Which local temple do you attend if any? I'm also an American born Hindu woman and haven't found a place where I can relate to others and would be interesting/educational for my kids. Seems a lot of the temples are more relevant to older people and immigrants from India, not American-born Hindus like myself.

Anonymous wrote:Dd is three and we are in dc. Any Indian activity we are willing to try just so she gets some exposure!

India School in Bethesda has a play and learn in Hindi class for ages 3-5. For when your DD is older, there are a lot of Arya dance franchises in the area. There are also private voice and instrument teachers in the area. As I mentioned, try searching the websites or calling local mandirs for their class schedules. Chinmay Mission has a great summer camp for older kids.

Dd is three and we are in dc. Any Indian activity we are willing to try just so she gets some exposure!

Anonymous wrote:Hi op what part of dc do you live? Any Indian activities I can enroll my dd in? (we're also Indian)

I'm in the MD suburbs now. How old is your DD? There are a lot of activities - just need to know what type you are looking for: religious, dance, language etc. Mostly all located in md and VA but I'm sure there's something in dc outright. Many mandirs offer children's classes also.

Hi op what part of dc do you live? Any Indian activities I can enroll my dd in? (we're also Indian)

Anonymous wrote:Do you see some things in America as similar to the caste system in India?

Absolutely. Racism here and societal/government "oppression" of indigent people. In India, everyone is a varying shade of brown. Had to come up with a different way to segregate.

Initially the caste system was to bring order to society. Everyone had a job and you were born into it so to quell any rebellion. But then as with all power systems, the most powerful got greedy and used the system to benefit themselves the most and oppress the unfortunate. I think the caste system had it's role and place in ancient India. But education and opportunity have leveled the playing field significantly. However, part of the problem is there is a great wealth disparity in India. And this continues to be a way to segregate.

Anonymous wrote:I regularly commute with an Indian guy and he often checks the lines on his right palm - what's behind the beliefs here?

Don't know why he keeps checking - fate doesn't change that quickly . There's an ancient Hindu "art" of palmistry as well as fervent belief in astrology. Priests, or pandits (that word has made it into US vernacular now) used to be skilled in reading your palm and telling you about your fate. I've always taken it with a grain of lt. Others may believe more strongly.

Anonymous wrote:Are you allowed to socialize with people from other castes? I thought that the caste system was abolished.

Technically it has been abolished as a classification in govt. Though there is an affirmative action type of program in India for "scheduled castes" or "lower castes". But as a religious concept, it still remains. Though newer generations don't care much and with more and more non-arranged and inter-caste marriages, it's becoming an antiquated notion in India.

I socialize with all types of people. I don't know the caste of most of my Hindu friends here. And my non Hindu friends don't have a caste.

I regularly commute with an Indian guy and he often checks the lines on his right palm - what's behind the beliefs here?

Do you see some things in America as similar to the caste system in India?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do so few women of your culture take part in rigorous activites like biking, marathons and so on?
Why hasn't someone make the saris availble to everyone? The ones sold here are cheap, not the same quality that people get in India.

No real religious explanation. I personally have trained for and run a half marathon. Don't know why other Hindus arent seeking out such activities or if they in fact are. we are still a small population in the US.

Saris are available to everyone. India's 1 billion person population is testament . Quality differs greatly here and in India. You just have to know where to shop in both countries.

I think there is room to to a nice business importing them, I would so love to get a nice one and wear it properly to a formal event. It is the perfect outfit for so many occaisions. BTW, I knew that something was not right about the Salahis because she was not wearing that sari properly.

Not the OP, but there are actually quite a few stores (in the area and not in the area) that import and sell nice saris, you just need to know where to look. Most people get them from India because there is more selection and they are much more affordable there than here (b/c of import costs, and people needing to make a larger profit due to higher cost of living, etc...)

As for Michelle Salahi, she was not wearing a sari, rather something called a lengha choli (there are different names for this, too) - which is a skirt and top and a long scarf to be draped across (there are many different ways to do this).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do so few women of your culture take part in rigorous activites like biking, marathons and so on?
Why hasn't someone make the saris availble to everyone? The ones sold here are cheap, not the same quality that people get in India.

No real religious explanation. I personally have trained for and run a half marathon. Don't know why other Hindus arent seeking out such activities or if they in fact are. we are still a small population in the US.

Saris are available to everyone. India's 1 billion person population is testament . Quality differs greatly here and in India. You just have to know where to shop in both countries.

I think there is room to to a nice business importing them, I would so love to get a nice one and wear it properly to a formal event. It is the perfect outfit for so many occaisions. BTW, I knew that something was not right about the Salahis because she was not wearing that sari properly.

Are you allowed to socialize with people from other castes? I thought that the caste system was abolished.

Anonymous wrote:Why do so few women of your culture take part in rigorous activites like biking, marathons and so on?
Why hasn't someone make the saris availble to everyone? The ones sold here are cheap, not the same quality that people get in India.

No real religious explanation. I personally have trained for and run a half marathon. Don't know why other Hindus arent seeking out such activities or if they in fact are. we are still a small population in the US.

Saris are available to everyone. India's 1 billion person population is testament . Quality differs greatly here and in India. You just have to know where to shop in both countries.

Why do so few women of your culture take part in rigorous activites like biking, marathons and so on?
Why hasn't someone make the saris availble to everyone? The ones sold here are cheap, not the same quality that people get in India.