Here is an essay I wrote for The Met Life Essay competition.

How I Celebrate My Culture in America?

    Indian Culture has been one of the oldest and richest civilizations in this world. For many centuries it has represented diversity with peace and harmony. As Mark Twain once rightly said, "India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition." Being part of such a culture makes me proud to be an Indian. We need to continue this tradition so that the generations to come can also have the chance to experience the beautiful heritage we were provided with by our ancestors. To be able to maintain our own identity in a foreign land requires a lot of effort on the personal as well as societal front.

    I am 14 years old and now a 10^th grader who came to America 3 years ago. Preserving your cultures and traditions even though being in high school takes a lot of self-determination. Since I have been in India for most of my life till now, I feel a great need to stay the way I am and hold on to my heritage. My family environment and background have helped me a lot in order to accomplish this. I grew up in a family where all the good ways of leading a healthy life have been instilled in me. Since, childhood I have always seen my parents and close ones with this deep feeling of pride about their ancestry. In me, this has inculcated a feeling of great respect and self-belief for the same thoughts. To stay close to my original identity, I decided to learn the varied Indian arts like Kathak (a north Indian classical dance), playing the tabla, and learning Indian music. Habits like going to the temple, praying at home, following the traditional practices and being an active part of all festivals brings me closer to my religion. I have been very fortunate to have many relatives here, which enables me in celebrating all festivals and occasions to the full extent. On all major festivals we have a good get together of all the relatives and friends and celebrate the occasion in the traditional ways. The support from so many people in my environment plays a major role in my ability to hold on to my traditional values.

    Another factor that makes a major difference is the environment or the place you live in. Luckily, New Jersey is a place, which has a large number of Indians, and also provides an active front for social events. Here, I joined the Indian Association that gave me the opportunity to continue my hobby of dancing and other talents by taking part in cultural celebrations. Also, I always attend all social events since they are one place where even in a foreign land you feel as if you are a part of a separate environment. The large Indian population also enables me to have friends that share the same traditions and beliefs as me. Even after being an active part of all these events, I think the best way to celebrate my culture here is by passing on the knowledge of our heritage to people who have not been aware of it. Many American born Indians are very ignorant about our traditions since they haven’t seen many of them, and therefore I feel it’s my duty to give them a chance to become a part of this ancient civilization. To share this knowledge, I always write articles to express myself, I take many friends and even foreigners to Indian events. I think exposure of Indian culture to the young generation is one of the major ways to preserve our treasured heritage since we are the future.

    Culture gives us our identity and guidelines to lead a healthy lifestyle. Being away from the native homeland, it is essential to preserve our heritage. Our ancestors have treasured Indian civilization for over 5000 years and now it is upon us, the young generation to walk in their footprints and enrich it further for the future generations to enjoy.