The British-Tamil Experience: Perks of Having a Tamil Father

By Sangeeta Santha

my father expresses in riddles

or silence or anger or neutrality.

a childhood fostered without feelings

has become his Tamil ‘therapy’.

growing up, his lack of emotions hurt,

i felt undesirable.

but he has been learning from me

and our bond is no longer dysfunctional.

for the next generation however,

this intergenerational trauma ends with me.

because i know now,

emotions explored, sets one free.

(and quite frankly, it’s not with bloody riddles!)