To belong, be connected to roots, and conserve one's culture while passing it on to the next generation are themes that constantly recur in the lives of Indians living abroad. Festivals, apart from being occasions, also provide an opportunity to connect their children born in a different culture and environment to their roots.
The building of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya encompasses all of the above and more. We spoke to a group of professional first-generation Indians living in the UK about how and why this is important for them, and how they are involving their children in this process. Additionally, we explore the option of going back to India in the current context.
Please tune in to look at Ayodhya from an NRI’s lens. Its curious understanding of how Ayodhya is becoming Ayodhya ji !
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[00:00:00] You know, so we have a 16-year-old who's playing Hanuman.
[00:00:03] He's got no idea who Hanuman is.
[00:00:05] He doesn't even speak any other language than English.
[00:00:08] And he is saying the dialogues in Marathi,
[00:00:12] which is not even his mother, tongue, his mother, and his Gujarati.
[00:00:15] This is India, a story in the making.
[00:00:19] And I'm your host, Levenia Tandar.
[00:00:22] Hello and welcome to India, a story in the making, to spread our culture, to maintain our culture. These festivals, they matter a lot to us. So is it just about Pakti or is it more than that for you?
[00:01:43] My name is Riva Duttkar. things happen back home, we feel more, you know, in the end, it's kind of bad. And what was your name? So you're the pretty bebaker. OK, pretty g here. And what do you do, pretty? I'm a teacher. You're a teacher. OK. The economics behind this is very powerful. It has created 20,000 to 25,000 jobs.
[00:03:02] And the place is shot up about. Tell me, if you can diverge, how much have you paid
[00:04:23] or how long did you have to pay for the flags? I think when it comes to Shahiram, I think we don't, there is no cost. We don't want to discuss about it. Whatever is the cost, flights have gone up, everything is gone up, the cost of flags. But I think that is all the material.
[00:05:41] It doesn't matter.
[00:05:42] It doesn't matter in this particular.
[00:05:44] Okay, yes, you want to, please say your name
[00:05:47] and then tell me who will choose Ayodhya Ji over Swiss Alps? I think I think Ayodhya Ji, I think you know, like you know, in a couple of places in
[00:07:03] one of the movies I've seen, they said, you know, why I think Sridharivi had said, you who's playing Ravan and he's asking questions. So what is happening is people who haven't had the opportunity to know Ramayana are now learning it. They are enacting. They are trying to be and what we're doing is we are trying to see how. So Ramayana is not just a mythological story. How can we bring it into our lives
[00:08:24] now, the connect. So that is what we are celebrating here, it's out of our goodwill to do something good for the society and money doesn't count then, it's just how it will do good to the society and to our next generation. So what we are trying to do is when we tell them the story, we are also trying to connect
[00:09:40] it to their current times, like for example the golden deer, what it actually represents
[00:09:45] is the distraction. left India, you've come here, let them be, let them be a part of this culture as well. Surprisingly, you know, so we have a 16 year old who's playing Hanuman, he's got no idea who Hanuman is. He doesn't even speak any other language than English and he is saying
[00:11:00] the dialogues in Marathi, which is not even value, culture, inheritance, whatever we get from India, inseparable from my soul. So I want to go back. Why did you come then? What brought you here? Yeah,, he could be here as well. And I understand appreciate that. But also then, you know, you want to show him Bharati and culture. Because what is it that he, you find challenging that he might adopt here, which he should not.
[00:13:41] And therefore, you want him to be more connected.
[00:13:43] Or exactly.
[00:13:44] In your interview, you, you know what we call it. They should still be your child and I should not become someone who you can't make. As far as my heart he is Bharati. You live anywhere else but they live in the stars. That's what you want. That's wonderful. So you want your child to know why he should touch the feet of elders and not ask you question as to why.
[00:15:04] That's the key. another episode but you're not taking him to Iodhya Jaiyo. We will definitely do that. Okay, okay, bring the lot of themes that have come through this. It's belonging, it's connection, knowing your roots. Somewhere the insecurity that maybe we might just lose our children and we won't have that connect with them. Apart from the fact that India now, everyone proceeds is doing so well.
[00:16:24] So why not we get back there and feel that connect?