As a third-generation Indonesian Tamil, I’ve spent my whole life living between cultures. Naturally, I’m curious about how other multicultural people live theirs. Especially when one of those cultures is Tamil. And especially when it shows up in the least expected combinations. Through the privilege of travel, I’ve learned there are little pockets of the Tamil community tucked into every corner of the world. Which just means more people for me to connect with, highlight, and learn from.
This time, it’s Sindhuja. I stumbled upon her Instagram during my adopted Gen Z way of researching things to do in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Her profile description resonated with mine instantly: Thai Tamilan. I was intrigued. Then I read on. “PhD, performer, visionary.” Now I needed to know her more. So I pinged her, and thankfully, she graciously answered these somewhat intrusive questions from a stranger. So here it is. Enjoy.
Sindhuja: A Thai Tamil, PhD, Performer, Visionary
✈️ Let’s start at the beginning: how did your family come to call Thailand home? Is yours a story of generations, or something more recent?
My father got a job transfer from India to Bangkok, and I moved to this country at the age of 4, if I remember correctly.
🙋🏽♀️ As an Indonesian Tamil, I grew up as the designated “explainer” — forever telling classmates what the pottu on my forehead meant or why my lunchbox smelled gloriously different. Did young Sindhuja have a version of this? What did you find yourself explaining the most?
OMG, where do I begin! Yes! It went from innocent questions like “why do you wear a dot on your forehead?” and “why are you wearing bangles?” to “why is your head so oily and stinky?” and “why are you so dark and hairy?”!
✨ Where does the Tamil-ness show up in your daily life without you even trying — a habit, a phrase, a preference your Thai friends might clock as “very Sindhuja“?
So, unfortunately, I became incredibly whitewashed in an Asian country because of how badly I was bullied. I had no friends up until grade 9, and because of that, I became as distant as possible from my Tamil identity in school, to the point where I only spoke English at home. It was only very recently that I became fluent in Tamil. I was the only dark-skinned Tamil girl in my grade, and I didn’t want to stand out more than I already did, so unfortunately, there was no Tamil-ness that might have been an adaiyaalam per se, haha. BUT NOOOOW! I’m sure my friends would be able to point out a lot.
🔴 What’s one Tamil tradition you’re especially fond of and still uphold today, even in the middle of Bangkok life?
I wear pottus and jimikies EVERYWHERE I GO! And I am not ashamed of it AT ALL. I meditate first thing in the morning and before I sleep (this is very heavily Tamil, though a lot of us don’t follow it). I want to start drawing kolams! But I feel that is something I will need to start at a later time, hahaha.
🌏 How do you think growing up Tamil in Thailand shaped you differently than if you’d grown up in Tamil Nadu — or as a Tamil anywhere else in the diaspora?
OOH, I LOVE THIS QUESTION! I can honestly go off on a tangent! But I will try my best to keep it to a minimum. ONE, I would say phenotypically I look very different. Every time I go to Chennai, Madurai or even Tirunelveli, I automatically stand out. In terms of looks and how I present myself, I walk differently (raised chin, straight back — maybe because of my dance background, but a lot of women, even as dancers in India, don’t walk with such openness), and I talk differently (more open, confident, calmer! Less loud, like the Thais). I laugh out loud without hesitation, and I’m overall more confident in my speech and presentation.
I also noticed I am the only one to bend my knees or even bend my entire torso when saying vanakkam. Respect is a huge thing here in Thailand, so no matter who you are or your age, you HAVE to greet the other person with clasped hands and address everyone! Another thing I noticed with a lot of people, especially young adults in Tamil Nadu, is they don’t make eye contact or they don’t acknowledge everyone in the room, even though they are a part of the conversation. I am not sure if that is because of nerves, but it would be considered extremely rude!
I also feel like my taste in fashion is very different. Here in Thailand, EVERYONE dresses up just to leave their house, and fashion and cleanliness are taken VERY seriously! So when I am in Tamil Nadu, I notice I immediately stand out because of the way I put myself together out of habit. It’s a form of respect for one’s self, respect for the people around you and respect for the place you are going to.
🎓 Tell us everything about your PhD — what you researched, what pulled you toward it, where you did it, and how you feel having accomplished it.
So my PhD is in Biosciences, and I did it at the University of Bath, in collaboration with Swansea University, under the full support of the SouthWest Biosciences DTP (Doctoral Training Program). What pulled me toward it was that a friend at the time was doing her PhD and she was talking about it.
At that point it was one year into COVID and I didn’t have a job, I was staying with my family, and because of isolation I had to look inward a lot and ask myself, okay, what do I want to do with my life? I was also annoyed that I didn’t specialize in anything after completing a UG and PG in biomedical engineering. It was all just so open. So when I heard that this person was doing a PhD, I thought… should I? NOT TO MENTION, after having witnessed the horrors of PhD during my UG and PG, I was hell-bent on not doing it, or at least not in the near future. Buuuuuut, I guess the universe had other plans! hahah
💃🏽 Your life embodies the arts — you dance traditionally, you sing, and I saw you posting about auditions. Tell us more about your goals and aspirations.
