Page 70 - MASALA Magazine Vol.15 Issue 6 | August - September 2024

DEEPAK KUNDNANI | Content Lead, Pixis AI

I spent the first 27 years of my life in the vibrant and culturally-
diverse city of Bangkok before moving to India permanently. It’s
only after moving away that I appreciate having grown up there.
Bangkok has shaped me in ways that continue to influence my
life and interactions, no matter where I am.

One of the most valuable lessons I learned growing up in Bangkok
is the importance of kindness and the power of gentle persuasion.
The city’s personality is filled with smiling people, and the local
friends I have made there taught me to approach problems with,
“honey rather than vinegar.” I’ve witnessed Thai people mostly
being soft and courteous, saying, “thank you” at the end of every
interaction. That has now been ingrained in me. For instance,
when negotiating for vegetables in a market, a typical Mumbaikar
might say, “I’ll not pay more than 50 rupees, give it to me for 50
rupees.” However, having seen how people negotiate in Bangkok,
I learned to pose it as a question: “Can you make it less, please?”
This subtle difference in approach often yields better results. It’s
not that people in Mumbai aren’t kind; they just have a different
way of communicating. Not just market vendors, but service and
labour workers too, get taken aback when I say “please” or “thank
you.” As a result, the next time I come around they tend to be
nicer to me on the prices. On the weirder side, something that I never thought would have

I’ve also learned to be open-minded and accepting of people from value has given me an unexpected advantage here, and that is
all backgrounds. Bangkok is like a dish that has flavours from all my ‘foreign’ accent. My friends here do mock me about it, but it
around the world, and people there have been very welcoming of has helped me land decent jobs in Mumbai. And it’s been fairly
different cultures. It’s different in India, where caste and religion useful in my dating life too!

are traditionally deeply rooted in people’s identity, and it affects how In essence, my years in Bangkok have instilled in me a sense of
they treat or view people from different backgrounds. The open politeness and a global perspective that continues to enrich my
mindset has just allowed me to make a diverse set of friends, and life in India. Growing up there has given me values that I carry,
learn some fascinating things about the various cultures in India. making me truly grateful for being raised there.

KIRTI SACHDEV | Teacher

Ever since moving to Birmingham, I’ve found that coming from
a Thai background has really helped me build connections with
the people around me. I work in a school that is predominantly
Punjabi, and the fact that I am Indian, but from Thailand, sparks
curiosity in both my colleagues and my students. My colleagues
are very appreciative of my unique background and are keen to
learn more about cultures that exist in Thailand. Even the fact
that I can speak three languages is a huge discussion topic amongst
my colleagues and allows me an avenue to converse and begin to
strengthen relationships in a place that I am making my home.

This translates to the children as well, who always enjoy finding
links between their learning and my background. For example, my
students were learning about fruits and vegetables with a teacher
and found out that a fruit was from Thailand. The moment they
saw me, they approached me very excitedly, to share what they
had learnt that day. It was wonderful to see that not only adults,
but also children, appreciate and respect different cultures, and
are excited to learn and find similarities between us.

70 | MASALA MAGAZINE AUG-SEP 2024