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| The Hindu American Identity: A Melting Pot Within A Melting Pot |
Purnita Howlader
10/01/2009
A Melting Pot Within A Melting Pot
Superman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, and me. What do these four people have in common? While I may not fit the mold of these characters, we all have a major commonality. I feel that I’ve been leading somewhat of a double life for a long time, and it has not been until recently that I’ve come to accept as well as try to fuse my two worlds together. My “double life†stems from being an ABCD, or “American Born Confused Desiâ€. This is a term that refers to people of South Asian descent who were born and live in the United States. The confusion is regarding identity-as an ABCD, I am constantly battling between two cultures; the culture of my parents and that of the society in which I have been raised. Not only are ABCDs confused about their identities, but so also are FOBs, or “Fresh Off the Boat†transplants into the Hindu American society. These are the Hindu people not born in the United States who have immigrated to America.
Between these two groups, there is a lot of disparity as to what a Hindu American identity is or what it should be. America is known as a melting pot of cultures, ideas and languages. The Hindu American identity is itself a melting pot, as there are so many variations of the religion and of the people who practice it.
As an ABCD growing up in a predominantly Caucasian suburb of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, I naturally made friends with very different cultural and religious upbringings from my own. I recall feeling left out when my friends went to church camp each summer and when a large percentage of my classmates showed up to school with bracelets proclaiming their faith. I saw that my faith didn’t have such large-scale organized events or gimmicks to latch onto. My family follows Hinduism, which is the world’s oldest and the third most practiced religion. However, as a native English speaker, it was not very easy for me to practice the religion due to language barriers. I was taught the basic beliefs, but never fully made the teachings a part of my daily life as I imagine I would if I been raised in India.
As an adult, I’ve begun to realize the importance of learning more about the Hindu faith, and maintaining it as a part of my way of life. As a Hindu American, I’ve been immersed by other religions throughout my education, most notably Christianity and Judaism. In America, Hinduism has always seemed to blend into the background, willing to succumb to the religions that are more common in society. But recently, Indian actors have become more of a household name through popular films such as “Bend it Like Beckham†and “Slumdog Millionaireâ€. This fame has brought India, and its major religion, out of the background and into the spotlight.
With its renewed fame, I have been given an opportunity as a Hindu American to share the teachings of Hinduism to others, and to clear up misunderstandings of the religion. It is so important to maintain my identity as a Hindu American because I am a part of the generation that is starting to make major decisions about the future of our country. It would be a shame to watch the identity that my parents and so many others worked so hard to foster, halfway across the world from their motherland, disappear.
It is up to my fellow Hindu Americans and me to pave the way and show our country how we want Hindu Americans to be perceived. We can do so in both our public and private lives, by leading virtuous and peaceful lives. Hinduism is a religion based on peace and coexistence. By advocating what it means to be a Hindu American, and by following the ways of the religion, we are doing our part to spread peace to the rest of the United States.
The Golden Rule states that you should “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.†This rule tells us to treat others well; Hinduism similarly teaches us to respect others, whether it is other people, animals, or objects. Respect and kindness are certainly beliefs that we can use more of in today’s society. Although we as Hindu Americans are a melting pot among ourselves, united we have the tools and background to continue advocating for our identities to remain strong and alive for many years to come.
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