SIIIGGGGHHH! Oh woooow, where do I begin! So for the longest time I would say that my dream career would be to be a scientist by day and an artist by night, and by that I don’t mean become a stripper or a burlesque dancer hahaha. I mean make a living doing what I like in both fields, exercising the mind all the while feeding my heart and soul. However, now that I have endured a PhD and have lived like a scientist for 4 years, I am willing to hang that hat, at least for a while, and turn to doing something where I can make a huge impact, possibly see it in real time, inspire so many people, and be a leader, all the while still feeding my heart and soul. I hope this answers your question haha.
🧖🏽♀️ And what do you like to do on your days off?
Depends! If I’ve had a heavy couple of days, I like to stay home, watch TV, do something creative like singing or crafting, or have a slow day and go to a spa. Other than that, on my days off I like to go to malls, explore new places, go to cafes and meet with friends!
🍜 When it’s been a long day and you need comfort food, does your soul reach for rasam saadam or a bowl of tom yum? Be honest — I need to know which side is winning.
OOOOOHHHHH! I hate to disappoint, but it reaches for some somtam, some larb tofu and koi teoi nam that is tom yum flavoured! I love noodles more than rice hahaha, AND I eat with chopsticks soooo!
🍛 Is there a dish in your family that has quietly become Thai Tamil over the generations — a curry that picked up lemongrass along the way, or a Tamil dish your family makes that would confuse relatives back in Tamil Nadu?
Ooooohhhhh! This is an interesting question and I love it! Buuut I don’t think so! Wow! I would’ve never thought of mixing the two… but… unfortunately… I am thinking really hard… yea, I don’t think there are… unfortunately. The soya sauces and oyster sauces don’t come over to this side. Not even the basil! It’s not easy, you know. It alters the taste and it becomes a conundrum without intending to hahaha. However, I would like to see if one day it is possible, though I highly doubt it. The foods are sooo different!
🛕 Where do you take people for proper Tamil food in Thailand? Consider this as me planning a future eating itinerary.
Oooh! For proper Tamil food, I would go to a road in Silom where the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, also known as Maha Uma Devi Temple, is. In Thai it’s called Wat Phra Si Maha Umathewi (Uma Devi) and Wat Khaek. Veeeerrrryyy cliché! Hahah, but hey, that is where all the Tamil spots are, so! ALSO, FUN FACT: it is the most famous Hindu temple in Bangkok. A LOOOOT of Thai people go here, regardless of their religion! You will find a lot of Buddhists here! And in my opinion, I absolutely love it! It shows how integrated all of us should be, and that Hinduism plays a huge part in their Buddhist lifestyle, just as Buddhism plays into Tamil people’s lifestyles! I grew up going to Hindu and Buddhist temples, so praying to the Buddha and having a Buddha selai at home is very normal!
📦 If you moved abroad (again) and your family sent you a care package filled with your favourite snacks, food, and things from Thailand, what five items would we definitely find inside?
NOOOO, DON’T ASK ME THIIIISS! Hahah, umm, #1 would be Snack Jack pea crisps, #2 Betagen Yakult (probiotic) and kombucha, #3 Giant Caplico chocolate flavour, #4 the sandwiches you get from 7/11 (btw, all these products are from 7/11), aaaand lastlyyyyyy, hmmm, probably #5 durian chips!!! Quite expensive buuuuut TOOOOO GOOOOD!!
🎶 A Thai Tamil or Tamil or Thai artist — in any form — who inspires you: who are they, and what is it about their work that moves you?
I do not have a Thai artist that I am inspired by, only because I grew up listening to English music (I attended an international school) and a lot of Carnatic and Tamil music! So! Two Tamil artists who had a huge impact on my life growing up were Thiru Ilayaraja and Thiru A.R. Rahman.
I believe they do not need any explanation as to why their work moves me hahah. To me they are geniuses! They understand music in ways other people would have never thought, and then when they introduce it to the world, it hits JUST RIGHT! It’s like an aha moment as an audience.
Honestly, it baffles me even to this day HOW their music actually conveys the right emotion and messages! Because there are no rules to art! To storytelling! And yet their songs follow every rule there is! There is definitely a lot of math that can be used to explain why and how their music fits well, but that is a job for another day and for another person! Hahaha, if I can be at least 1/3 as good as them, I think I can leave this earth fully satisfied hahahaha.
🤳 And lastly, a silly one to send us off: what are your current obsessions these days? Nothing is too small or too unserious.
My current obsession these days is content creation and manifesting my dream life! Hahah, because I am very new to the whole thing, I have so many ideas to put out there, but I also need to take out the time to learn the craft and everything else, to convey my messages and post at the quality they deserve!
And there you have it from my fave Thai Tamil girly. What stays with me most is the arc of it all. The girl who once tucked her Tamil-ness away just to survive the school day now wears her pottu and jimikis EVERYWHERE. Unashamed. Fluent in the language she once avoided. It felt like a triumph of diaspora life! I also like thinking of it as a privilege to circle back to ourselves eventually, but on our own terms.
Nandri, Sindhuja, for letting a near stranger from the internet rummage through your story so openly (and for the 7/11 shopping list, which I will be treating as a legally binding document on my next Bangkok run).
Please go shower her with some love on Instagram (@amsindhu.krish) and cheer her on as she chases that scientist-by-day, artist-by-night dream (minus the burlesque, as clarified).
And if you are a Tamilian thriving in an unexpected corner of the world, or you know one, my DMs are always open. You might just be the next conversation here.
Follow me on Instagram @KultureKween for more recent updates.
