GROWING UP ON KRISHNA AND TELETUBBIES My daughter will soon turn 3, and I'm happy she'll get the best of both India, where she comes from, and America, where she will be growing up.
Some things do scare me, as a mother: guns, drugs and other unsavory aspects totally alien to our culture. But I try to look at the brighter side. She'll be part of this nation that was built by some great men. She will imbibe its idea of liberty and equality of all men and America's fair-mindedness.
My daughter can have only a second-hand experience of India as she sees it through my eyes, but I try to do my best. I try to keep my house as Indian as possible. We wake up to classical Indian music before the Teletubbies come marching in. Krishna and Shiva, two gods of the Hindu pantheon, are as much a part of her as they are of me. She might be more familiar with Winnie the Pooh, but she is no stranger to the Panchatantra tales, a collection of Indian folklore.
Maybe she'll not see India as I do: the vibrating multifaceted personality of that ancient land, hard-working peasants, oft-corrupt politicians, soaring developments in science and technology, festivals, religions irrevocably entwined with life, the mystique, the charm, poverty and ugliness, beauty and spirituality, the quiet strength of the women. Maybe they will not mean as much to her as they do to me. Maybe she'll not miss the cry of vendors hawking their wares, the sweet fragrance of first rains, the spicy curries my mother makes, or simply the sight of people walking along roadsides.
But of one thing I am sure. She will know who she is, what her roots are, and above all, I will teach her to be proud of the fact that she is part of a civilization that has, unlike any other, stood the greatest test of all - the test of time.
Remitha R. Satheesh
Bensalem
BENEFITING FROM AMERICA'S DIVERSITY I came to this country in 1973 in pursuit of a better life. At first, I tried hard to be an American by trying to change the way I live. However, it did not take very long for me to realize that America, as a whole, is a cultureless society, and every immigrant community has its own culture. The only culture I can comfortably follow is the one I brought with me.
This became especially evident when my children started interpreting the American social way of life to their advantage, since Indian culture tends to shelter and guide our children until they are able to take responsibility on their own.
