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It's about 11 am on what I would consider a typical Monday morning but for the young 20-something year old who just knocked on our front door to survey whether Obama could count on my vote tomorrow. He was polite, spoke in grammatically-correct English, wore shoes, not flip-flops, and had no Ipod in sight. I closed the door after chatting with him briefly when my phone rang and a young woman, probably another Gen-Yer, asked whether Obama could get my help in going door to door to garner support. These two young people (I use the term 'young' loosely to define anyone 35 and below) are just the tip of the iceburg of hundreds of thousands of young people who have been sparked into action, engaging in many of the most profound civic duties in the American political process.
This year, young people are expected to not only vote in record numbers, but have also over the past year, worked in record numbers, canvassing neighborhoods across the U.S. to make sure that everyone who can, will vote. They're educating themselves and discussing issues such as foreign policy, the economy and the environment, among others. The political pundits are crediting one person and one person only for this uprecedented phenomena...and that is Barack Obama. Obama has successfully engaged, energized and galvanized the youth of today into action.
So where do Hindu Americans fit into this equation? They don't literally need Obama (although there may be compelling arguments to be had supporting a literal interpretation of the title), but do so figuratively in our need for engaging leadership in the Hindu American community to wake a slumbering generation of Hindu Americans into identification and action. To illustrate, at our local Chinmaya Mission, of the 250 or so families, mine is one of maybe five that are composed of Hindu Americans raised in the U.S. Our local temple fairs the same. My first thought was that perhaps this phenomenon was geographically isolated but friends and family from across the fifty states have made similar observations, which leads me to two critical questions: Where has the vast majority of second generation Hindu Americans, that is children of the first big wave of Hindu immigrants in the 1960s, gone? And more importantly, how can we get them back?
That's where my theory of the need for Obama-like leaders at the grassroots level comes in. Obama has met success with Gen-Yers because he has renewed their optimism and belief in the political process and given them something to do about it. Similarly what our community needs is individual community leaders to reach out to Gen Y Hindu Americans, renew their faith in Hinduism and show them that Hindus are ready to take our traditions beyond ritual (a facet of Hindu practice that may not resonate with this new generation of Hindus) and participate in dharma in action, be it social service, interfaith engagement or education of second and third generation of Hindu Americans. The first step is the educate young Hindu Americans by possibly:- Offering pamphlets that explain the meaning and symbolism of the prayers and rituals performed at temples
- Having relevant lectures about Hindu philosophy in relation to different topics such as stress management, social service, ethics or the environment
- Providing young parents 'how-to' guides for making presentations in their childrens' classrooms about Hinduism, Diwali or Holi
- Hosting mini-camps to educate young Hindu Americans about Hinduism's rich traditions and philosophy
Education is the first step. Engagement is the second. Find ways that resonate with Hindu American Gen-Yers, such as social service and outreach, to demonstrate dharma in action.
- Involve Hindu American Gen-Yers in temple leadership not just in name, but actually considering their ideas or suggestions and implementing them
- Encourage young Hindu Americans, who are articulate and familiar with American polity, to write letters to the editor or meet with their local school boards when the community encounters a denigrating or inaccurate portrayal of Hindu belief and practice
- Hold a yoga-a-thon with proceeds benefitting a local hospital or charity in India
- Hold a medical clinic and involve local Hindu medical students and doctors
- Organize a youth committee that commits to at least one social service activity a month such as raking leaves at a local nursing home, park clean-ups or organizing a food drive during Diwali (donate collections to organizations like www.secondharvest.org) or you can visit http://www.one.org/onesabbath/hindu.html for more ideas
- Sponsor essay contests on Hinduism with scholarship prizes
It is incumbent upon local Hindu leaders to reach out to this next generation, otherwise not only will all of the tireless efforts and hard-earned dollars of the first generation spent in building community organizations and ornate houses of worship be for not, but we may witness a heartbreaking depletion of youth who consider themselves second, third or fourth generation Hindu Americans.
