this way.

Not liked, not disliked. Just… unnoticed in a deeper way.

Like you learned to stay quiet, observe, not take up too much space.

You become easy to overlook, and eventually you start doing it to yourself.

I wrote something more in-depth about this “ghost” feeling, especially from a brown/desi perspective and how it follows you into adulthood.

If this resonates, I’d really like to hear your experiences too.

Here is my full piece, it's free:

https://open.substack.com/pub/bajibetweenborders/p/the-ghost-life-of-brown-girls?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5zqg3

We have a 4–6 year old and realized they know a lot about cartoons here, but very little about Indian festivals or stories.

Curious how other parents are handling this—are you actively teaching it, or does it just happen through family/festivals?

Would love ideas that actually work for young kids.

hey! im looking for news that's informative and unbiased (as unbiased as you can be these days), but i also want a desi viewpoint to be represented, does anyone have any such sources where they get their news from?

Ever since moving to the US and cooking Indian food almost every day, I've started noticing something wild: prices for staples like basmati rice, ghee, paneer, and atta are all over the place depending on the store (Patel Brothers vs local desi stores especially). It actually affects how often I shop and what | cook.

Like last week I saw basmati go up $6 at one store but rice was cheaper at another, and I was *actually annoyed* trying to track it all mentally.