Extracurriculars for exposure to Indian culture

[Anonymous]

Does she like to sing? Carnatic or Hindustani vocals.
Does she like playing musical instruments? Tabla, veena, harmonium, flute, sitar, sarangi, shenai, lots more.
Does she like cooking? Learn about the history of Indian cooking traditions and practice some family recipes with Dadi or whatever she calls her paternal grandmother.
Does she like sports? Look into cricket leagues or learning how to play kapaddi.

Tell us what she likes. Really, though, you can throw all these culture things at her but she needs to also be around other Indian heritage kids. People that get her and get the culture. Otherwise she’s not going to be interested in any of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does she like to sing? Carnatic or Hindustani vocals.
Does she like playing musical instruments? Tabla, veena, harmonium, flute, sitar, sarangi, shenai, lots more.
Does she like cooking? Learn about the history of Indian cooking traditions and practice some family recipes with Dadi or whatever she calls her paternal grandmother.
Does she like sports? Look into cricket leagues or learning how to play kapaddi.

Tell us what she likes. Really, though, you can throw all these culture things at her but she needs to also be around other Indian heritage kids. People that get her and get the culture. Otherwise she’s not going to be interested in any of this.

She likes baking (not cooking), sports and she plays an instrument already (flute).

She doesn’t like to sing or dance. Not sure why because I’ve tried to expose her already but she’s not in to those things at all.

[Anonymous]

So they do have girls’ cricket teams then? Or coed at least? That would be a good idea for her

[Anonymous]

OP here. Also I was thinking of a yoga/meditation class? Are those offered and taught by Indians that also incorporate culture ?

The ones I see are usually taught by white women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does she like to sing? Carnatic or Hindustani vocals.
Does she like playing musical instruments? Tabla, veena, harmonium, flute, sitar, sarangi, shenai, lots more.
Does she like cooking? Learn about the history of Indian cooking traditions and practice some family recipes with Dadi or whatever she calls her paternal grandmother.
Does she like sports? Look into cricket leagues or learning how to play kapaddi.

Tell us what she likes. Really, though, you can throw all these culture things at her but she needs to also be around other Indian heritage kids. People that get her and get the culture. Otherwise she’s not going to be interested in any of this.

She likes baking (not cooking), sports and she plays an instrument already (flute).

She doesn’t like to sing or dance. Not sure why because I’ve tried to expose her already but she’s not in to those things at all.

Okay, that’s a good start. Is it the dessert aspect of baking that she’s drawn to? Try out some easy Indian dessert recipes. Like Kaju Katli or some type of halwa or burfi. It’s not baking but it’s dessert items. Indian food does not require much baking though, so if she’s truly looking for just oven stuff, I’d stick with kabobs.

There will be mostly boys on a cricket team but it’s not a single sex game. If she’s willing to play there’s a spot for her. I’m guessing at age 11 though she would be very conscious of it. I’d check with local leagues and see what the ratio is like.

She already plays flute which is great! Try setting her up with an Indian flute teacher to learn some classical Indian flute music.

Do you have any Indian mom friends with kids similar in age? If not, would you be willing to put yourself out there in order to try to build that community for your daughter?

[Anonymous]

I would suggest 4main things for you to do. Maybe you can rope in your family members to help with this too?

- Language. Teach her the native language. Your DH and ILs can start speaking with her in the language. At least teach her the nouns as when a new language is taught - names of relationships, objects, animals, colors, fruits, counting etc. Then the rest of grammatical elements. Teach the script and prononiciation. Use a tutor or a class. Or even duolingo.


- Mythology and History. I hear you that you may not want the religious aspect of it. My two recommendations will be to get your hands on a documentary if you can. It was 50+ part series that was amazing -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharat_Ek_Khoj

And the next is Amar Chitra Katha. Indian history, religion and mythology in comic form also available in English. I prefer real copies vs digital copies. https://digital.amarchitrakatha.com/

You can then go on to explore more in literature etc.

-Cuisine
Let her learn cooking from her grandparents. This is a real skill.

- Classics
Let her know the story of Ramayan, Mahabharat and Bhagwat Gita.

- Culture
It is important to expose her to dance, music, art in small does through performances as well as visits to India.

Weddings, parties, bollywood - they all give a slice of popular culture to her but it is not a real true mirror, rather a kalidoscope that can give distorted view of the culture, so you have to have discernment.

