Papa told me we were Kashmiri, which was good, because we were from the north. He told me we were of the Brahmin caste, we were descendants of pundits, literally meaning we were smart and educated and worthy, cultural history that wasn’t necessarily true but was certainly felt. He never outright mentioned that we were also some of the fairest in the country, and how our privilege was largely related to the sheer dumb luck of being lighter, but I’d figure that out soon enough.
