Journal Entry:

Moon of the Crusted Snow

In my formative years in India, parents and other caregivers who were veterans in our house and

community passed on the cultural norms, beliefs, customs, and practices to me, many of which

were imparted to me by my grandparents.

Grandparents' Influence

My mother would sit me down each evening to listen to stories from the Hindu mythology which

had a moral at the end of each story with side lessons on virtues of hard-work and faith.

Concomitantly, she would engage me in various cultural festivities and ceremonies and would

educate me on their meaning and acknowledge the meaning of every ceremony. I have

received from her patience and dedication that she was willing to spend time and teach me these

traditions which have made a memorable imprint on me. On the paternal side, it is my father who

always insisted on me learning and understanding our roots and origins. He would recount

stories of our fore- fathers and mothers, and the experiences.

Community Elders.

Besides family, the other important influence towards my cultural learning was the local elders in

my community. The village elders were charged with the responsibility of educating the young

ones through storytelling, the Roonga and other cultural elements inculcating the virtues of life

as passed down to them through their ancestors. They were used as encyclopedias in human form

and they would help pass on the customs of previous generations to the younger generations.

Preserving Cultural Connections

At this time and age where the world has become a global village, the cultural compass provided

by the Indian predecessors prevents me from becoming overly Westernized and thus, always

keeps me culturally rooted. It could be due to the fact that they have a burning desire to pass

knowledge about our culture and traditions to young people so that they can be preserved, and

this makes me respect my elders and feel the burden to ensure that they are done.

Still I realize what a bleak prospect it must be if one could not directly benefit from one’s

cultural keepers. There is always a need for people of a given community to encourage people of

that particular community to assist in passing down knowledge from one generation to the other

through practicing their culture.

Therefore the opportunities of meeting and communicating with the wise elderly people have

brought me wisdom, guidance and tradition. This shows the change in my cultural affiliation

and values based on that Indian origin which they have taken time, energy and effort in making

sure that the Indian culture is preserved.