Diversity and Hinduism: OUR IMMERSION EXPERIENCE

To begin our immersion into Indian/Hindu culture, we decided to try out one of the many Indian eateries in Austin and headed to Hot Breads Bakery and Cafe, a dining establishment unique among other Indian restaurants in the city in that it also includes a bakery, which makes Indian meat-filled pastries such as samosas, along with other baked goods. All of the other people in the restaurant – whether they were employees or patrons – appeared to be of South Asian descent, which we took to mean that the cuisine was probably authentic.

We dove in and tried a variety of dishes, including chicken tandoori, puri, idli vada, chicken dosa, and mango lassi. Many of the items had an earthy, nutty quality to them with accents of varying bold spices including cumin, chili pepper, saffron, and coriander. While we were there, we discussed what cultural event we would attend for the project. We decided on the annual Holi festival on March 19 at the Austin Hindu Temple.

Our group trying some different Indian food at Hot Breads

Tandoori Chicken-A dish we tried at Hot Breads

Another dish we tried at Hot Breads

Holi Festival

It was a bright, warm day when we arrived at the Austin Hindu Temple and Community Center, located among the fields and winding roads on the outskirts of town. The out-of-the-way location did not keep the crowds away. A man stood in the dusty parking lot, directing drivers. The lot filled quickly. At first, we were among the only non-Indians there, although others arrived later. Indians of all ages – from very young to elderly – gathered for this festival. Many, particularly the women, were dressed in traditional garb, such as brightly colored saris. This was appropriate, as we were told by a volunteer there, because Holi is “a festival celebrating colors.” This volunteer then put powdered paint of different bright colors on our faces. Holi was originally a celebration of Spring and the hope for a bountiful harvest. It remains a Spring festival full of joy and merriment. In India, the castes are reversed for this one day and enemies forgive each other. The throwing of paint on one another is considered to be an imitation of how the god Krishna would celebrate Spring with the gopis, which are wives and daughters of cowherds (Holi, 2011).

As we noticed that most everyone had removed our shoes, we did the same and then decided to explore the two temples that flanked the community center. The first one we went to was the larger of the two. We stood in the back and watched as people came through and performed what appeared to be a religious ritual: they rang a bell hanging from the ceiling by pulling a long string then bowed to pray before the statue of one of the gods at the front of the temple. Some put money in a box near the statue and others left items, such as fruit (we noticed bananas set there) at the foot of the statue. The other temple was smaller and it seemed like there was a study group being held there, as people were gathered on the floor around a person speaking. Out of respect, we did not enter. We were told that the community was trying to raise money to build another temple on the land to house another god. Within the community center, there were several statues of other gods enshrined along a walkway. We were told that ideally each god would have its own temple but due to space constraints all were housed in the center.

As we walked back toward the community center we saw a huge lineup of Indian food along the outside wall. Inside we found people selling Indian garb and jewelery at a table, a woman painting henna tattoos, and children preparing for their various performances. In the biggest room of the center, where the statues of the gods were kept, another ritual was underway. There was a long line of people approaching the wall with the statues. Near that wall were priests chanting around various objects on the floor, including food and a basket of money. We gathered that these were more offerings for the gods that were being blessed and that the people in line were waiting to give their offerings and/or be blessed by the priests. After this ended, the performances were held.

Several different groups of children – as well as a couple of kids performing solo – sang songs and danced for an audience sitting on the floor before them. The kids ranged in age from about four or five to around eleven. They sang traditional songs and did dances to modern as well as traditional Indian music. Some highlights included the youngest performer, who looked to be about four, belting out a traditional Hindi song confidently in front of this large crowd of mainly adults, as well as two girls around age ten or eleven who wore matching outfits down to the bells on their heels and danced a fantastic traditional dance. They performed very technical, detailed movements that required precision even in how they formed their hands. They were so like a mirror image of each other, in how synchronized they were. Even their eye movements were synchronized! It was very impressive.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that the festival was running a little behind and that we had to leave, we did miss the actual throwing of paint on one another. We felt, however, that this experience did allow for us to have a very interesting immersion experience into the Hindu culture. What we noticed right away is a real sense of community. Everyone was friendly not only to each other but also to us. They were very welcoming, open, and helpful in answering our questions. We were able to easily talk to people and get a sense of not only the festival itself, but of the Austin Hindu community as well. We enjoyed our time observing this slice of the Hindu community's rich cultural heritage. It was indeed a joyous occasion that we may not have experienced had it not been for this project.

References

Holi. (2011). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/269228/Holi