India Festival 2010

India Festival 2010
films found in grocery and video
stores across the U.S. often carry
subtitles which makes it possible
for our children to still somewhat
enjoy them.
Indian “arranged marriages”
might furnish another such facet of a ‘common
culture’. Websites and newspapers published by
Indian communities flourish everywhere, and they
consistently carry a section with matrimonial ads.
Though these very ads help Indians to ‘locate’ one
another, they pose difficult questions about ‘otherness’,
in relation to ‘Americans’. This practice of trying to
find a mate has been a long standing tradition and
does not seem to be on the way out anytime soon. It’s
just part of our culture and still seems to be a large
part of who we are.
The sacred practices of Hindus, Sikhs, and
Muslims in the U.S. and other overseas communities
might be assisting in transforming the nature of
religious faiths in India. Hindus all over the world are
showing signs of resurgence of Hinduism; without
a doubt, it is even arguable that they seem to know
the meaning of Hinduism better than do Hindus
in India. Why do overseas Hindus, particularly the
North American Diaspora, appear always to out-
Hindu the Hindu? Indians are perhaps trying to hold
on to our culture and identity for our children and
grandchildren. In thinking of the Indian Diaspora,
many questions come to mind: relations between
parents and children; race relations between Indians,
blacks, and whites; how Indian food and music
play in the preservation of Indian communities;
the responsibility, if any, of the Indian Government
to overseas Indians; and the future prospects of the
Indian community in the U.S.
The one thing we can surely all agree on is that
Indians have made a tremendous impact where ever
they have settled and I suspect our impact in the
United States and other parts of the world continue
to impact those communities.
By: Dr. Ram P Ramcharran
www.gujaratisamaj.org 63 GUJARATI SAMAJ OF TAMPA BAY