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Beauty Prevalent in Both Cultures

by Kavita Bali

Published by the Northern India Patrika Newspaper (June 10, 2001).

I am an Indo-American artist / filmmaker and have been brought up in the US since the age of 6. Now, after almost 30 years, I have gone through many layers of cultural processing and continue to explore the ever-shifting concepts of cultural identity and individualism through my art and films.

(Kavita hopes to get back to India soon, realizing that the warm memories she has of her earliest childhood are quickly fading away into the darkness of the articifial promises of 'western modernization' commonly associated with American programming such as MTV).

It is ironic that so many Indians do not realize the spiritual and cultural wealth they have at thier fingertips and are so quickly adopting the most negative aspects of American culture through the electronic pipelines of MTV and western soap operas. As an Indo-American, having grown up in the West, I have come to recognize and appreciate the beauty prevalent in both cultures.

After nearly thirty years, I am able to sift through the mirage of the ever polluted popular culture of the West to retain the positive characteristics which I see as independence and respect for women as equals (yet even in America, there is still a long way to go in terms of equality). On the flip side, I also choose to retain my traditional Indian heritage in my heart as it is an intregal part of who I am as an individual. I am proud to be of Indian birth and proud to be an American and would not trade either aspect of my life as this combination of experiences has added to my perspective on life and a greater appreciation on the universal humanity of people. For many years it was difficult to grow up as part of these two distinct cultures, until I realized I was handed an incredible gift of opportunity.

In America, people yearn for Eastern philosophies, many realizing that their American culture is yet quite youthful, only a few hundred years old. India, on the other hand represents a rich culture full of wisdom, maturity of thought and greatness in creativity... why do my fellow Indians fail to see the gold in front of their eyes? I would welcome any feedback from my brothers and sisters in India who can explain this love of a western nation that is at the root no greater than their own. In the end, I hope India shall rise to the greatest heights leveraging off it's current gift to the world in the form of it's IT engineers, while adopting a more equal handed treatment / respect for the women in their lives. Why continue to go down the more culturally void route of adhering to MTV's digital sermons which do not reflect the greater American society when you have the potential to leverage off India's coveted mecca of technology to make your own backyard an example of stellar humanity and renewed prosperity?

Kavita is currently researching and writing her next film which she hopes to obtain funding for by the end of the year. For more info: http://www.urbanpeacock.com OR send your comments to: kavita@urbanpeacock.com.

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Published by the Northern India Patrika Newspaper (Sunday Edition, June 10, 2001). The newspaper is based in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.