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PLANO, TEXAS, September 4, 2002: A circle of 12 parents and children sit cross-legged in a yoga position, begins this report in the Dallas Morning News. They take a deep breath. As they exhale, they say, sonorously, “Ommmmmm.” The syllable fades to silence in the conference room at Plano Station, and the circle is still. “Who wants to play tag?” says the teacher, Ashish Chandra. The kids bounce to their feet. Classic Hindu culture and everyday childhood fun: This is Balagokulam, (see “source” above), a free weekly program that helps youth and parents learn about Hindu culture through fables, prayers and games. “We want them to feel comfortable in their culture,” says Bindu Patel, a Balagokulam teacher and homemaker. “It’s important to learn the facts, especially when you’re living in a different environment.” “It’s a way for kids to play and learn about Hindu religion and culture,” says Sandeep Gupta, a software engineer from Richardson who attends the class with his seven-year-old son, Shivam. Gupta says he’s glad his son has made friends in the group and hopes he’ll feel more comfortable with culturally specific activities, such as taking Indian food for lunch at school after seeing his Balagokulam friends eat it at a temple. Instilling good values. Donations from parents support the chapter in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where about 80,000 Indians live, according to the India Association of North Texas. Most students in Balagokulam moved to the United States within the last 10 years.

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