UNITED STATES, October 20, 2024 (New India Abroad, by Aprameya Rupanagunta): As fall rolls around, the myriad of Indian festivals and celebrations come closer. For most Indians who were born and brought up in India, this season has always been a part of their lives and those around them but for Indian Americans who never actually lived in India, these months mean something else. For most of the year, Indian American teens like myself live in two different worlds. The outside world, where we are accustomed to American culture but still seen as Indian by everyone else, and the world at our homes. The world encompasses thousands of years of history and culture from a country thousands of miles away where we are seen as completely American. For most of the year, the difference between our two worlds is stark, except when festival season comes.

As I’ve grown up, I’ve tried to figure out why Indian Americans feel more connected to their heritage during this time of year. Logically, it would make sense that we would feel weird celebrating a non-American holiday in America because it differs from what the perfect American teenager looks like. So why do we feel more connected during this time of year? The best I’ve come to answering this question is that this time of year festivals like Navratri and Diwali, facilitate a relationship between non-Native Indians and their culture. On an everyday basis, we are forced to attempt to connect to our culture in India through our parents who have lived there and experienced the culture firsthand. But these festivals offer a way to individually connect to our culture. Juggling two completely different cultures is harder than it looks but what makes it more challenging is the constant comments we face from each side, telling us we are not enough. But what I’ve learned is that it does not matter what people who belong to those cultures have to say about how we interpret our identities. Our identities are made of the personal connection we can make with the different cultures that are a part of us. Navarati season is the time of year when we can fully embrace what it means to be an Indian American, a combination of two cultures.

The author is a 10th grade student at Monta Vista High School.

More at source.

https://www.newindiaabroad.com/english/features/the-importance-of-indian-festivals-for-indian-american-teenagers-in-the-us

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