29-Asian-Indian Texans - Institute of Texan Cultures

29-Asian-Indian Texans
Coming to Texas
Few Asian Indians came to Texas before
1965. When the immigration laws changed,
well-educated English-speaking men from
India came to Texas. Trained doctors, engineers, scientists, professors, and businessmen
brought their families and found good jobs
in Texas.
Urban Asian Indians
India is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. More than 600 languages
and numerous geographic regions and reli- Bana Ramanath and her son are taking part in
a ceremony at a Hindu temple. What might this
gions exist in the country. The people who ceremony be?
immigrated to Texas came from different
parts of India, each with different customs.
In 1990 Texas was home to only 55,795 Asian
Indians, making up .33% of the total Texas
population, but in 2000 there were 129,365
Asian Indians, who made up .62% of the total population. In ten years the Indian population increased 131.98%.
In Texas most Asian Indians live in Houston
and Dallas or other large cities where they
find professional jobs. Because they do not
come in groups, they have not settled together but live scattered among other Texans.
Air travel, e-mails, and well-paying jobs have
made it easier for them to stay in contact with
their families in India and keep their culture.
Asian-Indian Cultural Folkways
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The country of India is home to many world
religions. It is the birthplace of Hinduism and
Buddhism as well as Sikhism and Jainism.
Muslims ruled India for over two centuries.
Hinduism is the religion practiced by most
of the immigrants. Religion is very important
to the Asian Indians who came to Texas because it was a way to keep their cultural roots
strong.
Most Hindus believe in a supreme soul,
or spirit that has no shape or form, called
Brahman. The many Hindu gods and goddesses represent different parts of Brahman's
power. Most Hindus believe that when you
die, your soul comes back to earth reborn in
another body as a person or animal.
There are at least 34 Hindu temples in Texas,
15 in Houston and in the Dallas/Fort Worth
Metroplex. Most temples began with students and families gathering to worship, sing,
or study together. Gradually larger groups
formed, and temples were built. Hindus do
not have a set time for a "church" service but
go to the temple whenever they like.
When visiting a temple, they take off their
shoes before entering, and women cover their
heads in respect. They often take offerings of
fruit, flowers, and incense called prasad. The
priest presents the gifts to the god and then
returns them to the worshipers and puts a red
mark called a tilaka on their foreheads as a
blessing. This ceremony is known as puja.
Texas Hindus and Muslims as well as many
other people around the world practice yoga.
Yoga is a set of stretching exercises plus a way
of breathing that help a person relax. This is
often called meditation. Yoga is also a way to
live that brings mind, body, and soul together
in a calm life.
Some Hindus practice the belief of ahimsa,
which means they will not kill anything to
eat. Instead they eat a diet of vegetables. The
India Palace Restaurant in Dallas has been
voted the best Indian restaurant by the Dallas
Observer for many years. They offer a spicy
menu with many different dishes.
No country in the world produces as many
spices as India, and most are available for sale
in Texas. Indian dishes might include cardamom, ginger, tamarind, fennel, and curry,
which is a blending of several spices and
herbs. The flavor of a curry will vary depending where in India it was made.
An Indian meal may include chutney, a sweet,
hot, spicy relish, with the meat. In Texas
chutney is cooked, while in India it is served
fresh using spices, mango, and coconut. The
Texas cooked chutney often includes apples,
pears, or peaches with the spices of coriander,
cinnamon, and cayenne pepper added to give
it a hot taste.
Amazing Asian-Indian Texans
In 2001 Artee Patel won the Miss India
Texas contest. She competed with 25 other
Texas women of Asian-Indian parentage to
win the title.
Artee was born in Freeport, Texas. She graduated from the University of Houston with a
degree in communications, but she wanted to
be an actress. She starred with Randy Travis
in Westown and in the stage performances of
Fiddler on the Roofand Guys and Dolls.
She supports the Pratham USA organization,
which works to promote universal primary
education for every child in India.
Dr. Kollengode R. Ramakrishnan was born
in New Delhi, the capital of India. He came
to Texas as a university student in 1971.
After getting his doctoral degree in social
work from the University of Maryland, he
and his wife, Mythili, came back to West
Texas because the weather reminded them of
India. He has been a professor of social work
at West Texas A&M University in Canyon,
Texas, since 1978. In 2002 a scholarship for
graduate students of social work was started
in honor of his work.
Since 1976 Meena Datt has hosted "The
Music of India" radio show on Saturday
mornings on Houston's KPRT. In 1991 on
KSEV, she started a Sunday talk show with
people calling in to discuss family issues such
as arranged marriages like they have in India.
In an arranged marriage, parents select the
marrIage partner.
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