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What We Inherit: Growing Up Indian
A celebration of the slippages, strife and secret histories that make us—for better or worse—who we are.
A woman faces off against a xenophobic stranger across a supermarket turnstile.
A young girl mistakes her first period for strawberry yoghurt and endures an embarrassing puberty ceremony.
At the funeral of her cruel and prejudiced dadhi, a granddaughter reflects on the confusions of grief and the trauma passed through family lines.
A follow-up to the best-selling anthology Growing Up Perempuan (AWARE, 2018), What We Inherit tells the stories of Indian women (and a few men) in Singapore entirely in their own words. They question the expectations foisted upon them, discover new avenues into old traditions and carve out spaces for joy amid anger and sorrow. At a time when the bonds between us seem at constant risk of breaking, What We Inherit turns our attention towards community in all its complexities. It’s a reminder of how we honour, betray and ultimately bear witness to each other… and ourselves.
Featuring contributions by:
Akshita Nanda, Balli Kaur Jaswal, Constance Singam, Kelly Kaur, Mandakini Arora, Matilda Gabrielpillai, Pooja Nansi, Prasanthi Ram, Ranjana Raghunathan, Sharul Channa, and more
A woman faces off against a xenophobic stranger across a supermarket turnstile.
A young girl mistakes her first period for strawberry yoghurt and endures an embarrassing puberty ceremony.
At the funeral of her cruel and prejudiced dadhi, a granddaughter reflects on the confusions of grief and the trauma passed through family lines.
A follow-up to the best-selling anthology Growing Up Perempuan (AWARE, 2018), What We Inherit tells the stories of Indian women (and a few men) in Singapore entirely in their own words. They question the expectations foisted upon them, discover new avenues into old traditions and carve out spaces for joy amid anger and sorrow. At a time when the bonds between us seem at constant risk of breaking, What We Inherit turns our attention towards community in all its complexities. It’s a reminder of how we honour, betray and ultimately bear witness to each other… and ourselves.
Featuring contributions by:
Akshita Nanda, Balli Kaur Jaswal, Constance Singam, Kelly Kaur, Mandakini Arora, Matilda Gabrielpillai, Pooja Nansi, Prasanthi Ram, Ranjana Raghunathan, Sharul Channa, and more
- GenresNonfictionIndia
320 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2022
19 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 21, 2023
What We Inherit is the third follow up to a series of anthologies that AWARE Singapore has put out - Perempuan and Growing Up Perempuan. They seek to highlight the experiences of brown people in Singapore - the first two showcasing the stories and experiences of Muslim women, and What We Inherit featuring stories, essays, and poems from Indian women and men in Singapore.
I find this thoughtfully edited. The editors wanted to highlight a few key points with the selection of stories - that the lives of any one group of people are vastly diverse, that personal stories are a form of advocacy, and that. It is important to the editors that the authors are writing these stories for themselves - not for a majority gaze, not to exoticise, and not to be subsumed into one dominant narrative about Indianness.
The stories are heartfelt and beautifully written. I also loved reading the bios of the authors that came with it, and imagine who they are, what they might have been feeling when they wrote the piece or chose to submit a particular one, and how their lives are like in Singapore.
As the editors have mentioned, I would have loved to see more essays from people with other identities outside of being an Indian woman or person, a few of which they listed - LGBTQ individuals, sex workers, migrant workers, people with disabilities, and so on.
I found the preface by Ranjana Raghunathan about the histories of Singapore Indian women highly informative and important to the anthology. She talked about the difficulties constructing a comprehensive narrative of Indian women's histories due to the general lack of written accounts of a woman's life (if I understood correctly, most official accounts focused on the activities of men in the public sphere). She also talked about CMIO, a persisting institutionalised way of categorising races in Singapore that is a product of British colonialism, that flattens the diversity of Indianness and at the same time makes it hard for minorities to have conversations about racism and discrimination.
Some of my favourite ones:
Non-Resident Indian, Female by Nidhi Bhandari - a provoking poem.
Strawberry Menarche by Aswani Aswath - an account of her experience with a puberty ceremony when she was 10.
