ME AS A HINDU

My life in India..

INTRODUCTION
Hello, my name is Nicole. I am glad your curiosity is peaked and you are wondering what India is like. I am honored to show you some insight into my life in India and my life as a Hindu. Before I give you a small taste of my life and life in India, it is important that you brace yourself for a country and religion that is rich in history and abundant in diversity.

MARRIAGE.
Before we begin this small tour through India and my life as a Hindu, you should know a bit about me. I am married since a very young age and my husband was chosen by my parents, as arranged marriages are very common in India (139).

CHILDREN.
My husband and I have one child. It is common for women in India to give birth to many children though. Per my husbands request, we will most likely have more children.

CASTE.
My husband and I are a part of the Sudra caste. The Sudra caste is made up of laborers and servants who supply manual labor or labor needed by upper caste groups (136). My husband works very hard as I maintain the household and care for our child.

IDEAL COUPLE.
My husband and I are very close to one another despite the fact that we were both in love with other people when we were arranged to marry one

another. We resemble the ideal

couple Rama and his wife Sita in the Ramayana (139). My husband is concerned, sensitive and tender whereas I am solely devoted to him.

ACTIVISM/CAUSE
As a woman, I understand the obstacles facing many young women in India today. I work to promote and encourage young women who want to

obtain a higher education or wish to

seek financial independence. Women are often expected to be under the control of her father, husband or son (138).

GRIHASHTA.
My husband and I are in the Grihashta stage. Where [a] Hindu is supposed to lead an active married life and apply with particular

rigor the three ideals of living

associated with this stage in life: the observance of accepted religious duties, the accumulation of wealth, and the enjoyment of pleasure (138).

ATTIRE.
The clothes I wear are modest in nature. I am mostly covered but my attire is usually bright in color as is my jewelry or bangles that adorn my arm.

SHOPPING.
The marketplace is where I do most of my shopping. I often go to the marketplace to buy groceries and other various items for my family and I.

MONEY.
From time to time, I make puppets by hand and sell them at the marketplace, in order to bring money home to make ends meet.

CUISINE.
This specific dish is Khaman a Gujarati snack that I enjoy. Gujarati cuisine is my favorite food. It is primarily vegetarian. My whole family and I are vegetarian. We especially do not eat beef, since the cow is sacred to Hindus (164).

AKSHARDHAM.
This is the Hindu Temple where I worship. It is called the Akshardham Temple. It is located in New Delhi and was recently built in 2005.

YOGA.
Yoga is a big part of my life, as you can imagine. Yoga aims to free one from the evolving material world and re-obtain ones spiritual purity (142).

RITUAL PURIFICATION.
Ritual Purification is a ..vital part in [many] Hindu religious observances. Hindu scriptures state that only those who practice cleanliness are able to see Brahman (165).

SHRUTI & SMRITI

I often spend days studying the sacred texts , Shruti and Smriti. Shruti are writings representing sacred knowledge (140). Smriti identifies writings that represent tradition (141).

PRINCE OF WALES MUSEUM

This museum is located in Mumbai. I occasionally like to take my child here. It was built in 1914. The Prince of Wales museum is an art gallery mainly consisting of archaeology and natural history.

VARANASSI.
The Varanassi is very important to my family and I. It has a powerful appeal because of location and the strange sense of elevation. The devotion of pilgrims at the Ghats in the early hours of the morning is beautiful. Many Hindus pilgrimage here at least once. A pilgrimage is often enhanced by the self inflicted hardships one must endure (166).

DIWAII FESTIVAL
The Diwaii Festival is also known as the cluster of lights. It is a New Years Festival, that takes place in October or November (167).

HOLI FESTIVAL
The Holi Festival is also known as the festival of colors. It takes place ten days before the full moon in either February or March. The Holi Festival commemorates frolics of the youthful deity Krishna, the demoness Holika, or the destruction of Kama by Shiva (168).

Nigosian, S.A. World Religions : A Historical Approach. Boston,

MA : Bedford/ St.Martins. 2008. Print/ Textbook.

WORKS CITED