Extracurriculars for exposure to Indian culture
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Anonymous
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Gosh you all are such typical in-fighting Desis.
To Op, as you see Indians are not a monolith. We have different outlooks regarding keeping some culture vs not, some of us have no trouble making friends with other Indians, some of us do, some of us cook, some of don’t, etc. We are all obviously opinionated 😜. The tie that binds is. I think it’s great you’re trying to expose your daughter to parts of her heritage. I’m of the personal opinion that connection to your roots helps ground you. I mean Ancestry.com and the like are clearly popular with several generation in Americans because people want to know where they are from and about their heritage. Do what you can, don’t stress over it. You’re a great Mom! |
Anonymous
| OP, I would not only look at extra curriculars. I'd look at things like, musicians and actors from India, art from artists who are Indian, stuff like that. |
Anonymous
| I agree with poster above who said Bollywood does not equal Indian culture. I haaate Bollywood and think it is stupid. I have watched a handful of movies over the last decade, and that is after 5000 people told me they were thoughtful and interesting. |
Anonymous
| My Indian American kid has friends from all parts of the world. He has tried a lot of things from each culture. I like the idea of being a global citizen and picking and choosing what you want. Anyways, the world has already adopted tandoori food, yoga, namaste, tumeric golden milk, Bollywood, Priyanka chopra, tech CEOs and big fat Indian weddings. So the popular Indian culture is very much around you. |
Anonymous
Op come to Loudoun and sign up for classes or look to move. The South Asian population is greatly diverse and active. She will be near kids of same racial composition too. |
Anonymous
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I think language classes could be great. Pre Covid, we tried India School for our then preschool age kid and found it to be very poorly run so we didn’t go back, but are considering looking for a teacher to start a small group session for our kids and some of their friends who have South Asian heritage.
Also keep a lookout for art and performances that could expose her to something she may get more curious about. For instance, the Smithsonian Asian Art museum has events, performances, and exhibitions. There’s currently a series on indie Indian cinema (not Bollywood which I agree can be tedious), and an exhibit on royal art from Udaipur. The Kennedy Center has performances from many great Indian art forms, not just dance, from time to time. And the Siva Vishnu Temple in Lanham MD also has music concerts, religious/ cultural discourses, and other performances in a more no-frills setting. |
Anonymous
This is an interesting idea. I'm sure the Sackler Gallery has some exhibits that could raise some talking points about India. The Beatles and their work Ravi Shankar, whose daughter is Norah Jones. I think language classes are hard, but if you want to, I'd look for conversational ones only. Learning the Indian alphabet is challenging and not very useful longterm. I think making the effort for exposure is enough, and I applaud you. I wouldn't worry too much. I'm first generation Indian, and there were lots of Indian kids who ignored the Indian culture growing up or weren't exposed to it at all, only to really get into it in college by joining the Indian Students club. |
Anonymous
But OP’s DH would haaaaate Loudoun. He sounds like the type who instantly looks away when they see another South Asian who might conceivably make eye contact 😂 |
Anonymous
You’re so weird & offensive |
Anonymous
+ 1 (p)pp, why are you so triggered by the OP? Stop being a badtameez. |
Anonymous
Nope PP is right |
Anonymous
Are you OP? For language, zoom with the grandparents. They cannot teach her, but it will be a good way to reinforce/practice. |
Anonymous
I am the daughter of Indian immigrants, married to a white guy, with kids a years older than OP. (I blame dad, too  ) Through the years, I have actually given this a lot of thought because my mother complained no less than once a week that I was not Indian enough. And I think about culture with respect to my own children which is even more attenuated. And I've come to the conclusion that if culture is important it is best if the parent from that culture leads the way on tradition. (I'm was born here in the 1970s so nothing really existed so my mom was limited in options). Of people my age, I noticed that those who were more involved in culture were in larger everyday communities, whether it was their own family or whether they joined cultural groups based on language/region. (We didn't have family here when I was younger and my parents could never get themselves to attend the community events regularly). This, of course, is not the only way but it certainly is the easiest way.
So, OP, even though you are not religious, I would still research temples (assuming Hindu) to look into community events. There is likely a big difference between a neighborhood Diwali party and one associated with an Indian group or temple etc. (Personally, I'd prefer the neighborhood party but if "culture" is what you are after, then it seems worth exploring.) Your DD is only 11 but one of the biggest cultural moments for me was going to college and meeting so many Indians, joining Asian Student groups, Indian Student groups, etc. As far as Dad is concerned, why isn't he more involved in bringing Indian cultural items to your DD? If it's not important enough to him, why is it important? |
Anonymous
Uh, are you new here? Nearly every thread is a fight on DCUM. |
Anonymous
My third generation kid gets called "white washed." I got called a "coconut." All part of the assimilation process, I tell her. |