Matt Kendrick
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My Grandmother Paati Says She Will Show These Vellaikaarans How To Do Colonisation Properly, Isn’t It?
by Sumitra Singam
When we moved to foreign, we six, one flat, two bedroom, no garden. Neighbour very proud don’t say hello. Food in foreign no spice, no taste. Night-time Paati disappear coming home hands dirty like junglee. Paati winking at neighbour garden – before all weeds now okra, karela, pudina. Neighbour talking loud about CCTV. Paati pretending she never hear, but she putting invitation in neighbour mailbox – “Dinner. Seven p.m. No shoes inside (strict).” All day Paati chopping, grinding, frying. Tasty smell making my mouth water only. When neighbour come, first-first shy, then eating time very happy. Now we good friends.
Sumitra Singam is a Malaysian-Indian-Australian coconut who writes in Naarm / Melbourne. She travelled through many spaces, both beautiful and traumatic to get there and writes to make sense of her experiences. She’ll be the one in the kitchen making chai (where’s your cardamom?). She works in mental health. You can find her and her other publication credits on twitter: @pleomorphic2