I've painted the dark cloud, but like any optimist worth her salt, I believe in silver linings and indeed there are a few. I have seen a surge on both high school and college campuses to think beyond the Indian identity and form Hindu student groups to meet uniquely Hindu needs and interests, such as holding Saraswati pujas at the start of the semester or Gita reading groups to help cope with difficult choices. And in my position at the Hindu American Foundation (www.hafsite.org), I have been gifted with the opportunity to meet some of the most dynamic and driven young people in whom the Hindu American community can take pride. These second generation Hindu Americans are working as ambassadors of Hinduism; sharing with leaders in public policy, media, academia and the public at large the Hindu ethos of the peaceful co-existence of multiple paths and the existence of the Divine in all things--a much needed message in times of intolerance and unrest.
But we need more ambassadors...after all we are more than 1 billion worldwide and a small handful is not going to be enough. So, the rest is up to you...Bookmark or Share this article
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Recent Comments
"Wow.. just a long reply... definitely off topic but presents a point. First I would like to touch base with Obama and how can he affectively deal with Pakistan/terrorism/etc. Obama will be a good leader but some of actions will have question some doubt when dealing with the Pakistanis. For example, if he does make Clinton be a special envoy to India with regards to kashmir. It will pose a huge problem as Pakistanis feel Clinton favor Indians over the Pakistanis. President Clinton in 1997, during the Kargil conflict, invited Nawaz shariff to the White house and had deliberations with him about the crisis going on. he brokered a cease fire between the Indians and pakistanis. even though India tested a nuke in 1997 which angered clinton, since it violated the CTBT, he understood why India did it. the point I would like to make is that we must have a balanced approach to dealing with the situation. We cannot and should not be impartial. US has its own interests too. However, in dealing with India and Pakistan to me now under Condi Rice, its seems to be a farely balanced approach to the situation. Madame Secretary Clinton, LOL !, will have the same bias as President Clinton to the Pakistanis. How will the Pakistanis deal with her then ?
Now then approach your off topic discussion of the Hindu diaspora. the disconnected ness found within the the Hindu second generation vs. elders. Well, I feel it is due to our own lack of interest. We are afraid of how the elders will react and that is why we give up and don't ask. Furthermore, we get overwhelmed with all the rituals associated within the faith that loose the true meaning of such a beautiful faith. Now, I have faced the similar problems in the past, but I have come to overcome it. At least in my temple, the priest communicates with the younger generation about the rituals he is about the conduct and the significance behind them in english which is great! I enhance the relationship further by speaking to him in bengali. I am always curious and ask questions and he doesn't seem to mind one bit. I don't know how it is with temples in other communities. Also in college, my hindu students association would have annual pujas celebrating navaratri, shivaratri, and lakshmi puja. Our priest for the org, was a North Indian fellow who did the similar thing as my temple priest did in my home town. It is up to us to find out the meaning not our parents job to teach it to us. Sometimes our parents do it mechanically and don't even know the meaning themselves !! So it is better to get it from a direct source then from our parents.
One last point, have you ever noticed at least when celebrations do occur within our community it usually is a North Indian one. the point I am trying to make, is the community doesn't care. I am Bengali, and bengalis celebrate Durga Puja quite differently then the way North Indians celebrate it. I have been to a plethora of garbas, etc. We need to teach diversity within our own community by showing how people of other communities celebrate a particular religious festival (case in point, Navratri). Does anyone care how the outside communities celebrate it, NO !
conclusion: it is up to us the second generation Hindu American community to find out more about our faith and rituals and traditions associated with it. To be a unified Hindu community, we must conduct outreach with the outside hindu communities not mainstream ones and form an unified identity to tackle the problems up ahead.
Finally, Obama does have hope. It probably is a Hindu in the closet. He cares an imagine of Hanuman on his key chain. thats a start, one could say !"
"Let me clarify when celebrations do occur in the community.... I mean in college not in the community at large."
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On 11/5/08 Jay Raj Narayan said: