Where are you from

SO,...Where are you from?

This question irritates me. Honestly. I mean, why is this question asked?
It is one of those clever little detective questions in disguise which make u blurt out things you wouldn’t have bothered to answer if asked in any other form. Don’t agree?

Ok!! I'll be one of those insane people who finds fault with an innocent little question. What's wrong with asking "Where are you from?"

But for me, this question is very difficult to answer. Every time this question is put in front of me, my brain fumbles to find what could be the correct answer to it.
It's been pursuing the right answer for so long now.

What should be the correct answer now?
Well, I was born in Bangalore, India (The IT city that I love so so much). But, my parents are from Mangalore(The beautiful coastal city of Karnataka,that I’m proud of too). My Grandparents were from Kerala/Udupi. So if the person asking this so-called inncocent (read twisted) question, should I say—“Ahh!! I’m a Mangalorean born in Bangalore. But I could also be from Kerala! And by the way I live in Goa now.” And have that person look at me like I’m some idiot?

Another perspective-

Should I wonder if that person is asking me Where am I from as in where I belong? Which element of the Universe is it that truly calls me it’s own? And should I explain to him how I belong to every bit that this world is.


Or even worse should I start explaining to him how I think i probably descended from the Greek and traveled all the way to India over a period of million years to sit and explain to him how difficult I find his question is to reply to.


Or maybe I should keep it simple and ask him if he means, Where are you from you Middle-class migrant in the modern world.

How I wish, that the next time I’m asked this question, I could yell at the top of my voice and say, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY WHERE I’M FROM?? COULD YOU PLEASE ELABORATE?”



But mad-angle that this life is, I will probably just smile and go on to explain about how, ‘I’m a Mangalorean, born in Bangalore but living in Goa now.”