Our Origin
Rani Routes was born out of a desire to create diaspora dialogues that elevate and embrace each other's heritage.
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As a daughter of proud immigrant parents, I was taught that where my family came from is what made me special, and because of that I have a responsibility to represent my family respectfully. From my parents’ perspective it always seemed like my cultural heritage was the crown that was bestowed upon me as my birth right - it was to be valued, cherished, and honored above all else.
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Like many others, my ancestors embarked on a journey across multiple continents to provide me with privileges and opportunities they never had, but some of our roots were sadly lost along the way. My parents couldn’t always comfort us with customs from their homeland. So they filled in the gaps by picking up recipes, remedies, traditions and even superstitions along the routes they traveled. Be it hospitality from Hawaii, baklava from Lebanon, or Traditional Chinese Medicine from Hong Kong my parents worked diligently to weave together a rich tapestry of traditions. It may not have been authentic to our heritage, but they created a culture that resonated with the values they wanted to instill in their children by being curious.
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It wasn’t until later in life that I realized this is not something all immigrant families had the opportunity to do. In a world where attention spans are short and the political climate is polarized, it's not easy to feel comfortable sharing our unique perspectives with each other. But when I see a creator sharing a story about how she oils her hair on Sundays with her Mom -- just like I used to when I was young -- it tethers me to her in a time when its very easy to feel lost and isolated; and more than that it makes me want to cheer her on. Rani Routes is my way of trying to amplify voices like hers so we can all feel a little closer to home, no matter how far away that might be.
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