The Freedom Walk - Shobha Avadhani - deeply affecting accounts of the interpersonal violence she experiences throughout her life.
Being Just Brown by Sanusha S Sritharan - a beautiful poem about brownness.
Around the Thaal by Fuzzie - a delicious tip of the hat to Bohri food
I find this thoughtfully edited. The editors wanted to highlight a few key points with the selection of stories - that the lives of any one group of people are vastly diverse, that personal stories are a form of advocacy, and that. It is important to the editors that the authors are writing these stories for themselves - not for a majority gaze, not to exoticise, and not to be subsumed into one dominant narrative about Indianness.
The stories are heartfelt and beautifully written. I also loved reading the bios of the authors that came with it, and imagine who they are, what they might have been feeling when they wrote the piece or chose to submit a particular one, and how their lives are like in Singapore.
As the editors have mentioned, I would have loved to see more essays from people with other identities outside of being an Indian woman or person, a few of which they listed - LGBTQ individuals, sex workers, migrant workers, people with disabilities, and so on.
I found the preface by Ranjana Raghunathan about the histories of Singapore Indian women highly informative and important to the anthology. She talked about the difficulties constructing a comprehensive narrative of Indian women's histories due to the general lack of written accounts of a woman's life (if I understood correctly, most official accounts focused on the activities of men in the public sphere). She also talked about CMIO, a persisting institutionalised way of categorising races in Singapore that is a product of British colonialism, that flattens the diversity of Indianness and at the same time makes it hard for minorities to have conversations about racism and discrimination.
Some of my favourite ones:
Non-Resident Indian, Female by Nidhi Bhandari - a provoking poem.
Strawberry Menarche by Aswani Aswath - an account of her experience with a puberty ceremony when she was 10.
The Freedom Walk - Shobha Avadhani - deeply affecting accounts of the interpersonal violence she experiences throughout her life.
Being Just Brown by Sanusha S Sritharan - a beautiful poem about brownness.
Around the Thaal by Fuzzie - a delicious tip of the hat to Bohri food
July 18, 2022
An enlightening book to understand the nuances of the lived experiences of Indian women in Singapore.
‘Dadhi from a Distance,’ was one of my favourites. It documents the complexities of inter-generational trauma with sheer honesty. In some ways, I was able to reflect and reconcile with some of my own struggles through this essay. ‘The Music of Laughter,’ is a comforting read, it reminds me of how the little joys of learning something new could be transformative to our lives.
Overall, I felt like I was part of a journey of learning and understanding the experiences of Indian women and I think this book is a good start in creating those conversations.
‘Dadhi from a Distance,’ was one of my favourites. It documents the complexities of inter-generational trauma with sheer honesty. In some ways, I was able to reflect and reconcile with some of my own struggles through this essay. ‘The Music of Laughter,’ is a comforting read, it reminds me of how the little joys of learning something new could be transformative to our lives.
Overall, I felt like I was part of a journey of learning and understanding the experiences of Indian women and I think this book is a good start in creating those conversations.
August 2, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed this heartfelt and wonderful anthology. As Constance Singam writes in her essay: "people are just people and we are all ordinary" and we all have stories to tell. It was such a privilege to read all the contributors' essays, stories, histories, observations and poetry — stories and words that have been missing from Singapore's literary and creative non-fiction landscape. Our literary archives are now richer and I can't wait for more diverse stories and voices to be published on the printed page :)
October 19, 2022
I don't think I've ever read anything more relatable. The compilation of short stories/poems from Indian women from different walks of life has helped to verbalize and make sense of the experiences and emotions I've had growing up as an Indian woman in Singapore. Having my race tied so closely to my identity, constantly justifying who I am to people I don't know and don't matter growing up and even to this day, fighting the daily battle of being empowered to lead a "modern" life but having to carry the burden of dated traditions and patriarchy within the culture. This is a must-read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2023
I loved how openly and generously the contributors shared their experiences. One of the common themes, alongside traumatic experiences of racism, is how much the CMIO model erases or flattens an individual's identities and experiences. I really liked the glimpses into each contributor's life and hope there will be more of these types of books!
