1st Place, Personal Narrative
2021-22, Division 4, News Writing
By Sana Schaden
The Communicator
Ann Arbor Community HS
My middle name is Satya. It was my great-grandmother’s name and the only connection I’ve ever had to her: I am the last living family member to carry her name. Unlike me, the Indian in my mother runs deeper than her brown skin and thick black hair. Unlike me, no one questions the race of my blond, blue-eyed father upon meeting him.
My middle name is Satya, but the Indian in this name will not overtake the Caucasian genes in my skin. I tan brown — Indian — but burn like a flame — white. My dad’s pre-cancerous skin and light blue eyes stay protected under hats, aviators and sunblock. Just like him, threats of melanoma and carcinoma cast a shadow on my blended complexion.
In India, anything that attracts too much attention — like a baby or jewelry — is believed to be marked with a Nazar — a symbolic mark of the evil eye that may bring misfortune to a family. On my first trip to India as an infant, my relatives became concerned that I could be marked with this Nazar. While I have no recollection of the ritual that was completed to remove the evil mark, I have been told the story countless times: my dad’s enthusiasm as he followed the aunties around the house, carrying out each seemingly ridiculous instruction; the exasperation on my mom’s face as she sat through yet another ceremony, just like she’d tolerated her entire life; and my scrunched up face, crowded with smoke from burning green chile peppers, a vital part of the ritual. According to my aunt, the peppers at my ceremony released enough smoke to suggest a strong Nazar. A black charcoal mark was smudged onto my cheek to counteract this evil-eye mark.
Stories of my great-grandmother, Satya, slip off my Nani and Nana’s tongues as they recount her dedication to Hindu practices and her activism in the Indian education system. “Satya” stings my ears as I pronounce its syllables — they are not my own to pronounce. I stare blankly as my Nani addresses me in Hindi, although she speaks fluent English. She catches my confused expression and repeats her instruction, adding a gesture towards a dish to clean or a pot to stir. Perhaps, she hopes I will one day absorb her Hindi and the confusion might fade from my eyes. I hope one day the momentary disappointment will fade from hers, as I fail to register her words.
The scents of fresh mutter paneer (spiced peas with a mozzarella-like cheese), white rice with cardamom seeds, butter chicken, rajma (softened red beans) and many other traditional Indian dishes have clung to every surface of Nani’s kitchen for as long as I can remember. It is a familiar and comforting scent, though not one I call home. I have spent my whole life consuming this food without ever learning to create it — until this year. This year, I wanted to claim my great grandmother’s name and call my grandmother’s kitchen home.
I spent the next weekend stirring pots and fetching spices for Nani, clinging to every part of the culture I so wanted to call home. I scribbled down notes in the margins of my notebook hoping to capture every scent, color and consistency she could teach me. I still stare blankly each time her voice slips into Hindi, but I have started to find my sense of belonging, creating the scents that cling to those kitchen walls.
My skin is still lighter and my hair is still thinner, but the Indian in me runs deeper now.
NW-14. Personal Narrative
This is not an opinion piece. It is a first-person account of an event or series of events that constitute a single, profound experience. The focus of the piece is on narrative — telling the story of the experience. It can be written in present or past tense. The author should take extra efforts to describe the journey and explain its importance. Dialogue and internal dialogue are essential. Submit a PDF of the print page(s) on which the story was published or the URL to the story on an online news site.
JUDGING CRITERIA
- A first-person account depicting a personal experience
- Shows thorough reporting skills through research and interviewing
- Effective use of facts/quotes from both primary and secondary sources
- Balanced, fair and sensitive presentation
- Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly
- Proper diction/grammar; use of third person