Religion

My family follows Hinduism, which is a polytheistic belief system. There are three main gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, corresponding to creation, preservation, and destruction. Hinduism has many holidays, including Diwali (the festival of lights), Ganesh Chaturthi (birthday of Lord Ganesha) and others. Worship of a god is called pooja and some families, like ours, do it once in a while, and others do it every day.

Section 2

Diwali means “The Festival of Lights” and is one of the most beloved Hindu holidays. It symbolizes light over darkness and good over evil. The event always happens on a new moon, so the Gregorian date changes every year. It typically falls in November.

Ganesh Chaturthi is the birthday of Lord Ganesha, and simulates welcoming the god into the devotees’ home. The devotee uses a small clay idol to feed, bathe, and clothe him. Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates Ganesha as the Remover of Obstacles and the god of wisdom. It typically falls in mid-September.

Raksha Bandhan is the celebration of siblings and brotherhood. During this festival, siblings will tie a thread (the rakhi) around each others’ wrists. Symbolically, the brothers protect the sisters and get a gift in return. It typically falls in August.

Janmashtami is the birthday of Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. Krishna was known for his mischeviousness and love of dairy. It typically falls in August.

Me as a toddler dressing up as Baby Krishna.

Our family also celebrates Christmas. My dad says that he and my mom picked it up when they came to the United States, and it is also a great way to be a part of the American culture. We enjoy the festive mood, the presents, the lights, and everything else.

Food

There are a few main types of food that we eat. First we have some sort of bread or rice – the bread is called roti and it is a soft flatbread. Then we eat cooked vegetables, called subzi. Finally, we have cooked lentils, called daal.

Rice with black chana (daal) and kadhi (soup).

Language

The languages that our family speaks are Hindi and Telugu (on my mom’s and dad’s sides, respectively), although we speak English at home. I learned to read, write, and speak Hindi at our local temple. Here are some examples:

मेरा नाम अथर्व है- Hindi

ఇది కోసం పాఠశాల. - Telugu

Customs

We have a few customs in our household. First, we take off our shoes when we enter the house. Secondly, we eat Indian food with our hands, to connect with our food using all our senses. Third, we take blessings from elders by touching their feet, and our elders touch our head in return.

Doing pranaam to my grandma (asking for blessings).

Attitudes

Our culture has a few attitudes, a few of them based on food. Firstly, we are vegetarian (don't eat meat or fish). Next, we eat food from restaurants rarely (about once a week). Also, I have 1 hour of screen time each day, and I don't use social media.

Pie chart of (approximately) our eating habits.

My Beliefs

Even though I am influenced by my ancestry and heritage, since I live in this generation, I have a lot more exposure to technology. I love playing video games, coding, and making music online, but I also play piano, saxophone, and do Tae Kwon Do.

Holding a trophy at a Tae Kwon Do tournament.