Letters
Letters to Editor – July 2006
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I look forward to each issue of Little India given the wide array of issues this fine publication delves into each month. I read with interest the article “The Moral Quandary” in the May 2006 issue that many Indians and Indian Americans face in the United States. The article states that Western vegetarian culture is primarily based on health benefits of the diet, as opposed to moral and spiritual basis of Hindu vegetarian culture. While this is partly true, the rising vegetarian movement in this country is also rooted in a firm belief in the evils of American slaughterhouses with their overcrowded conditions, inhumane breeding practices and use of antibiotics and hormones to more “efficiently” slaughter innocent animals. Furthermore, American vegetarians also protest against the environmental impact of the meat industry, with its water pollution, deforestation for grazing land, and using large volumes of grains, which could feed many more humans than the meat it generates. The moral and health issues go hand in hand with the vegetarian movements here in the United States and worldwide. My other “beef” with this article is the implication that to be a successful Hindu in America we must compromise our beliefs. I myself am a physician and soldier in the U.S. Army and have maintained my Hindu beliefs even in austere conditions. Contrary to some in the Indian American community who feel embarrassed by some aspects of their culture, I have found that my colleagues on the whole respect my beliefs and even take interest in them. The greatest aspect of this country is the ability to be your own person and practice your own beliefs. Although Hindus, and all of humanity, have the right to adhere to any moral standard to which they subscribe, a Hindu should not assume that there is any difference between eating meat, cooking meat, or selling meat. According to Hindu shastras, such as the Srimad-Bhagavatam, cooking and selling meat incur equivalent or even greater negative karma as eating meat (Canto 5, Ch. 26, Text 13). Pramvir Singh Verma, M.D., Washington, D.C. The articles “Dreaming of Gucci” and “The Moral Quandary” (May 2006) are two sides of a coin. We hear about Indians moving back home, the blooming job market, the foreign boutiques, middle class growth and improvement of the quality of life in India. On the other hand we read about corruption, poverty, population explosion, etc. Every Indian struggles with this debate. We’re hard working and believe that success comes to those who work hard and aspire for a better life. Now the definition of success is changing, because living aboard in itself is not success. Vivek Dixit, Houston, TX The article “The Moral Quandary” (May 2006) made me heartsick. Your article made it sound like once an Indian national sets foot on American soil, he’s lost. I came away with the impression that purity of mind and actions is utterly impossible. I have always envied Asians for having grown up in very ancient and rich cultures. Jains, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhist, Hindus and Muslims all have moral principles I look up to. The moral ideals expounded in of each of these faiths makes the planet a much better place. How can anyone just give up their belief system and surrender to the sinful ways of the West? How does compromising one’s core values help change things? The freedom found in the United States of America and Canada is a wonderful thing. Anyone who comes here can partake of that freedom, but why misuse it? Even if your family back home cannot see the evil you commit here, there are still sinful reactions tied to this evil. This great experiment in liberty needs people of high moral fiber; we already have enough of the other kind. If an individual wants to change and improve things, the best thing they can do is to live up to the ideals found in their own faith. If everyone did that, our problems would diminish. I am disappointed that those I have looked up to have surrendered their moral values, eating a sacred cow, or pork and other unclean animals. I have been a vegetarian since 1975 and have taken a lot of teasing from my workmates for it and experienced a lot of ridicule from my family and friends for this “weird” flesh free lifestyle, but I will not compromise my moral values “thou shall not kill.” Even if everyone in the world around me eats meat, I will not. I say, make the world a better place by living up to your moral standards. William Mills, Athens, GA I just read the “No Roof, No Roots, No Rights” article (April 2006) in your magazine. I think you can easily help resolve this problem. Justus Eapen, Via eMail Tell these guys (“No Roof, No Roots, No Rights”) to go to a hardware store and buy a rat trap and get rid of the vermin. Stop complaining. You are in the best country of the world and lucky to be here. Make the most of it. The government is not going to rescue you. Get a life. G.K. Pandey, Via eMail I like your Star Gazing and Chandni Chowk sections. The magazine is well edited, printed and presented with good articles that I am interested in reading. I suggest you add a horoscope column in the magazine. Abraham, New York, NY “The Colors of Desi” by Lavina Melwani was great. It eased my heart to read the stories of those who shared thoughts on the issue. Some of us in North America grew up amongst ordinary folks, and have become accustomed to the “North American” lifestyle. Why after so much time experiencing their culture and accepting it resoundingly should someone go back to their former culture? Adopting new lifestyles and morphing into the new cultures is the way things will go for the future. There have been many changes in the last several decades and surely there will be many more ahead. Can we in the South Asian diaspora accept these changes? These will remain the questions and will always haunt those who haven’t confronted them head on! Anonymous, Via eMail The article “The Microsoft Millionaires” (April 2006) is definitely inspirational. Thanks for enlightening us. J Mahadevan, Via eMail I am a regular reader of your magazine. You are doing a wonderful job reaching Indians and making them feel at home. Vimala Varanasa, Via eMail Divya Narvekar, Via eMail Our school family loves your magazine every month in our library, where the children are 7th and 8th graders. B.N. Williams, Franklin Middle School Somerset, NJ I commend you on the recent upgrades to your magazine. For the most part these have been improvements. I am writing to express my disappointment, however, with an article in the May 2006 issue on the dominatrix. More than anything it devalued the entire issue. If your point was to further humiliate these individuals, surely it could have been done in another way and taken up less room. Certainly there were more newsworthy events in the world that were more deserving of the space. Amy Yeasayer, Via eMail I want to thank you for your article, “The Problem of Legal Immigration” (June 2006). You should also stress the difficulties of obtaining tourist visas to this country. As it stands, fewer than 29% of Indian applicants receive tourist visas to America and many are denied without proper reason or investigation. The visa law states: “All non-immigrant visa applicants are viewed as seeking to immigrate and need to prove to the consular officer otherwise.” So, one is guilty until proven innocent. To counter such an assumption, I believe you should allow ample time during the interview process to review documents and base a decision on individual merit. How can a proper decision be made after a 30 second interview at the embassy? As an American engaged to an Indian living in Delhi, I personally understand these visa challenges. My fiancé Fortunately, as I am a US citizen, his permanent visa should be approved quickly and without penalty. However, I feel for people like Kshitij and Shweta Bedi who are not as lucky. Four years! For a country that promises the dream of family, freedom and opportunity, perhaps we should walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Allison Hanken, Via eMail While I agree that India has made Ramesh Chellani, Fremont, Calif. The article “What is Indian Supposed to Mean Anyway (April 2006), is well written, but the next phase is to understand how we stop attaching labels to ourselves or to others. This can only be done by inquiring about our true and real identity/nature and understanding that the physical body is not who we are. Our existence is not limited to just one body and its relations. Dipal Patel, Via email The article “What is Indian Supposed to Mean Anyway” (April 2006), is great. I am Indian, but was raised by Americans. My kids are Jamaican and Indian. It is so true that human beings are one, whatever their race. I really enjoy your articles and the magazine is great. Bindu Derksen, Via email Today I celebrate my 64th birthday, grateful for my lengthening age after 20 years of diabetes. I thank you for continuing to feed my reading passion. Yaqoob Bawla, Long Island, NY |