This August, I had the pleasure of attending Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America's Vivekananda Family Camp in Tolland, Mass. The campsite is nestled in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains, on hundreds of acres of land with well-equipped facilities owned and maintained by the Girl Scouts of America. The wooded area is just yards away from a scenic lake.
This was actually my fourth summer at camp; in fact, most people come back year after year, and a few have been coming for an astounding 10 or more years. Part of the reason for this, I believe, is our struggle for identity as young Indians born and raised in the United States.
Growing up in America, not going to the temple regularly, and not even speaking Hindi, or any Indian language for that matter, I often feel disconnected from my own culture, heritage and religion. In other words, I feel like an "ABCD," or American-Born Confused Desi.
However, at camp, I feel welcome because this is a gathering for people of the same type, all with the same purpose for the next six days. We all come to camp in order to pursue a connection to our background, to our heritage. The camp provides this connection through various activities including yoga, education and discussion, outdoor games, arti, Indian food, cultural programs, and Garba night.
At camp, the day begins with relaxing yoga, exercises and meditation for an hour. After breakfast (all meals at camp are vegetarian), campers split up into groups for an education class, often on Hindu philosophy and practices.
In the evening, outdoor games are organized. But, you won't find any balls, bats, or cones here. You won't play basketball, baseball, soccer, Frisbee, or football, or any American sports you might be used to. Rather, campers play traditional Indian games such as kho and kabaddi.
Prayers and arti are part of the daily rituals, and our singing is accompanied by tabla and dhol, keyboard, bells and conch. Another daily ritual is the post-dinner cultural program.
Performed by campers, the program usually includes dances, jokes, dramas, music, bhajans and story telling.
Then there are the special activities for example, the Garba night, held on the final night of camp. On Garba night, campers and vol unteers alike dance dandiya, garba and bhangra for hours Another thing that makes this camp special is that everybody is very involved, especially on the organization and administration side. The people who run the camp clearly have an immense sense of dedication as yearround planning is required for the success of the camp.
Parents are required to serve as volunteers.
Organizers and volunteers do everything from meal preparation to dish washing. We fondly call the adults "uncles" and "aunties." I have found that they are always looking out for you and for each other, - whether or not they are related. Away from civilization, for the seven days at camp, the people here, the uncles and aunties, bhaiyas and didis, are your friends and your family. Strong bonds are formed because of the amount of time spent with the same group of people. This truly is a great community to be a part of, and the camp is unlike any other camp I have attended because of it.
Campers and volunteers are encouraged to greet one another with "Namaste!" or something similar. As an added incentive to persuade campers to do this, a contest is held every year in which a "secret uncle or aunty" is on the lookout for the camper who uses such a greeting the most often. While saying "Namaste" instead of the usual "What's up?" or "Hey!" might not seem like an important part of Indian heritage, it certainly adds to the experience.
It is vital that young Indian Americans do their best to maintain their Indian identity.
They should undoubtedly connect to their Indian heritage through a cultural immersion program such as the VHP family camp or simply spending time with family in India. But this is not enough.
Beyond occasional camps and visits to India, Indian Americans ought to strive to achieve this connection daily.
More than shrugging off our culture by heartlessly and hurriedly doing arti at home and complaining when we have Indian food for dinner, we should do our best to embrace our culture by visiting a temple regularly, trying and accepting different Indian foods and learning more about language and traditions from our parents.
This August, I had the pleasure of attending Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America's Vivekananda Family Camp in Tolland, Mass. The campsite is nestled in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains, on hundreds of acres of land with well-equipped facilities owned and maintained by the Girl Scouts of America. The wooded area is just yards away from a scenic lake.
This was actually my fourth summer at camp; in fact, most people come back year after year, and a few have been coming for an astounding 10 or more years. Part of the reason for this, I believe, is our struggle for identity as young Indians born and raised in the United States.
Growing up in America, not going to the temple regularly, and not even speaking Hindi, or any Indian language for that matter, I often feel disconnected from my own culture, heritage and religion. In other words, I feel like an "ABCD," or American-Born Confused Desi.
However, at camp, I feel welcome because this is a gathering for people of the same type, all with the same purpose for the next six days. We all come to camp in order to pursue a connection to our background, to our heritage. The camp provides this connection through various activities including yoga, education and discussion, outdoor games, arti, Indian food, cultural programs, and Garba night.
At camp, the day begins with relaxing yoga, exercises and meditation for an hour. After breakfast (all meals at camp are vegetarian), campers split up into groups for an education class, often on Hindu philosophy and practices.
In the evening, outdoor games are organized. But, you won't find any balls, bats, or cones here. You won't play basketball, baseball, soccer, Frisbee, or football, or any American sports you might be used to. Rather, campers play traditional Indian games such as kho and kabaddi.
Prayers and arti are part of the daily rituals, and our singing is accompanied by tabla and dhol, keyboard, bells and conch. Another daily ritual is the post-dinner cultural program.
Performed by campers, the program usually includes dances, jokes, dramas, music, bhajans and story telling.
Then there are the special activities for example, the Garba night, held on the final night of camp. On Garba night, campers and vol unteers alike dance dandiya, garba and bhangra for hours Another thing that makes this camp special is that everybody is very involved, especially on the organization and administration side. The people who run the camp clearly have an immense sense of dedication as yearround planning is required for the success of the camp.
Parents are required to serve as volunteers.
Organizers and volunteers do everything from meal preparation to dish washing. We fondly call the adults "uncles" and "aunties." I have found that they are always looking out for you and for each other, - whether or not they are related. Away from civilization, for the seven days at camp, the people here, the uncles and aunties, bhaiyas and didis, are your friends and your family. Strong bonds are formed because of the amount of time spent with the same group of people. This truly is a great community to be a part of, and the camp is unlike any other camp I have attended because of it.
Campers and volunteers are encouraged to greet one another with "Namaste!" or something similar. As an added incentive to persuade campers to do this, a contest is held every year in which a "secret uncle or aunty" is on the lookout for the camper who uses such a greeting the most often. While saying "Namaste" instead of the usual "What's up?" or "Hey!" might not seem like an important part of Indian heritage, it certainly adds to the experience.
It is vital that young Indian Americans do their best to maintain their Indian identity.
They should undoubtedly connect to their Indian heritage through a cultural immersion program such as the VHP family camp or simply spending time with family in India. But this is not enough.
Beyond occasional camps and visits to India, Indian Americans ought to strive to achieve this connection daily.
More than shrugging off our culture by heartlessly and hurriedly doing arti at home and complaining when we have Indian food for dinner, we should do our best to embrace our culture by visiting a temple regularly, trying and accepting different Indian foods and learning more about language and traditions from our parents.