 The three-day Arpana festival featured a number of modern and classical Indian performances.
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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Meena Rajgopal's 10-year-old daughter isn't interested in traditional dance — which worries the Indian-American mom.
"She feels isolated, she wants to do what Americans are doing," said Rajgopal. As a parent of three young daughters, Rajgopal is facing a challenge many Indo-American parents are going through — how to encourage a new generation of young Indians to become interested in their culture and heritage.
Rajgopal was one of the many parents who attended the panel discussion called the "Invisible Thread," at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on July 6. The discussion session was part of the many events held during the Indian arts festival called Arpana.
"The invisible thread is the art forms. It is any art form of India that has taken roots in the U.S. You don't see it happening, but it keeps the Indian community intact," said Jothi Raghavan, artistic director of the three-day festival. Raghavan is also the director of the Nrityanjali school of dance, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Keeping traditional culture alive in the New World puts Indian-Americans in the same company as other immigrant groups, she said. It is art forms such as dance, music and poetry, she said, that keep youngsters born in the United States connected to India and its heritage.
Sujatha Krishnan, who helped coordinate the panel discussion, echoed these sentiments. She said that, when young Indian-Americans learn traditional arts or their parents' languages, they gain an "invisible thread" connecting them to the history of the subcontinent.
Raghavan said there was no standard dictionary definition of the term "invisible thread." The idea, she added, was to create a forum where people could discuss the term and the role of the arts in the Indian-American community.
An immigrant may see the arts as a way to bond with the Old World, she said. Their children in the United States may see the arts as a way to understand their parents' culture.
Many Indian families that moved to the United States are finding the arts can help their children understand their religion and heritage.
For her part, Rajgopal attended the discussion to find out how she should deal with her child's lack of interest in Indian dancing. "I have to work harder to make my kids connected," she said.
One obstacle, Rajgopal said, is that not many Indians live in her town, Concord.
Some attending the workshop encouraged Rajgopal not to force her girl but, on the other hand, to keep encouraging her to become involved with Indian culture.
"I have to figure out whether I can improve my way of thinking" on the topic, Rajgopal added.
Teen-age girls who attended the discussion said that being with other Indians in dance classes, has helped them to understand both India's past and their parents. The girls said it isn't easy, many times, to understand their parents — but that they try to the best of their ability.
Haritha Dharaneeswaran, now 13, moved from India when she was 2 years old. She has been practicing traditional Indian dance at Raghavan's Nrityanjali school for six years. Haritha says attending the classes have helped her understand a culture that was once foreign to her.
"It helps you relate to your parents. It kind of connects you to people in India," she said.
Manasa Jayanthi, 12, has been practicing dance for seven years at Raghavan's school. Getting together with other Indian girls to practice dance has developed Jayanthi's identity.
"I now know who I am," she said, while adding, "We're not just Indian; we're American."
The festival began "Kanya," which featured Raghavan. The performance mixed classical Indian and modern dance, music, poetry, and projected images.
Other Arpana performances included "Banyan Tree," which tells the story of Indian classical dance from its warrior roots to the popular dance form known as Bharata Natyam. Musical performances included Natraj, a Massachusetts jazz quintet that fuses classical Indian and other traditions.
"Everybody seemed to have a lot of fun," said Rhagavan. "I only heard positive remarks.
Rhagavan's goal was to raise enough money at Arpana to make the festival an annual event. This effort fell short, she said, because Arpana did not land as many business sponsorships as hoped for.
The event could go on again next year, if business sponsors can be found, she said. |
