Hindu Religious Movies With English Subtitles

[Shelly Takacs]

Thiswas not the first time in my life that I had an opportunity to be more white. My whole existence in America consisted of assimilating, whether it was my clothes, food, hair, skin, scent or personality. I saw the Indian kids in our town get outcasted and bullied for showing their Indianness. For the sake of survival, I subconsciously assimilated. This translated directly to my religious identity. My conversion felt very genuine, and to be fair, I had also experienced a lot of abuse from the South Asian community. The messages I absorbed said being white was not only superior, but it was safer. The people at my church were friendly and safe, and they exalted my conversion story. A Hindu convert, after the loss of her father? Miraculous. For the next 10 years, I found myself in only white spaces, losing access to my Indian community and culture.

There was a great dissonance in inhabiting my brown body but being white in every other way. Eventually, it all came crashing down. First, it was a gentle exposure to my Indian culture, with the safety of a close friend. I was a sophomore in college and my new neighbor on my dorm floor had just come back from a 2-month trip to South India, specifically Andhra Pradesh. This allowed her to already understand the nuances of my culture to an extent that I had never encountered before from a person outside of my culture. We immediately began engaging with my culture is small but meaningful ways, which slowly massaged the wounds of my internalized racism. We would take trips to Little India to eat dosa, make chai, and watch Bollywood movies. The nostalgia was healing, forcing me to reckon with my racial assimilation. My entire imagination had been molded to the pursuit of Euro-American idealism. Race and religion were grafted as inseparable but as a package could be exchanged and performed. I was either Hindu and Indian or Christian and white.

The reality is, I can never truly shed my Indianness, therefore I can never truly undo my Hindu formation. The categories in which I perceive the world, although I have resisted and tried to discard them, are a part of my very own body. From that point, I realized that I had to untie the knots that bound my religion to my race. I did not have to be white to be a Christian. In fact, if Hinduism was a way of life like my parents had taught me, why did I ever need to get rid of it in the first place?

So, I came to this point in my life where I found myself, a 21st century brown woman in America. I now understand I can be a second-generation South Asian immigrant, a Christian and a Hindu. No one can take my heritage away from me, and I am a Christian because I believe that Jesus Christ died on a cross for my sins and rose again on the third day.

I cannot so easily confess all three of these things. Some Christians would not find it acceptable for me to say I am Hindu because it has been historically developed as a religious system in our modern world. From their perspective, the two religions are mutually exclusive. Some Hindus would say that because I am a Christian, I have forsaken what it means to be Indian. I know that these are the questions I will face all my life, but I can choose to face them with empathy as I once came from these positions as well, wounded by a history of colonialism and whiteness. My interfaith journey has allowed me to begin to craft a theology that explores what lies in front of us, in our postcolonial era.

How do hindu children practice their faith in America? What support do they get? What challenges do they face? How do they go about dealing with them? These are some of the questions that have always intrigued me as a growing Hindu American myself.

Influence of Language: Twenty-eight of the respondents speak their mother tongue at home, including Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Punjabi, Marathi, Pahadi, Gujarati, Malayalam, Tulu, Saurashtra, Hindi and Urdu. Since all also speak English, this means that 28 of 39 are bilingual. Brain science studies have showed that a multilingual brain develops more densely, enhancing problem solving, cognitive and diverse thinking skills. How amazing is that?

Practicing Yoga: Twenty-eight practice yoga at home, more than I had expected. Of those, all said they do it for physical benefits, and about half said they practice it for mental and spiritual benefit as well.

It was more unexpected to find that 30 of those surveyed said their grandparents had a direct influence on them. Most grandparents visit the US only once in a few years and then only for a few months; and we kids visit the grandparents in India also only once in a few years, and also only a few months. Yet, they still have such a strong impact on us.

Twenty-six said they were influenced by Hindu religious movies. This was more than various cultural classes which stood at 22, or books such as the Amar Chitra Katha series which were at 21. This data point needs a closer look. The influence of Indian media is impressive, given the fact that the kids mainly watch mainstream American movies.

