SAMIKSHA: I LIVE IN INDIA

Thirteen year old Samiksha lives in Chennai, a big city in India... she tells us about life there...

Samiksha says:
I live in an independent house at the heart of Chennai; it has three bedrooms and a terrace where I can play. There are many trees in the area so we get lots of fresh air and see all kinds of birds! I'm lucky enough to go to one of the best schools in the city. It's co-educational which means boys and girls study together, and we have smart, summery uniforms. The climate here is hot and humid throughout the year, so we need to stay cool! My school can be strict when it needs to be, but the rest of the time the teachers are really friendly, and we have a huge playground and an indoor meeting area too. My favourite subject is English - I enjoy writing essays and short stories! We have a chauffeur, who takes me to and from school.

The staple diet of India is rice, gravy, dhal, pickles and roti; dhal is a dish made from lentils cooked to a soft, soupy or porridge-like consistency, and roti is a kind of flatbread. Indian food can be spicy and tangy but not all types are. There are many vegetarian dishes as some Indians do not eat meat, but many do. We do have many international cuisines here too - American, Mexican, Italian, Chinese and many more. We enjoy western food just as much! My favourite food is roti with channa gravy, which is made from chickpeas.

We have western clothes and in the city these are worn routinely, but we also wear traditional Indian clothes, mostly for functions or celebrations. The picture is of me wearing a traditional Indian 'ghaghara'. It is made of flowy georgette fabric with pink satin roses and I absolutely love it! I worse it to a wedding - I always feel beautiful and happy wearing it! India has a very rich heritage and culture. We are a democratic country and people of many different religions live here. I am a Hindu; the religion involves many rituals and festivals and we have some really interesting religious stories such as the 'Mahabaratha' and the 'Ramayana'. Some of the important festivals of the Hindu religion are Diwali, the festival of lights, and Holi, the festival of colours.

In India we have both joint and nuclear families, and family does play a very important role in Indian culture. I think in the near future more and more people will see the importance of having a joint or extended family and work towards this. India is a very beautiful country and in places it is very developed and sophisticated. We have many beautiful and historical monuments such as the Taj mahal in Delhi and Agra in North India. The only downside is that we have a really large population. India is a mixed economy so poverty exists side by side with wealth. Mostly, though, there are many average income households!

I love singing and one day I'd like to be an internationally known singer - it's my ultimate dream! For me, it is a very proud feeling to be born an Indian - it is a great place to live. I love my country very much!

Cathy says:
I've loved hearing Samiksha's account of living in Chennai... awesome! It has made me more determined than ever to visit India one day. COMMENT BELOW to share your views, or, if you're a reader outside the UK yourself, let me know if you'd like to write about YOUR country!