‘American Desis’ Podcast Explains the Importance of Elders

How appropriate for me to listen to Akaash Singh and Arjun Gupta’s latest “American Desis” podcast featuring their Sharad Nani after spending some time visiting my own nani (maternal grandmother) this past weekend. Sharad Nani is not actually Singh or Gupta’s grandmother, but she is an important figure in their lives. This podcast honed in on the importance of elders and duty in Indian culture, and the ensuing conversation was both heartwarming and relevant.

[Left to Right: Arjun Gupta, Sharad nani, and Akaash Singh | Photo Source: AmericanDesisPodcast.com]

How appropriate for me to listen to Akaash Singh and Arjun Gupta’s latest “American Desis” podcast featuring their Sharad nani after spending some time visiting my own nani (maternal grandmother) this past weekend. Sharad nani is not actually Singh or Gupta’s grandmother, but she is an important figure in their lives. This podcast honed in on the importance of elders and duty in Indian culture, and the ensuing conversation was both heartwarming and relevant.

From Kanpur in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Sharad nani has seen India through countless key historical changes. She discussed the development of Delhi and surrounding areas in comparison to the lack thereof in other key cities across India, along with the migration of many Indians abroad in pursuit of better opportunities. With one son working as a science writer in India and another son living and working in California, she is able to split her time between India and the U.S. But for Sharad nani, India alone has her heart.

When Sharad nani spoke to the concept of dharma, for which there really is no one-word English translation, she spoke in terms of the duties and obligations she has always abided by as per her religion of Hinduism and her identification as Indian.

The Sanskrit roots for the word dharma mean “to hold, sustain, or keep,” and the philosophical ideas tied to dharma have held a central place in Indian culture despite their evolution over the past several centuries.

This brief introduction to the idea of duty in South Asian culture really struck a chord with me.  I think all desis the world over can easily identify with this hard-hitting notion of duty, or obligation, or responsibility, or whatever other word you want to use to describe it.

Grounded by our upbringing and molded by our heritage, whether we live in India or abroad, from our religion to our culture to our family, none of us can ever truly ignore our dharma.

And this permanent foundation that follows us wherever we go and wherever we live is why I believe that we can still be strongly tied to our Indian culture despite living abroad, although Sharad nani would probably disagree with me a bit on this point.

When Gupta and Singh asked her what she thinks about Indian culture in NRIs who have grown up abroad, Sharad nani mentioned the importance of language as a key tie to Indian culture—I could not agree with her more. The knowledge of languages is what tends to be lost first, which is most unfortunate because with a little effort it can be fairly easy to ensure that the language is preserved in younger generations.

Interestingly enough, I partially credit my own nani for my functioning Hindi skills. My strong-willed grandmother never really wanted or tried to learn English despite living in the U.S. for several years, so if I wanted to talk to her, then I needed to have a command over her mother-tongue. I am thankful for her and for all our nanis.

Here is to our elders and our roots, without both of which, we would all be a little lost.