December 13, 2025
This collection is beautifully structured, with each story flowing naturally into the next. The writing is evocative and deeply touching, capturing the everyday moments of growing up Indian in Singapore with honesty and care. Together, the stories reflect the richness and diversity of the Indian community, making the book both intimate and expansive.
June 14, 2023
This book is an archive of well-written personal experiences of South Asian-identifying women in Singapore, prefaced with a sensitively written and carefully researched introduction by Shailey Hingorani and Varsha Sivaram.
This representation of South Asian voices from the island I call home reminds me of a Ted Talk given by the accomplished Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who warns against the “danger of a single story”, referring to the way in the books she read when she was young had ‘white and blue-eyed’ protagonists and were set in the global north. The danger here was this it narrowed the very concept of what a story could be about in the author’s imagination when she was younger, and a lack of representation of her experiences in English literature also limited and obscured the possibility of people unfamiliar with her culture to relate to or understand her. While movie adaptations of books about Singapore like ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ threaten to paint Singaporeans as nearly homogenous in ethnicity, accent, belief systems, and socioeconomic positioning, books like ‘What We Inherit’ and Odivia Yu’s collection of historical fiction set in Singapore do the important job of widened the perception readers have about the diverse histories and lives of Singaporean people.
This collection aims and succeeds to add diversity, intersectional perspective, and authenticity to the books about Singapore’s culture and people. Reading nuanced personal stories about generational trauma, prejudice, religion, relationships, intersectionality, pop culture, joy, and grief by South Asian women of different ages with varying relationships to Singapore is a real treat.
I’m recommending this book to my mother as soon as I’m done reading it. :)
This representation of South Asian voices from the island I call home reminds me of a Ted Talk given by the accomplished Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who warns against the “danger of a single story”, referring to the way in the books she read when she was young had ‘white and blue-eyed’ protagonists and were set in the global north. The danger here was this it narrowed the very concept of what a story could be about in the author’s imagination when she was younger, and a lack of representation of her experiences in English literature also limited and obscured the possibility of people unfamiliar with her culture to relate to or understand her. While movie adaptations of books about Singapore like ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ threaten to paint Singaporeans as nearly homogenous in ethnicity, accent, belief systems, and socioeconomic positioning, books like ‘What We Inherit’ and Odivia Yu’s collection of historical fiction set in Singapore do the important job of widened the perception readers have about the diverse histories and lives of Singaporean people.
This collection aims and succeeds to add diversity, intersectional perspective, and authenticity to the books about Singapore’s culture and people. Reading nuanced personal stories about generational trauma, prejudice, religion, relationships, intersectionality, pop culture, joy, and grief by South Asian women of different ages with varying relationships to Singapore is a real treat.
I’m recommending this book to my mother as soon as I’m done reading it. :)
September 11, 2022
I love that there’s an anthology of stories capturing the Singaporean Indian experience. As a 90s minority kid in Singapore, I went through my own share of alienating experiences. If there had been a book like this back in the day, I would have felt slightly more comforted and taken solace in the fact that I was not alone. I hope to read more such stories that present identity as nuanced and layered instead of easily digestible boxes.
May 8, 2024
The book is a mixed bag with some stories that are exceptional and relatable while others meander along. But the ones that are relatable has me questioning a lot of the experiences, thoughts and beliefs I grew up with. As an Indian who grew up in Singapore but live in germany, it definitely touched a note when one of the authors wrote 'they would rather feel like a third-class citizen in their adoptive countries than in their own countries'
January 8, 2024
An amazing collection of essays that makes you think, laugh and cry. It’s heartbreaking and inspiring to read about these lived experiences of Indian women in Singapore. I am really glad I picked up this book and has really changed my perspective on a lot of things!
January 7, 2023
This is a superbly edited anthology! I very much agree with the editors’ assessment that “Private self-exploration is inextricably linked to advocacy”—consciousness raising for 2nd wave feminists began through small groups where women shared their stories, and it remains a powerful, necessary practice today.
