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| Living The Hindu Identity Today |
Shweta Thakur
08/18/2010
How do I live my Hindu identity differently from how my parents live theirs? To answer this question, I had to identify what exactly the Hindu identity means. To my parents who grew up in India, a dominantly Hindu country, I feel the Hindu identity refers to one’s religious rituals, knowledge of the scriptures, and cultural history. Having grown up in the U.S., a country with a plethora of religions and cultures, I believe all of that is important but I focus more on applying Hindu principles to current life situations.
Many see the words Hinduism or Hindu identity and automatically think about mandirs [temples], multiple gods and goddesses, and scriptural stories. The more puja [religious ceremony] you do and the more knowledge of the holy books you have, the more Hindu you are. I know that in my house, my parents sit in front of the alter and practice puja two to three times a day and also hold religious events whenever there is a significant event in the family such as purchasing a new house, a wedding engagement, or a graduation. They do this to show gratitude to our higher being for all they have attained.
I also believe in the importance of gratitude, but you will not find me in front of an alter set up at my apartment reading Sanskrit scriptures. While I can appreciate this method of giving thanks and asking for guidance, I was not taught many of these mantras [verses] nor do I fully grasp the exact translations. As an alternative, I opt to practice my appreciation a different way, a way I learned from a very powerful force in this world—Miss Oprah Winfrey! I keep a gratitude journal in which I refer to the day’s or week’s events and write down the things I am grateful for.
You may have chuckled to see the name “Oprah Winfrey†in a discussion about Hindu identity, but that brings me to my next point about generational practices of Hindu identity. One of the most beautiful areas of Hinduism that my parents and I can both appreciate is the fact that Hinduism embraces all religions and all practices showing us that we are all worshipping One in different forms. I am fairly certain that Oprah never learned the bhajans and shlokahs [religious hymns] often read during a Hindu ceremony, but she may have been brought up practicing another religion which preaches similar philosophies of showing gratitude and seeking guidance.
Another concept many believe in is karma. It is a word we often hear used casually, but it is also a complex Hindu belief. My parents once explained to me that karma is the cycle of life that determines what species one will be born as in their next life. It is decided based upon the actions of one’s current life. They feel that by being good people or doing kind things for others that one day they may achieve the ultimate peace and never be born again. This idea was instilled in them at a young age from their spiritual teachers, senior family members and friends. It is important to them to consider one’s current life in addition to past lives and possible future lives.
Because none of us really know what will happen to us once we pass, it is sometimes hard for me to understand that the effects of my actions will affect a future life. However, I do believe in karma and find it working in my current life all the time. If I do something I know is wrong, I see myself being punished shortly after. For example, I tried to argue with a parking attendant for charging me $13.30 to park in a garage for which I kept my car for only 2 hours. I knew what the rate was, but since she usually leaves by 9pm every night, I was not expecting to pay when I was leaving at 10pm. By telling her a false story about why I left my car there for so long (a story she did not buy), I was not only forced to pay, but was also given my $1.70 change in nickels and pennies.
Fortunately, I see positive karma working in many ways everyday too. Today, I tried to park in the gym parking lot at a very popular hour. When entering the lot at 8am, gym-goers may have to make 15 circles before finally conquering a space, but today, I got lucky! Within only 30 seconds of entering, I was ready to back into a parallel space. As I checked my rearview mirror, I saw a woman in a large SUV also trying to go for the same spot. Of course, the spot was rightfully mine. I had my signal on. However, I decided to give it to her. Clearly, she felt the spot was hers as she was not backing down. Later on, I saw the same woman at the gym. She stopped me to say, “Thank you for the spot. That was really nice of you."
So while my parents can feel grounded by doing pujas and considering actions of today affecting the far future, I find it more comfortable to live my Hindu identity using more tangible concepts like writing and thinking about the near future. While we believe in the same principles, we live our Hindu identity in some different ways. The beauty of our religion is its ability to embrace all kinds of practices.
Shweta's Biography
Shweta Thakur has lived in the entertainment capital of America, Los Angeles, CA for several years. She attended the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) where she studied both Mass Communications and Sociology to better understand different cultures and to reach out to mass audiences. Presently, she works in the television industry where she develops and employs ideas to showcase diversity on screen.
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