From Jodhpur to Sri Lanka: A Marwari Mom’s Mission to Keep Her Heritage Alive

When Yuvragi Rathore moved from the vibrant city of Jodhpur to Sri Lanka, she carried more than just suitcases with her. She brought along a collection of lullabies, folk tales, and rituals, all the little bits of her homeland and its heritage, the Marwari culture.

Growing up in Rajasthan, Yuvragi was surrounded by colour, food, and tradition. Her childhood was filled with rhythms of Marwari songs sung by her mother, the joy of festivals celebrated with grandeur, and the comfort of a close-knit community that found a connection in customs. These were more than practices, they were memories in motion, lessons of belonging passed down through generations.

But in a new country, far from the familiar scents of home-cooked dal baati (a traditional Rajasthani dish of lentils and baked wheat balls) and the sounds of Marwari chatter, she found herself wondering how her daughters would ever experience the culture she held so close to her heart.

So, she began where her mother had once begun — with stories.

Sitting beside her daughters, Yuvragi would narrate tales from her homeland. Stories of folk heroes, age-old customs, and even everyday moments that once seemed ordinary now shimmer with meaning. Soon, these stories went beyond the walls of her home and onto the internet for the world to witness a culture-reviving spirit.

Using handmade puppets, expressive anecdotes, and her beloved dialect, she began telling the world about Marwari life, with all its warmth, uniqueness, and pride.

At first, not everyone understood. “Old-fashioned” — some called her. But Yuvragi knew that this wasn’t just nostalgia — it was preservation. And she refused to let silence write over the stories of her people.

One Rajasthani word at a time, she built a bridge between the past and the present, between Jodhpur and the rest of the world. Her Instagram now teaches a new word every day — a small but powerful way to keep the language alive. Slowly, the comments began to shift. People from across the globe wrote to her, thanking her for bringing back the sounds of their childhoods, and for reminding them of home.

For Yuvragi, every tale she tells is more than a story, it’s an inheritance she proudly upholds. A way of saying, “This is who we are. This is where we come from.”

And as her daughters listen with wide-eyed wonder, she knows they won’t forget. Because stories, when told with love, never fade.

Edited by Saumya Singh