Before the stories begin though, we read an essay by Ranjana Raghunathan who helps to historically situate the Indian woman in Singapore, her presence (and invisibility), and how the CMIO model presents complications for the South Asian community. It’s great that the anthology begins with an essay that orients and educates the reader. You can also feel the historical and sociological importance of the book.
The book is separated into 5 sections, addressing different aspects of experience. There are stories of racism, of course, but also the complex emotions of cycle breakers of inter-generational trauma, stories of how being unable to properly learn and speak one’s mother tongue is to lose a large part of one’s culture, desirability and gaining confidence as a brown person, and more. The very specific cultural experiences and details present such a rich picture of the diversity within the category of “I” in CMIO, that I feel it’s necessary reading.
But it’s not just about trauma and overcoming adversity, the anthology ends on the section “How We Found Joy,” with expressions of an almost divine adoration for Gujarati food, the decades long bond of immigrant women who have held each other through every “kitty party”, and one of my favourites in the anthology “The Music of Laughter” by Kelly Kaur is a very moving story of how witnessing her mother’s determination and deep contentment in learning the harmonium and singing is marked by the comforting sound of her mother’s laughter... it touched that deep desire of my inner child to see my mother, so trapped and bogged by domestic duties, happy too. Reading that essay, I was so happy for Kelly’s mother that she found that happiness for herself.
Honestly, this whole anthology is wonderful. It made me write an article about the two growing up anthologies, which you can find here: https://artsequator.com/growing-up-an...
Before the stories begin though, we read an essay by Ranjana Raghunathan who helps to historically situate the Indian woman in Singapore, her presence (and invisibility), and how the CMIO model presents complications for the South Asian community. It’s great that the anthology begins with an essay that orients and educates the reader. You can also feel the historical and sociological importance of the book.
The book is separated into 5 sections, addressing different aspects of experience. There are stories of racism, of course, but also the complex emotions of cycle breakers of inter-generational trauma, stories of how being unable to properly learn and speak one’s mother tongue is to lose a large part of one’s culture, desirability and gaining confidence as a brown person, and more. The very specific cultural experiences and details present such a rich picture of the diversity within the category of “I” in CMIO, that I feel it’s necessary reading.
But it’s not just about trauma and overcoming adversity, the anthology ends on the section “How We Found Joy,” with expressions of an almost divine adoration for Gujarati food, the decades long bond of immigrant women who have held each other through every “kitty party”, and one of my favourites in the anthology “The Music of Laughter” by Kelly Kaur is a very moving story of how witnessing her mother’s determination and deep contentment in learning the harmonium and singing is marked by the comforting sound of her mother’s laughter... it touched that deep desire of my inner child to see my mother, so trapped and bogged by domestic duties, happy too. Reading that essay, I was so happy for Kelly’s mother that she found that happiness for herself.
Honestly, this whole anthology is wonderful. It made me write an article about the two growing up anthologies, which you can find here: https://artsequator.com/growing-up-an...
August 15, 2022
This follow-up to AWARE and Ethos Books' Growing Up Perempuan brings to light the discrimination and racism faced by Singaporean Indians – whether they be citizens of many generations, or new immigrants. It is the reality, no matter if we are told 'regardless of race, language or religion' because it is.
The collection of essays and the occasional poem/verse documents the Singapore experience of a minority group. What I particularly enjoyed was learning about the subsets of the subset. 'Indian-ness' is not a monolithic whole, even if we are treated as one by government policy.
The struggles of second language/mother tongue; losing one's culture in an effort to be seen to belong; not being seen as 'Indian enough' – these are all issues one faces. Oh, and let's not forget the ugly teacher so many of us faced during our school days. MOE should make both these books compulsory reading not just in schools but for trainee teachers too!
The pain is evident in so many of the essays and yet there is also joy to be found in these pages, a lot of it to do, not surprisingly, with food.
My small bugbear with this collection is that there seems to be more stories of the Malyalee and Gujarati Singapore experience. As this was a callout from AWARE for personal stories, one cannot blame the editors. They worked with what they received. Also, I didn't get the photos stuck at the end. If they wanted to feature them, they should have been given a proper section and not stuck on as an after-thought.
