M. Vijaykar

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THE PRICE OF ASSIMILATION

by Mona Vijaykar

(originally published in India West)

I have never been known for my tact in matters that consume my passion and this time I am sure to earn the equivalent of the fatwa. Yet, there comes a time when one needs to dig up a little dirt in order to plant a fresh new seed and that is the purpose of my article. Hopefully it will bear fruit. For hundreds of years, India, the land of my birth has been more of a mystery for most Americans. She is like a beautiful woman, intelligent but fettered indoors, saree drawn over her face, anonymous, unsung and insignificant. Not only has she been abused time and again, by invading foreigners throughout her 5000 plus year history, but sadly , her deepest wounds are those inflicted by her own progeny. For if they had the confidence to take pride in her significant achievements that contributed to our modern civilization, she would have received the recognition that she rightly deserves. That like the Statue of Liberty she gave refuge to those who faced persecution at home, embracing and fostering them as her own. Yet, like confused teenagers, embarrassed to acknowledge their parents, Indians in general are reluctant to be proud of their motherland. They often choose to belittle her instead, afraid that any contradiction to established Western ideas may be perceived as a challenge and create disharmony. This is particularly true of many Indian Americans who, in their eagerness to be accepted in American society are unwilling to correct age old misconceptions and repeatedly allow brazen misrepresentation of world history as well as Indian culture through a distorted sense of tolerance. This is why few Americans including many Indian offspring, may never know what Albert Einstein asserted, "We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made".

Or as Mark Twain remarked, "India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition". While we are familiar with the names of Darwin, Galileo, Archimedes, Einstein and Pythagoras, the names of those who had in fact made the very same achievements much earlier in time are surprisingly absent from our curriculum. Budhayana, who first calculated the value of pi and who first explained the concept now known as Pythagoras Theorem in the 6th century, is unknown to our educators. The name of Sushruta the father of surgery, who in the 2nd century B.C. first conducted caesarean operations, treated fractures, cataract, urinary stones, all with anesthesia, does not appear in any school curriculum. As also Jagdeesh Bose, the pioneer of wireless communication. These are just a few of the many Indian geniuses who have been ignored by historians and allowed to be forgotten by generations of Indians, demoralized by historic circumstances. It is hardly a matter of pride that the only names that come to mind when Americans think of India are Gandhiji and Ravi Shankar.

If Indians are anonymous, Hindus are invisible. There are innumerable cases of Hindu icons being misrepresented and abused. Yet Hindus turn a blind eye to these insults without proactively educating the American public, for fear of drawing negative attention. Exposure to Hindu culture will forever remain superficial without meaningful discourse. For a community that is highly talented, intelligent and economically powerful, we sadly lack the guts to assert ourselves. That is why even today most Americans are unaware of the auspicious symbolism of the Swastika, since its corrupted image is predominantly accepted. Who would dare abuse the Holy Cross let alone allow any ugly association to linger for years on end? Who would accept that a mistake made five hundred years ago by a wayward sailor would rob them of their identity? Yet, to this day, Americans continue to disregard Indian sentiments by referring to Natives Americans as Indians! How far do we compromise? If we don't respect ourselves who will ?

This deep rooted sense of insecurity and inferiority amongst Indian Americans has resulted in the next generation phenomenon of the 'American Born Confused Desi' a term for the self deprecating species that has been projected on celluloid in the movie, 'ABCD'. Nothing could be more unfair to these young Indian Americans. What sense of identity have the IBCDs, Indian Born Confused Desis given their children, that they may take pride in themselves as Indian Americans? Today we have a generation of ABCDs who are uncomfortable with their 'Indian selves'. What message do the IBCDs give their children when they are careful not to exhibit their Indianness in public so they may ‘blend’ in; when they are ashamed to speak their language and treat their dress as a costume only to be worn on special occasions, unless endorsed by the western world. The mask which they believe presents them as sufficiently Americanized, appears more ludicrous than what they aim to cover. By remaining closeted, the IBCDs have denied their children deeper cultural and religious recognition in mainstream American society. If Indians claim this country as their own, why should it be’their’(Caucasian) country when it comes to exhibiting their Indian culture?

What prompts me to make such harsh allegations? Time and again, I have found that Indians have an overwhelming inclination to undermine the efforts of their fellow Indians who try to make a difference and hope to give our children a better sense of identity. For all those famous and not so famous individuals, tirelessly engaged in creating a deeper appreciation of the Indian culture, there are as many cynics who feel strangely threatened by their actions and make the task all the more daunting for the enthusiasts. I have encountered Indians in positions of influence, unwilling to join hands for a common purpose. Often, it stems from petty ambition and jealousy. One is reminded of that shameful part of our Indian history, when the British colonized India. It took two hundred years and one small man to speak out. But thanks to those Indians who pandered to the white rulers and sabotaged the efforts of the freedom fighters, India's struggle for independence became all the more arduous. The lack of unity amongst the Indians suited the British policy of 'divide and rule'. History continues to repeat itself.

A recent situation at a school in Saratoga illustrates how Indians are their own enemies. Considering that students received in-depth exposure to world religions through their history class, a couple of parents suggested an introduction to Hinduism, since the 6th grade teachers are not too familiar with the subject. Many parents at school welcomed the suggestion as an eye-opener for their kids but it was most of the Hindu parents who balked at the very idea! Apart from awkwardness, and a lack of healthy self respect, it is a twisted sense of secularism that drives Hindus to a point of public denial of their own faith, as a mother who would neglect her own son in favor of other kids, only to appear impartial. It is therefore less intriguing to note that the most vociferous in her protest was a Hindu president of the PTA! Mortified by this request, her immediate reaction was to recommend avenues, other than the school, through which the parents might share their information. Her embarrassment presumably arose from her concern that she must not be perceived as promoting anything Indian even if it should benefit the students. In keeping with the general perception that Indians in the school environment, are 'workers rather than leaders', rarely initiating a change in the system, out of fear of authority, she rounded a team of workers who offered to do a blanket presentation on India as the school had desired. See how accommodating we are in pleasing the school district and the Principal who were clearly irresponsible in ignoring Hinduism, while providing a deeper understanding of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Shintoism and Judaism to the middle schoolers. Hinduism will continue to be viewed as 'strange, primitive and superstitious nonsense that need not be addressed. Many still assume that like some immigrants, Hindus convert to Christianity to fit into civilized American society. As long as we are reticent, We cannot blame anyone for their ignorance.

Why are Indians unwilling to speak ? Is it apathy or intimidation due to alarmingly depressing self esteem. Surely American society is open and willing to broaden its understanding of all cultures. Most communities have taken steps to create that awareness and respect for their own culture. Stanford and Berkeley Universities have departments that conduct seminars for middle school and high school teachers on China and Japan. The Muslims have an organized network of speakers who ensure that consistent and comprehensive information is presented to all students and history teachers. But India, along with Hinduism falls through the cracks. On to high school and the principal makes the following excuse for his delinquent teacher, 'The kid just doesn't know enough about India, so he drops it'. Who cares anyway? The Indians are not complaining. They are too busy doing serious folk dance. It is finally our children who pay the price of their parents' quest to assimilate in American society. It is only when Indians overcome their inhibitions and hold their heads high, enjoying both cutures equally, (Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore's words reverberate in vain, "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high...Into that heaven of freedom, Father mine, let my country awake"), that future Indian Americans will proudly call themselves ABCDs- American Born Confident Desis. Finally, they will be on the same page as their peers.