If you have no access, the most important aspect is still learning the language as well as being literate in that language. After that, the world will open up for your kid. Couple that with an understanding of the history and religion/mythology - this explains the society as it stands now.

After all of that, remember to teach your child to be a honest and caring human being. She is lucky to have access to two cultures and she should pick and choose the best of both to become her own person. If you teach her about religion, teach her about all major religions so that she can understand the humanity and commanality in all the religions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Also I was thinking of a yoga/meditation class? Are those offered and taught by Indians that also incorporate culture ?

The ones I see are usually taught by white women.

There are yoga/meditation classes taught by Indians also. However, usually they are free and a service to society. Yes, you can do that. The benefit is health and community. This is not a way to learn about culture.

[Anonymous]

I found the Bharat Ek Khoj DVD on Amazon. God only knows if they are playable on normal DVD player.

https://www.amazon.com/Bharat-Ek-Khoj-Discovery-India/dp/B008AUCVEA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would suggest 4main things for you to do. Maybe you can rope in your family members to help with this too?

- Language. Teach her the native language. Your DH and ILs can start speaking with her in the language. At least teach her the nouns as when a new language is taught - names of relationships, objects, animals, colors, fruits, counting etc. Then the rest of grammatical elements. Teach the script and prononiciation. Use a tutor or a class. Or even duolingo.


- Mythology and History. I hear you that you may not want the religious aspect of it. My two recommendations will be to get your hands on a documentary if you can. It was 50+ part series that was amazing -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharat_Ek_Khoj

And the next is Amar Chitra Katha. Indian history, religion and mythology in comic form also available in English. I prefer real copies vs digital copies. https://digital.amarchitrakatha.com/

You can then go on to explore more in literature etc.

-Cuisine
Let her learn cooking from her grandparents. This is a real skill.

- Classics
Let her know the story of Ramayan, Mahabharat and Bhagwat Gita.

- Culture
It is important to expose her to dance, music, art in small does through performances as well as visits to India.

Weddings, parties, bollywood - they all give a slice of popular culture to her but it is not a real true mirror, rather a kalidoscope that can give distorted view of the culture, so you have to have discernment.

If you have no access, the most important aspect is still learning the language as well as being literate in that language. After that, the world will open up for your kid. Couple that with an understanding of the history and religion/mythology - this explains the society as it stands now.

After all of that, remember to teach your child to be a honest and caring human being. She is lucky to have access to two cultures and she should pick and choose the best of both to become her own person. If you teach her about religion, teach her about all major religions so that she can understand the humanity and commanality in all the religions.

Wow. Thank you so much for this post. I appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

Another kid friendly resource on Ancient India

https://kidsdiscover.com/shop/issues/ancient-india-for-kids/

[Anonymous]

Not too late of an age to teach Hindi (or any other regional languages). Concentrate on language first. Incorporate other things in every day life. Take the help from your ILs and have a curriculum that you follow. If you do careful selection with ILs help, you can also find some Indian kids films and cartoons that can get her interested in Indian culture.

[Anonymous]

Another good resource for kids. These are movies that you can watch with the kids.

https://www.idiva.com/relationships-love/kids/21-best-bollywood-movies-for-kids/photogallery/24773?picid=200190

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another good resource for kids. These are movies that you can watch with the kids.

https://www.idiva.com/relationships-love/kids/21-best-bollywood-movies-for-kids/photogallery/24773?picid=200190

Thanks for this resource.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not too late of an age to teach Hindi (or any other regional languages). Concentrate on language first. Incorporate other things in every day life. Take the help from your ILs and have a curriculum that you follow. If you do careful selection with ILs help, you can also find some Indian kids films and cartoons that can get her interested in Indian culture.

I agree language is important. My dh doesn’t speak Hindi well and I don’t see my in-laws so much that they would be able to teach her. Any recommendations for Hindi classes in Maryland?

[Anonymous]

I don’t think it matters. She lives in US and will likely never live in India. At some point, how your grandparents etc. grow up doesn’t really matter anymore. It is not going to be relevant to her life and how she will live. If a parents WANTS to and it is important to them, go for it. But it is also fine to just let her live in the here and now and bring up heritage and traditions of the past if and when she shows interest or if they are relevant