I remember how we used to make fun of my grandma for being Chinese, but she does alot of things that are categorically Indian like going to the temple or cooking Indian food. She would insist ‘No, I changed already, I’m now Indian.’ She purposefully hid her Chinese identity, she did not speak hokkien in front of any of the family, but she definitely knows how because I’ve caught her speaking it to other people. When I asked her to teach me Hokkien, she said she’s forgotten it and only speaks Tamil and Malay. So I did see her amplify the things that she thought made her Indian, and downplay any Chinese-ness. My cousins and I would tease that she should check her IC because it still says ‘Chinese’, but I didn’t think about how it was for her to experience that constantly, to have to keep defending your identity. (Prada)

In our culture, we celebrate the birth of a person and honour the death of a person. The exact practices may differ, but the intention is to send people off with respect and dignity. This is a reminder that they were loved and cherished by many, during their transient journey on Earth. I find it soothing that we have found such meaningful ways to grief the loss of loved ones. (Kirthana)