When I arrived in USA in the fall of 1970, I had heard the experiences of others who arrived as early as 1960.  The main difference was that in 1960, the most affordable way to USA was by ship and took about a week to London and another week to USA.  By the time I traveled, the jet age was going strong.  I flew the Air India 707 to London, the brand new PanAm 747 to Chicago; American Airlines 727 to Dallas Love and Davis Airlines Beechcraft to College Station.  In one week I had flown almost the full range of aircraft.  My Aunt (who had come in 1960 by ship) hosted me in Chicago and I could buy a packet of Papad in Chicago.

Arriving in College Station, there was not much in vegetarian food (let alone Indian food) or groceries available.  No Besan, Cilantro, Toor Dal etc.  We learned to cook with what was available; using Campbell’s Green Pea Soup to make Dal.  Only vegetables we could find were cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant and okra besides potatoes, tomatoes and onions.  There were about 120 Indians at Texas A&M University.  We had to drive to University of Houston to see Indian Movies.  There were several student centers where we could go to watch TV (B&W) or play table tennis.  The local American community tried their best to welcome us and invited us for meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Being vegetarians we presented a challenge on what we would eat.  I still remember saying that boiled vegetables were not “cooked” due to the absence of spices and tadka.

We were welcome to attend church but did not feel comfortable.  There was an “All Faiths Chapel” on the campus which was peaceful and we could go there at any time.  No services, just a peaceful place for contemplation.  I went to Detroit to work at GM Research in the summer of 1972.  Two questions frequently asked were, “Did you ride an elephant to school in India?” or “Do Indians consider Cow a Goddess”.  The impressions of Swami Vivekananda’s visit in the late 1800’s had long faded.  We were often confused with Mexicans or Latino’s because of our brown skin.  Letters took four to seven days to and from India.  Our only link to India was Times of India that Texas A&M Library had subscribed by airmail.  We could get the Times three to four days old to get any news from home, besides our letters.  Phone calls were $3 per minute and were reserved for emergencies only.

I remember during a stop in Calvert, Texas we met Jack Ungar who approached me and asked in Hindi, Aap kahan se hain?”  We learned that after losing his wealth in Arizona, he had gone to India.  He found peace and restored his self-balance in the Ashrams.  We invited him to address the Indian Students Association.  He spoke for barely five minutes.  His message:  “Most of you have come here in search of science and progress.  You may have been told that your culture is full of superstitious beliefs and multiple deities.  I urge you to learn something about your culture before you reject it.  I am sure that once you learn something about it, you will not be able to reject it.”

When I moved to Houston in 1976, there were two Indian restaurants, two or three Indian grocery stores where we could buy not just food but LP records of Indian music.  Anil Kumar and Meena Dutt had started Indian music programs on radio.  It took many years of many of us working as professionals that slowly permeated a positive image of Indians in the USA.  We were slowly recognized as being competent, hardworking, peaceful and trustworthy.  Many of us were Hindu’s by birth and may have gone to temples as children, but we did not have any significant knowledge of our religion or the scriptures.  The general perception was that Hindus worshipped many Gods; some with strange faces or images.  My personal faith was based on stories of Ramayana, Mahabharat and Bhagvat that I had heard from my elders or read in Chandamama.  The Bhajans from Films or otherwise provided most of the philosophical basis of my faith.

I remember my first exposure to Bhagvad Gita when a Sanskrit scholar came to Texas A&M to study Agricultural Economics.  We tried to read verses of the Gita and he would try his best to explain.  The first verse said, “The Gods must be propitiated in accordance with their specific rituals or Yagnas.  When the Gods offer their grace as a result, a portion of the bounty must be offered back to the Deity as Prasada.  He who enjoys the bounty without offering prasada back to the Deity is a thief indeed.”

I had to ask, “Does it say one Dev or many devas?”  Answer – many devas!  The way I interpreted this was that devas were forces of nature.  If you want blessings of electricity, you must worship according to the laws of electricity.  Errors can bring fatal harm due to the potent nature of these forces.  Similarly, gravity, dams, irrigation, etc., require the knowledge of Civil Engineering.  Again, improperly built dams can break and spread havoc.  My understanding of the Prasad concept was environmental awareness.  We must remediate and restore nature back to its original balance.  Enjoying the bounty without this restoration will result in degradation of the source.

