We are studying South Asia now and unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to travel there either. A friend of mine from New Delhi invited me to travel there with her once, but I wasn't able to go. Hopefully, before I die, I'll get to visit India. I hope to go to see the Ganges River, Taj Mahal, and many other beautiful sites on the subcontinent.
The same friend/teacher generously was a guest speaker in my classroom a couple of years ago. She dressed in a traditional beautiful sari and brought authentic Indian food for my students. She told the students of her arranged marriage which evolved into love and of many other cultural aspects of her country.
Houston is a very multi-cultural city and has a large population of South Asians, so it is not unusual for us to be in close contact with this culture.
The major religion of India is Hinduism and in my class, we do a cursory study of this monotheistic religion.
Most people consider Hinduism to be polytheistic, but Hindus believe that Brahman is their one God and all the rest come from him. This is similar to the Christian trinity. If Christians believe in the father, son & holy spirit consider themselves monotheistic, then can't the Hindus who believe in the God Brahman and the other gods that come from him be considered monotheistic as well? This topic is a point of contention for some, but really if Hindus think they are monotheistic it shouldn't matter what others say.Other aspects of Hinduism & Indian culture that we study are reincarnation and the caste system. Many students will say "that's weird" or "that's wrong" when encountering beliefs contrary to their own. I try to emphasize that just because things that are different doesn't mean they're necessarily weird or wrong.
We do a caste system/reincarnation simulation where the students draw their social roles. The slip of paper tells them which caste they were born into and gives them instructions on how to behave according to their caste. The Untouchables have to pick up trash (I throw crumpled paper as the fake trash) and sit on the floor in the back of the room. There is usually only 1 or 2 Brahmans who sit in the front chair & are instructed not to talk to anyone of a lower caste. I'm including a diagram to illustrate the pyramid structure of the caste system.
The order of the Hindu caste system is a sort of hierarchy, with Brahmins at the top & Sudras at the bottom. Untouchables, aka Harijans or Dalits, fall outside of the system altogether.
I like your posts! I hope you eventually get to go to the Taj Mahal... I want to go there too! I also like all of the pictures
ReplyDeleteI had no idea what the Caste System was until now! This reminds me of a medieval hierarchy with the serfs at the bottom and the kings and queens at the top. I also hope you will get to go to India because I hear that it is a very cool place.
ReplyDeleteThat caste system is very interesting. I have a Brahmin hindu friend. I want to go to India someday to. I have heard it is a culturally rich country. The architecture there is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI think it's really cool that your friend came in with traditional Indian food and a sari. It really shows how other people live on a regular basis. People often think that just because they aren't used to seeing and doing certain things, it's not necessarily bad or weird.
ReplyDeleteI'm a hindu and I have always been unsure whether hinduism polytheistic or monotheistic. Over time I've realized it's a matter of opinion. Some Hindu's believe Hinduism is monotheistic, some don't. Right know most people who are not hindu's believe that hinduism polytheistic. Also I've been to the Ganges River and some areas of it is pretty dirty so be careful but the Taj Mahal is very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI am a student in Mrs. Donnelly's class. My parents are from India and I go there every year. I consider myself an Indain. Its such a beautiful place I really love it there. The cast system is in my opinion is cruel. We are all equals in my mind at least. I am Hindu, and i do believe that Hinduism is monotheistic. Its amazing how much you know about my culture! The Taj Mahal is really beautiful I hop you can visit it. When you go tell me if you go to Laal Kila or red fort.
ReplyDeleteI am a student of Ms.Donnelly and I am also half indian. There is so much to tell about India and I like how your post wasn't too long but you gave great information. I hope that you go to India someday! It is an amazing place. I was elated when you mentioned that hinduism is a monotheistic because some people do not know that. My parents said that through all the gods you are worshiping the one god.
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