Jan 18 / Multi-Cultural Club Fascinated by Indian Culture

On January 7th, six students from the North Bennington Grade School’s “Multi-Cultural Club” spent the afternoon with 07-08 YES student from India Himaannii Gangakhedkarr, hosted in Shaftsbury, VT. Himaannii prepared many fun and interesting things to share with the young students about her native country. She told the children about the forehead decoration called “bindi” worn by women in India. She explained the significance of the bindi and told the students that the area where the bindi is applied is the sixth chakra. Much to their delight, she applied a sticker bindi to the forehead of each girl in the club.

Himaannii brought three games with origins in India to share with the club members. She explained the games to the children and they chose to play the game “snakes and ladders.” This game dates back to the 16th century in India and is commonly known as “chutes and ladders” in the U.S. The students practiced saying the numbers from one to ten in Hindi as they played the game. When the first player reached the end, Himaannii taught the students to say “mubarak”, which means congratulations in Hindi.

After the “snakes and ladders” game, Himaannii showed the children other crafts and collectibles from India. She shared a picture of the Taj Mahal and explained the history of that impressive building. She showed them an Indian wedding invitation, talked about brides and grooms in India, wedding ceremonies, traditions and the history of arranged marriages. The students were alarmed to learn that girls their age were getting married many years ago and were happy to learn that laws have been instituted prohibiting girls and boys from getting married at such young ages.

Himaannii told the students about traditional clothing in India and shared a photo of her wearing a beautiful silk sari. The students enjoyed looking at and touching the typical handicrafts made and displayed in the homes of India. Himaannii explained the common use of shells, mirrors, sequins and embroidery in adorning these art forms.

The students had many questions. They asked about schools in India, the weather and the food. Their jaws dropped when Himaannii told them that students in India can get slapped by their teachers if they misbehave. They wanted to know Himaannii’s favorite movie, her favorite food, what she likes about the U.S.A. They wanted to know if she has seen “Alvin and the Chipmunks” yet. She told them about Bollywood movies and the huge film industry in India. The first thing she wants to do when she returns to India is to see a Bollywood movie. But, for now, she’s taking advantage of all the unique experiences in the United States and helping to share her culture with the curious and adventurous students in North Bennington.