Culture’s Role in the Life of a Third-Generation Immigrant

When compared to most Indian families living in the US, mine come across as very American. My dad being born and raised in New York, and my mom being born in Utah makes my brother and I part of the 18%: 3rd generation immigrants. Our experiences differ vastly from those of our parents and most of my Indian-American friends. My life would likely be similar to the ones their own kids will have as a result of more “Americanized” parents.  

On my mom’s side of the family, my grandparents immigrated to the United States in the ’60s after having lived in Yemen and England. Being familiar with the process of migration, they often moved around within America as well, starting in Utah and then Pennsylvania before settling down in California. My mom and her sister growing up often would work odd jobs, like in a fast-food restaurant, in order to support their family financially. I have heard countless stories about many “American” things that my grandparents did not understand about the way my mom and aunt wanted to live, such as why it was necessary to buy a yearbook. When I hear stories like these, I feel privileged to never have had to explain and persuade my parents to understand American culture. In contrast, my grandparents on my father’s side immigrated to New York amidst a large network of extended family members, where socialization often took place within the family network. 

Yet, while my family felt largely a part of the white-majority community I grew up in, my parents found ways to keep us connected to our roots. My parents enrolled me in the classical Indian dance form Bharatanatym at a young age. Each week, I interacted with the religious stories that my parents wanted me to understand. I developed a deep appreciation for Bharatanatym while learning mudras, or hand gestures, and performing stories about Ganesha, Shiva, and Nataraja, to name a few of the gods we danced for. This deep appreciation spurred my interest in Bollywood in high school, where I joined a large community of Indian youth that I was previously unaware of in my hometown. Although it was not a large part of my high school experience, participating in cultural dance for a few months out of each year reinforced my passions for both my culture and dance. In college, I went on to join the Raas-Garba team, Raasleela at UC Davis, where I have made life-lasting relationships. Raas-Garba being a Gujarati style of dance I was largely unfamiliar with made learning about it even more exciting. These experiences in the cultural dance world connected me to other dancers, which only strengthened my interest in knowing and understanding the shared meaning behind each art form. 

While dance does connect me to my religion, my mom also made sure that there were a variety of other avenues from which my brother and I could learn about Hinduism. My mom would give us workbooks on the Hindu gods and stories, which eventually progressed to reading about concepts such as Dharma and Karma. In my own adult life, I believe heavily in these concepts and try to live by the guidelines of “what goes around comes around.” I was taught morning prayers, which to this day I recite to practice my relationship with religion. These tools gave me a religious background that I now value highly. However, what I appreciate the most about the way my mom taught our family religion is her openness to other forms of religion. While we do have the traditional Mandir with all of the expected Hindu gods and goddesses, there is also an altar that includes the religious symbols of Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism - just to name a few. As a child, seeing that I was able to believe in what I wanted was healthy for my relationship with religion. Whereas many of my peers have experienced a forced religious upbringing, I was able to explore other religions as well. This has made me more tolerant and respectful of other beliefs. In this way, I believe being raised by parents who understood the value of inclusivity when learning about religion essentially allowed me to become religious myself.

“Losing touch” with one’s traditions over future generations can seem both unsettling and gloomy for those families of immigrants who feel their identity is especially connected to their culture. So far, I know that the traditions and cultural values my family has taught me will not only stick with me and influence the decisions that I make but also will be passed down to my children. My family can take solace in knowing that our roots will be preserved despite the distance in time between this third generation and our homeland. I take pride in keeping my culture alive and am excited about teaching the traditions of my family to future generations.