Season 2 Episode 4 - Tiara Jade Chutkhan

Looking at Tiara Jade Chutkhan gave me so many feels! She looks like me; she could be my little sister, cousin or niece. She is my kin and we never met.  It was refreshing to speak to a young woman who has taken the time to find her purpose, dig deep into her heritage, and uncover the stories that made us.  The resilience in our lineage is so impressive and uncovering the stories that our parents and grandparents never talk about is so powerful.

I began questioning my own rich heritage and powerful story of how my parents parents parents made their way from India to Trinidad.  The first reality is that I always thought it was much deeper in my history, but it is no more than 4 generations ago.  That in itself wowed me, and then I went to where we all go; the interwebs! I came across an Instagram page @browngyaldiary. The stories, images and content spoke to me.  I hit up Tiara and asked if she would be down for an interview and the rest is the magic of this episode. 

I felt connected to her instantly and a warmness that I would family, kin.  I enjoyed the chance to see what she and her friends are so fearlessly bringing to the forefront, stories and an understanding of our culture and education for us all really. 

I have also decided to take a piece of her advice to heart and start talking and interviewing my parents and elders while I can. Giving them the space to talk and open up is healing and shines a new type of light on the kind of love our fore-parents had for us.  I am excited that I opened this Pandora’s Box. To be honest I do not know if its excitement, I feel like I am starting to open myself up, learn some tough truths and more than anything be proud of my people and all those that boarded ships and made it out alive – so I could LIVE. So, I can thrive. So, I can challenge, question, and begin my own origin story.

This episode was what I needed, and I hope that you are able to enjoy it and maybe start your own quest.  Feel free to send in your thoughts and feedback- looking forward to hearing from you. And, thank you for listening J

https://www.instagram.com/browngyaldiary/

https://www.instagram.com/bookwormbabee/