So I am at a loss to assess the impact of Hinduism in USA, when my own faith was still in a formative stage.  It was not until December of 1986 that I had my first direct exposure to our scriptures.  I still remember the text was Bhaja Govindam.  The impact was so strong that I choked with emotions, tears flowing freely and completely unable to speak.  It asked poignantly, “Who are you? Where have you come from?  Who is you mother?  Who is your father? Why are you here?”  The answers were direct and unambiguous; founded in irrefutable logic and completely devoid of any requirement of blind faith.  I have to hold back my temptation to turn this into a spiritual discourse.  It took almost 15 years of study to complete the Bhagvad Gita and some Upanishads along with texts that provide definitions of Vedantic terminology.

While I was going through my personal evolution in the spiritual path, Houston was growing both in numbers and diversity.  Dance and Music schools opened, temples were built and scriptural studies became available.  Somewhere along came the schools that began teaching Yoga.  I understanding of Hindu Scriptures and heritage grew over a period of tens of years.  Talks and series of talks on various subjects were well received by the local Indians and some of the interested locals.  When I visited the Grand Canyon in 1983, I was surprised that there were not only temples of Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma but also of Manu.  There must have been a deep admiration of Hindu Philosophy for these names to be given.  Oppenheimer quoted the Bhagvad Gita when the first nuclear bomb was tested.  Today with the images revealed by the Hubble Telescope, we can see the Vishwaroop Darshan of Arjun without the aid of any divine vision (divya chakshu).

As we Indians excelled in engineering, medicine, business and our children excelled in education and competitive events like debate, spelling bees and sports; the image and reputation of Indians improved.  Interest in Indian culture grew out of the curiosity to understand the secret of our success.  Growing interest of health consciousness contributed to interest in vegetarianism and yoga.  Years ago, Mahesh Yogi (he was the Guru of the Beatles) had popularized Transcendental Meditation or TM.  Now many organizations became popular in propagating scriptural knowledge, yoga based exercise programs and health improvement routines.

The growing Indian population also celebrated festivals like Janmashtami and Deepawali and now many more at an increasing scale of magnitude of celebrations and attendance by Indians and locals alike.  Thriving schools of dance and music, performances by their students and teachers have provided exposure to Indian performing arts.

I would like to conclude my review with a few essential facts about the basis of Indian Vedic knowledge.  The name “Hindu” is a Persian term not to be found anywhere in our scriptures.  Vedas are four in number and voluminous in content.  The final philosophical essence is found at the end of the Vedas and hence called Vedanta.  Here is where over 200 Upanishads are found which are student-teacher dialogs about the ‘ultimate reality’ or ‘one universal truth’ referred to as Brahman (not to be confused with Brahmin – the teacher class).  Eleven Upanishads are considered ‘major’ because scholars have written commentaries on them.  Three texts are considered the basis of “Sanatan Dharma” or eternal knowledge. 

1.       Upanishads from Vedanta

2.       Bhagvad Gita – from Mahabharat – considered the essence of the Upanishads

3.       Brahma Sutras – the ultimate logical discussion to establish the eternal knowledge.

Bhagvad Gita is the most accessible summary of the Upanishads with many commentaries available in many languages.  Upanishads are cryptic and aphoristic and should be studied under the guidance of a Guru who is established in Brahman or brahmanishtha.  Brahma Sutras are at an advanced philosophical level and recommended only for those who want to confirm the validity of “sanatan dharma”.

Shortest summary of the four Vedas is found in four “Mahavakyas” or “Great Declarations”:

1.       Pragnanam brahma – consciousness is brahman

2.       Ayam atma brahma – the self in me is brahman

3.       Tat tvam asi – that (brahman) you are

4.       Aham brahmasmi – I am brahman (self-realization)

All perceptions of polytheism and ritualistic practices including the caste system are medieval misinterpretations of the most complete and irrefutable, non-denominational, monotheistic philosophical heritage which, when combined with the recommended practices of austerities and yoga become the “right way to live” regardless of one’s faith or following.  Everyone is conscious – there is nothing to become or accept.  Denial of the Truth (consciousness) does not negate the Truth!