Pro-Tip: Hey kids! When you are in India insist that your parents visit places of pilgrimage such as Varanasi and Mathura. Even local pilgrimages when visiting your ancestral home can be great learning opportunities.

The Ramayana and Mahabharata were the best known, with nearly all of the kids familiar with both. The works of modern saints such as Swami Vivekananda were inspiring to 24 of the participants. Twenty- five knew of the Pancha Tantra stories and the Vedas. Books on historical figures such as Shivaji Maharaj are a source of inspiration for 16. Lesser- known literature included the Natyashastras on dance and theater, the Puranas, the songs of saints such as Kabir, and Tamil literature such as Tirumurai.

Home Shrines: While all respondents say they have a home shrine of some kind, only 24 pray daily at home. Seven pray at least once a week, and five at least once a month. These responses were similar to those about how often they visited the temple. Seven go once a week, 9 once a month, 21 only for festivals, and 6 rarely.

Cultural Activities: As someone passionate about karate and bharata natyam, and trying to balance time myself, I have been interested in knowing what cultural activities appeal to kids my age. The responses were diverse.

Classical singing, including Carnatic and Hindustani, was the most popular activity, attended by 17 out of the 39 respondents. Second was language classes of Hindi, Sanskrit, Kannada or Tamil, attended by nine. Seven practice classical dances such as bharata natyam and kathak. Five attend cultural weekly programs such as balagokulam, dharma classes or Bhagavad Gita chanting. Three play instruments, such as the bansuri flute. One respondent is not attending any cultural classes.

Interestingly, only one person goes to yoga class. It likely means that many kids are learning yoga from their parents or in other ways, since in a previous question we learned that 28 are practicing it.

How to Be a Better Hindu: Responses to this question fell into two approaches: 1) follow traditions and practices and 2) learn about Hinduism, including educating others. One respondent felt they should focus more during the monthly full-moon havana, while another said they should pray daily and go to the temple more.

The South Asian holiday of Diwali is often called the festival of lights. Author Parth Shah sometimes thinks of it as Christmas with fireworks. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

The South Asian holiday of Diwali is often called the festival of lights, but I think of it as Christmas with fireworks. During Diwali, families get together, exchange gifts, and consume an unhealthy amount of sweets (just switch out the sugar cookies for gulab jamuns.)

My family has always been minimalist when it comes to Diwali decorations. While others create intricate rangolis and light diyas around the house, my mom would just place two tea candles outside on the doorstep. And two stickers with swastikas printed on them.

The swastika has existed for 5,000 years in Asia as a symbol of good fortune. It's a very common religious symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Placing the swastikas on the doorstep is a way of extending good wishes to all who come through our home.

I first learned about the Nazi swastika in the fourth grade at Morehead Elementary in Charlotte, N.C. I was reading a book about the Holocaust, and seeing the word 'swastika' surprised me. I showed it to my teacher and asked if it was the same thing as the Indian swastika I saw at home and at the temple. Mrs. Gamertsfelder had no clue what I was talking about.

Ever since, I've pleaded with my mom not to put the stickers out. I didn't want people to think we were Nazi sympathizers. Diwali changes dates based on the lunar calendar, and this year, it's Oct. 30. When Halloween falls so dangerously close to Diwali, I argue that the swastikas will scare off trick-or-treaters.

And because holiday etiquette has never been my family's strong suit, the swastikas would remain on our doorstep for weeks after Diwali. In India, there doesn't need to be a holiday. They're out year-round.

Growing up in Gujarat, swastikas were all around her. She would see them on wedding invitations, on street signs, during pujas. My mom didn't realize the negative connotation of the symbol until my older sister and I started berating her about it.

But seeing it outside of the historical context makes people nauseous. In school, books and movies, I was taught the swastika is a symbol of anti-Semitism. Growing up, I didn't want to be associated with the symbol, regardless of its meaning. I didn't want us to stand out.

I haven't been home for Diwali since I started my first job two years ago. This year, I celebrated the holiday early with a Hindu American family that lives a few miles from me in Chevy Chase, Md. While I was with the Prakash family, I asked grandmother Sarla Prakash if she felt the need to cover up her Indian identity when she immigrated to the United States in the 1960s.

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