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February 02, 2005
Manhattan -> Brooklyn Heights
It used to be the ultimate sin for an Indian -- crossing a body of water. If an Indian, particularly a high-caste Indian, crossed the seas, he instantly lost caste and became a mlechha, a disgusting outsider. The only way you could return to a normal life back in India was if you underwent a symbolic cleansing ceremony at a major temple near the coast. Think of it as an immigration post guarding a port of entry into the spiritual life of India. This ancient prohibition on foreign travel didn't prevent Indians from traveling abroad and doing trade. Those people would do it anyway. It did, however, exert a strong influence on ordinary Indians, especially from the more educated higher castes. Of course, today this prohibition isn't relevant anymore.
I am a member of the highest caste in the Indian caste system -- a fact that has had some influence in my upbringing perhaps, but is anachronistic and entirely irrelevant to my daily life. Technically, I lost caste when I came to the United States, or when I visited my aunt in Navi Mumbai, which is just off the island of Mumbai. Was I ever confronted about it? No.
Still, your ancient heritage has ways of catching up with you...
I moved off the island of Manhattan to Brooklyn Heights. I still live in New York City, but not on the cultural and financial center of the universe, Manhattan. Just one mile away from it.
When I announced to friends and coworkers that I was moving to Brooklyn Heights, I got several surprised and somewhat shocked looks. Why? Why Brooklyn? Why leave Manhattan? An endless litany of questions. It was almost as if I was losing caste by crossing the East River from Manhattan into Brooklyn.
First, I *love* the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights. It is like me -- quiet and somewhat quaint and old-fashioned. It has a stunning view of Manhattan while not being the theme park that is Manhattan. Second, I found a great deal in Brooklyn Heights, which will enable me to save more money and pay off those pesky student loans faster. Third, the year of living it up in New York that I had promised myself was over. Fourth, adding an additional 5 minutes to my morning commute didn't seem like a big price to pay for living cheap in a good neighborhood.
Of course, I am not saying it is all dandy. Everything takes time to get used to. I miss the ability to take a random walk in Manhattan and find myself in a bar, a restaurant or a coffee shop. I miss the activity and buzzing vitality on the streets. I get enough of it (with a dollop of sleaze added for good measure) around Times Square during the day, but I used to notice it less when I went home to the same sort of thing. I miss my two 24-hour corner delis. I miss the Blockbuster across the street. I miss the zillion restaurants that would deliver food to me at odd hours of the night.
However, I found that with all the conveniences of life in Manhattan, I was not living my life deliberately enough. I would allow myself to experience life in a stream of consciousness. With a greater contrast in my work and living environments now, I would like to change that. I was feeling a bit down in the first couple of days. However, I am already getting more settled into my new apartment. Being able to get online and write a blog entry about it made a big difference! Come spring and summer, I am going to enjoy Brooklyn Heights even more. I can't wait!
Considering I live right at the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge, a symbolic cleansing to get myself readmitted into Manhattan can't be more than a mile away!
Posted by Vishy at February 2, 2005 10:20 PM
Comments
Sort of like my moving to Tang: it lets you refactor your life more cleanly, to decouple the modules. Congratulations!
Posted by: Punya at February 3, 2005 12:42 AM