by Aneeta Chakrabarty
"Arvind utilized to cringe and fell successful his 8th people social
studies class, particularly erstwhile the survey taxable was
India. His tegument would pain and his look would flush
erstwhile they mentioned the caste system, cattle worship, or
the each pervading poverty. The full people would look
astatine him arsenic if helium was the embodiment of this backward
India. The look of curiosity bordering connected contempt
would lurk successful his subconscious and springiness him sleepless
nights.
Arvind is not alone. While the parents are stoutly pretending that each is well, the children turn up being ashamed of their civilization and heritage.
On 1 specified day, helium arrived at
schoolhouse bushed and dispirited. But
contiguous determination was a change. They
were studying the autumn of the
Alamo. The teacher gave facts
astir the Alamo, the heroism of
the Texan martyrs who gave conflict to a much superior
army, and concluded that it was an lawsuit that triggered
Texas independence. While the students were listening
attentively, abruptly a manus went up, “Excuse me,
ma’am, my parents told maine a antithetic mentation than
what is said successful the textbook. There were heroes also
among the Spanish. They were not each villains.
Something doesn’t dependable right.”
Arvind looked up arsenic his person Carlos spoke with
condemnation and emphasis. He was not definite if helium was
close oregon wrong, but what impressed him was that helium took
a stand. And Carlos was not apologetic, nor did he
look ashamed. He was conscionable being himself and
exhibited a quiescent confidence. Soon determination was a debate.
The teacher asked him to make a portfolio depicting
events from the Spanish constituent of view. Carlos worked
hard and his portfolio bristled with facts, figures,
viewpoints, pictures, authentic eyewitness accounts,
opinions and quotes from heroes of the war. He who
was ever looked down arsenic possibly an illegal
migrant with a inheritance of poorness and
backwardness won respect and admiration for his
superb depiction of the autumn of the Alamo.
From that time connected Carlos became his inspiration.
“Carlos is simply a number conscionable similar me. Why is it that helium has
much confidence? How travel helium knows truthful overmuch about
his state and his culture? Where does helium get the
courageousness to talk out?” wondered Arvind. “It’s my
family,” replied Carlos. “They gave maine the pridefulness and the
spine,” helium said successful effect to Arvind’s question. “My
dada worked each time successful the prima gathering houses and yet
ne'er owned one. But helium inspired maine with the tough
heroes of the gyration specified arsenic Emiliano Zapata and
Pancho Villa and Francisco Madero. He taught us
History and told maine to locomotion proudly. “The anglos may
accidental thing but retrieve our Mexico has a rich
civilization and civilization. Always respect Mexico and
don’t fto anyone speech atrocious astir it,” helium said. “Is this true
of lone your household oregon different Mexicans also,” asked
Arvind. “Almost each Mexican knows astir the
revolutionary heroes and the story of Zorro,” replied
Carlos with a passion.
The grit successful Carlos’ oculus acceptable him thinking. The Indian
assemblage besides had respective soul-searching seminars
wherever they collectively explored astir generational rift
and passing the baton of Hinduism to their disconnected springs.
There was precocious speech and lofty rhetoric but the ground
was buzzing with chatter specified as: “Things are atrocious in
India. Kids can’t get admittance to colleges,” “The price
of golden has gone up and truthful I bought 2 pairs of chains
and bangles,” “The traffic, the pollution, the crowds, the
ungraded made maine sick the full clip I was there,” “You are
present successful this state for 25 years and you inactive don’t
drink?”, “Have you seen the 3 idiots,” “I emotion Shah
Rukh Khan,” “I deliberation I’ve heard astir your company. I
ain respective stocks there,” “He conscionable bought a location for
a cardinal dollars. Where did helium get the money?”
“Forget astir Hinduism,” thought Arvind, “there wasn’t
adjacent immoderate humanism successful the politically close assemblage of
“movers and shakers.” For the hard questions that
followed him similar a shadow, helium near the onshore of humans
and turned to technology.
He scoured the internet, websites connected Hinduism, and
work books to larn astir the history, the civilization and
the reasoning down the rituals and festivals of his
country. He learned astir the state movement, the
slavery nether the rapacious Mughals, astir the disunity
of the venal Maharajahs and the wide weakness of
Hindus to squad up and support their interests.
Soon helium learnt however to correspond and clasp his ain when
the people started talking astir India. Knowledge about
his roots and courageousness to look facts not lone gave him
assurance to asseverate his aforesaid but besides to amended and
pb others.
By refusing to beryllium a taste punch bag, Arvind sought
and obtained a much robust religion that radiated positivity
and yet got him the iconic and enviable rubric of
“the caller chill kid.”
Arvind is not alone. Many Hindu children successful America
endure this gauntlet of humiliation and embarrassment.
Emotional trauma caused by subtle taunts ranging
from “worshipping the monkey God” to satanic cults
of sacrifice are not casual to ignore.
While their parents are stoutly pretending that each is well
, the children turn up being ashamed of their culture
and heritage. Children, of course, larn by example
and the behaviour of Hindus who spell retired each western
erstwhile their kids are small, but marque an astir crook to
desi erstwhile their wards commencement dating, does not assistance either.
As the proverbial African adage says, “It takes a village
to rise a child,” and involves a corporate effort with a
shared History and civilization to walk connected the consciousness of
identity. For this to happen, the parents should get their
narratives of India close and instill pridefulness successful hindu
children conscionable arsenic the Mexican builder did. Ostrich-like
caput successful the soil cognition and a civilization of denial will
lone lure the children to the unfastened and welcoming arms
of different cultures oregon religion."
The anxiousness expressed successful the message is easily
understandable.Yet we request not suffer heart.The younger
procreation of boys and girls calved aft 1975-80 are able
to measure the concern adjacent erstwhile they are students.All
technocrats person volumes of literaure astir Indian
culture, traditions and past values.They not only
person books but effort to imbibe immoderate is stated
therein and effort to impart the aforesaid successful their
children.While they privation to unrecorded arsenic Romans successful Rome,
they person a good grip implicit the roots of our culture.
My grandson aged 19, is simply a carnatic vocalist
,has started giving performances. Can analyse more
astir our spiritual practices successful a technological manner
than immoderate different kid brought up successful India.The younger
1 aged 11 is simply a violinistThis is a
reality.Notwithstanding the situation our children
tin basal immoderate magnitude of disapproval with an apt scientific
effect connected hand.
They person already started speaking up and are earning
respect. We request not person immoderate anxiousness successful this regard.
The speaking up has go much indispensable successful India
wherever the concern seems to beryllium worse than that
obtained successful overseas counties.
JAYASALA42