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Indian Culture

"Let me tell you what it is like to be Indian."

Listen to this Commentary!

By Sap Chadda

People think that because I am Indian, my dad owns a 7-Eleven. They come up with stupid assumptions that my culture is about belly dancing and arranged marriages. Well my dad is a graphic designer and people in my culture dance something called bhangra, which is nothing like belly dancing. I am not Hindu, Buddhist or Muslim. I am Sikh, one of the many different cultures in India. Let me tell you what it is like to be Indian.

It’s great. I get to dress up and go to parties where everyone knows me. I love the clothing I wear when I dress up. The skirt, called a lehnga, goes all the way to the ground.... it flows. It can be in any color. Then there’s the jewelry. Big gold rings, bracelets, fancy earrings, and necklaces that aren’t like any simple thing you would wear to school. They are so intricate and beautiful that they make you look absolutely gorgeous.

When I wear all of this, I feel like I’m the most beautiful person in the room. I’m on top of the world...I can feel everyone’s eyes looking at me. It is, in my opinion, the greatest feeling in the world.

Then there’s Indian food, which is in a class of its own. Most of the non-Indian people I know think Indian food is just the usual chicken curry and rice. They also think that all Indian food is spicy, but they are greatly mistaken. They haven’t experienced the lentils, samosas, pakoras or eggplant that I know and love. My personal favorite is homemade cheese, called paneer, in a curry or creamy sauce with basmati rice. This is the kind of dish I can eat every day.

After September 11th, Sikh people were attacked and accused of being terrorists simply because men in my religion wear turbans. A man who goes to my temple was wearing a turban with an American flag design on it and was brutally beaten because a group of ignorant people thought he was a terrorist. Ignorance can lead to prejudice and violence. That’s why I wanted to explain my culture to you.

I’m Sap Chadda.

Host Back Announce: Sap Chadda comes to us from Youth Radio LA, a collaboration between LACAAW, KCRW FM, and Youth Radio.