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Who's Ganesh? Here's a chance to find out

The Indo-U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Museum of Science and Industry have launched a program to educate the community about India.

By TAMARA EL-KHOURY
Published May 7, 2006

When the friends of Bijal Rajani's kids come over, they sometimes wander to a shrine in the house where the family prays. They ask about the statue of Ganesh, a Hindu god with an elephant's head, or Krishna, another Hindu god.

"I would love it if their friends knew a little bit about where they came from and why they look different," said Rajani, 36, a physician who was born in India, raised in London and lives in Palm Harbor with her physician husband, Vakesh, 35, and two kids, Mira, 7, and Samir, 5.

Soon, Mira and Samir's friends and other kids in the Tampa Bay area will learn about India through a long-term educational initiative launched by the Indo-U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Museum of Science and Industry.

The project will reach the roughly 300,000 children who go through MOSI each year, many as part of field trips, said Judith Lombana, vice president of research and institutional development for MOSI.

Lombana said she hopes to put educational materials online for teachers to download.

Organizers hope to have the seven-pronged initiative, called Demystifying India, in place by August. Until then, they are trying to raise $220,000 to launch the program, armed with the mantra: Education, awareness, acceptance.

"For us to assimilate, we're going to have to educate people about ourselves," said Rajani's brother, Prash Pavagadhi, 34, CEO and president of Oldsmar-based Key Elements Consulting and president of the Indo-U.S. chamber.

He said there are more than 20,000 Indians in the Tampa Bay area.

MOSI and the chamber have raised about $100,000, Pavagadhi said, and hope to have more than $150,000 by the end of a cocktail fundraising event at MOSI on May 13.

The initiative is a rare instance of a minority community in the United States taking the initiative to educate the majority community about its culture, Pavagadhi said.

The goal is for Demystifying India to educate the community through seven ways:

n Educational exhibits

n Teacher training seminars

n A resource library for children and teachers to use when studying India

n An updated curriculum on India for teachers to follow

n Educational trips to MOSI

n The opportunity to watch Mystic India, an IMAX movie at MOSI for free

n A speaker bank of Indian presenters who can address teachers' classes.

"I think the beauty of the program, apart from the seven components, is that it's perpetual,'' said Ravi Seepersad, 31, vice president of the chamber and an attorney at Fowler White Boggs Banker. "This isn't a one year, a two year; it's ongoing."

The idea for the project started with the preview of Mystic India, which follows the seven-year journey of an 11-year-old boy who walked 8,000 miles of the country, starting in 1972.

Lombana asked representatives of the Indian community to preview the film and provide feedback.

What began as a narrowly focused idea became an opportunity to educate the community about India, Lombana said.

"The IMAX movie became a springboard for rallying people around India, understanding the different parts of India," Lombana said.

Leaders of the initiative hope other minority groups will use their approach to educate the public.

Rajani said the project will be good for her children, who probably won't visit India until they are older. It gives other Indians in the community a chance to learn about the land their parents and grandparents came from.

It also gives non-Indians a chance to learn about the rich culture and history of the country, Rajani said.

"I think the more we learn about other cultures, it helps us to overcome fears and prejudices and misconceptions," Rajani said.

Information

To learn more about the initiative or to make a donation, go to www.demystifyingindia.com

[Last modified May 7, 2006, 10:25:32]