"Nana, you're infected with the ideas of the West and this Rap thing, you have no regard for our sacred traditions, your mother would be so ashamed if she were alive, you're dead to me," Mohinder Kujur said to his daughter, Narmada "Nana" Kujur, and then he turned his back on her. Stunned by her father's harsh words, the young woman blinked back tears.
The Adivasi patriarch had been set in his ways long before the Kujur family left their homeland of Jharkhand, Eastern India, and moved to the City of Toronto, Ontario. For anyone to expect him to change was utter foolishness. Narmada Kujur knew this better than anyone. Born in India and raised in Ontario, Canada, Narmada knew she'd never be 'Indian enough' for her father, or Canadian enough for the outside world. Her only choice was to be her own woman.
"I should have known better than to tell you about my choices," Narmada replied, and her father ignored her and slammed the door in her face. Narmada's decision to take a year off to find herself after graduating from Carleton University, rather than gear up for the MCAT had been met with staunch disapproval from her Baba. Add to that the fact that Narmada played with a Rap group, a decidedly non-traditional occupation for any South Asian person, and one could see the source of parental conflict...
"Your black friends will never amount to anything and you let them influence you too much, go stay with them because I'm through with you," Mohinder Kujur hollered, from inside the house. Narmada flinched and took one last look at the old man, and shook her head. With that, the young Adivasi woman shook her head and sighed, then left the Barrhaven house where she'd lived for the past twenty four years. Just like that, a new chapter of her life officially began...
"The only thing I ever wanted is my own way," Narmada said, mostly to herself, as she headed for the OC Transpo bus station on Marketplace Street. The 95 bus pulled into the terminal, and a dozen people got on. Narmada swiped her bright green Presto card against the electronic reader, and the bus driver, a chubby white woman with red hair, nodded at her. With a faint smile, Narmada headed for the swivel chairs, her favorite spot.
As Narmada Kujur sat down, her phone began to buzz. She smiled when she saw who it was. Suleiman Touadéra, the six-foot-tall, dark and handsome Muslim brother originally from metropolitan Bangui, in the Central African Republic. They met a couple of years ago at Carleton University and had been close friends ever since. Although Narmada and Suleiman hailed from different worlds, they soon found out they were both birds of a feather...
Suleiman came to Canada to study civil engineering, and graduated from Carleton University a few months ago. The brother was working for Tech Mage, a local startup company while also rapping with Soul Fire North, the Rap group he co-founded with Narmada and their mutual friend Ahmet, a young Turkish guy who also attended Carleton U. They performed at various events, and even opened for world-famous artists at Capital Hoe Down and Blues Fest. Yeah, they were definitely coming up in the world...
"What's good, my princess?" Suleiman's deep, masculine voice chimed in, and Narmada smiled to herself. It was astonishing how much the charismatic young African's deep voice could affect her. Suleiman had that infectious smile and natural charisma that made many a woman melt. Of course, he'd always carried a torch for her, but Narmada never gave in to his advances, preferring not to mix business with pleasure...
A lot of people on the Carleton University campus thought Suleiman and Narmada were an item, since they went everywhere together. Many thought that the tall, muscular and handsome young African artist-scholar and the curvy, brown-skinned and fiery Indian cutie with the angelic voice would make quite a couple. Of course, they were just friends. Real good friends, but friends just the same.
If Suleiman wished he and Narmada were an item, he certainly didn't let on. The young woman thought of the endless parade of white chicks that flocked to Suleiman. Yeah, the African stud wasn't losing sleep over her, that's for damn sure. Narmada, a serial monogamist, didn't believe in the love-them-and-leave-them attitude that Suleiman had towards women.
Narmada had a relationship with a Pakistani guy named Rafiq Khan, who proved to be far too religious and gung-ho for her. In Pakistan, just like in the Republic of India, the Adivasi people were a minority. Unlike India, however, Pakistan was strictly Muslim and cast a jaundiced glance at the animism that many Adivasi people practiced. To the government of Pakistan, the Adivasi people were an afterthought which they barely tolerated...
When Rafiq Khan began pressuring her to learn about his faith, Narmada swiftly ended their relationship. For she knew where it was going. The Pakistani Muslim dude was trying to get her to embrace his faith and she wouldn't have that. Thanks but no thanks, Narmada thought dismissively. Narmada's good friend Suleiman, however, was a different kind of Muslim. The hard-drinking, womanizing, and hard-partying Muslim that you've never heard of...
"Oh, I'm fine, Soul Man, life is alright, oh, and by the way, Baba kicked me out when I told him I wasn't taking the MCAT," Narmada said, and Suleiman fell silent. How could I make you understand? Narmada thought. She'd met Suleiman's parents, Omar and Naima Touadéra when they came to Ottawa for their son's graduation. The elderly Central African couple were very proud of their son, who was definitely doing big things in Canada.
"No way, are you alright? I'm at my apartment right now, just come over," Suleiman said, and Narmada smiled, and thanked him for his kindness. Narmada got off the bus at Lebreton station and walked up the street for about ten minutes before she came to Suleiman's place. Buzzing his apartment on the second floor, the young woman waited patiently.
"Hello," Narmada said as Suleiman came to the door, clad in a bathrobe, even though it was eleven forty five in the morning. The fact that he managed to secure a paying gig with Tech Mage, the startup company that was currently giving Shopify a run for its money astonished Narmada. Underneath his party guy exterior, Suleiman was smart and savvy, that much Narmada was sure of.