I really hope AWARE and Ethos Books will continue with these collections and bring out newer volumes in years to come. I know the experiences continue and there will be more stories to be told.
The collection of essays and the occasional poem/verse documents the Singapore experience of a minority group. What I particularly enjoyed was learning about the subsets of the subset. 'Indian-ness' is not a monolithic whole, even if we are treated as one by government policy.
The struggles of second language/mother tongue; losing one's culture in an effort to be seen to belong; not being seen as 'Indian enough' – these are all issues one faces. Oh, and let's not forget the ugly teacher so many of us faced during our school days. MOE should make both these books compulsory reading not just in schools but for trainee teachers too!
The pain is evident in so many of the essays and yet there is also joy to be found in these pages, a lot of it to do, not surprisingly, with food.
My small bugbear with this collection is that there seems to be more stories of the Malyalee and Gujarati Singapore experience. As this was a callout from AWARE for personal stories, one cannot blame the editors. They worked with what they received. Also, I didn't get the photos stuck at the end. If they wanted to feature them, they should have been given a proper section and not stuck on as an after-thought.
I really hope AWARE and Ethos Books will continue with these collections and bring out newer volumes in years to come. I know the experiences continue and there will be more stories to be told.
April 4, 2023
Finished it finally after taking some breaks. Some of the stories were painful to read as they connected too closely with my experiences. I appreciated the humor and lightness brought to some essays as well. The ones I preferred were from established writers like Anita Thanabalan, Akshita Nanda and Bali Kaur Jaswal but there were some surprising new finds. I was touched by Prasanthi Ram's story of caregiving for her father. Kelly Kaur's contribution also had some personal touches. The "How we Found Joy" section could have included more stories to lightened the mood. Racism was such a common theme throughout.
February 25, 2023
This is such a unique, diverse, and deeply human collection of stories. I enjoyed every one of them, for completely different reasons. Kudos to the editors for the selection and organizing of these stories. Some made me cry, many made me laugh, and many more made me do both at the same time! Others made me hungry, and several made me angry, in empathetic ways that continue to fuel my activism.
I am glad I bought extra copies of this to gift; it is truly a special anthology. These stories will stay with me for a very long time. ❤️
I am glad I bought extra copies of this to gift; it is truly a special anthology. These stories will stay with me for a very long time. ❤️
May 31, 2025
This book is a collection of short stories of Indian women in Singapore. The story of minorities in a country they immigrated to is always similar. It’s interesting to hear about Singapore’s race problem. Seems like race is always a problem in an immigrant centric country. Especially one with a history of indentured servants as well.
December 17, 2024
So many of the stories resonated with me, the way the generational trauma was being carried through as well. Growing up Indian validated experiences I didn’t even know needed validation - thank you for this anthology
July 28, 2023
I grew up in the US as a half generation immigrant and this book really resonated with me even as it is set in Singapore. Absolutely worth a read!
August 4, 2023
Enlightening stories. I learned a lot reading through these different experiences as an Indian women.
October 23, 2023
Didn't think I'd finish this in less than two days.
October 25, 2023
Excellent read. Powerful writing, thoughtful, provocative & immersive. Well edited and communicates a wide range of views, perspectives & impressions. An important read!
January 13, 2024
“There is no room for all my shades of complexity, it seems, especially through your coloured vision”
June 12, 2024
4.5 stars
August 20, 2024
Sanusha S Sritharan's footnotes were top-tier
September 17, 2022
I genuinely did not want this to end—and it’s really been a while since I can say that about a book I’ve read. What We Inherit presents an incredibly rich collection of what it means to grow up Indian in Singapore. Reading it, I found a great diversity of experience that I was regrettably not exposed to while growing up as someone from the majority race. There’s so much heartache but also a lot of joy as the authors navigate their life and carve out their own identity. I enjoyed every single essay very, very much and there simply isn’t a way to pick a favourite one! And I truly hope that this will make its way into literature lessons in the future; it ought to be a required reading, especially for those who don’t share these experiences.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews