[Indian Culture Workshop 2013-2014] Online version Information Kit

Information kit cover

The Multiculturalism in Action:Indian Culture Workshop has officially come to an end after the Press Conference held in September 23rd. To conclude the entire workshop, Prof. Maria Tam, the program director of the workshop, published the Multiculturalism in Action: Indian Culture Workshop information kit.

We are thrilled to inform you all that the online information kit has been launched on our department website. If you are interested in Indian culture or the workshop, click here to read more now!

[Indian Culture Workshop 2013-2014] Field Trip: In Search of Indianness in Tsim Sha Tsui

The Multiculturalism in Action: Indian Cultural Workshop went on a field trip in Tsim Sha Tsui on May 28, 2014, to have an Indian day out and be immersed in Indian atmosphere.

Why Tsim Sha Tsui

Tsim Sha Tsui has been one of the centers of activities for South Asian migrants in Hong Kong. Indians tailors, grocers, restaurateurs, jewelers, traders, and their families have lived and have organized their religious activities here since the 19^th century. To many Hongkongers, Indian shopkeepers and their multi-purpose retail stores in older shopping centers like Mirador and Chungking Mansions are a local institution.

First stop: Jain Temple with Guruji Nirmal Sagar

Inside the Jain Temple.

Jainism is one of the oldest religions in India. In Hong Kong, the Jains are a small community of 800. With their devotion to the religion, three temples have been established through the years, including the one on Granville Road, which we visited this time.

Guruji Nirmal Sagar gave us a brief introduction to the religion. He told us that Jainism preaches ahimsa (non-violence) and equality among all life forms. Every human is pure and has the capacity to become god. While this is similar to Buddhism, to date there are no Chinese Jains. It is because Jains do not actively seek to convert non-believers, though they would be happy to answer questions from them. The Jains believe the most important part of a person is the inside - if they believe in Jainism, they are Jain. This also explains why there is no baptism ceremony in Jainism, even for Indian believers.

During our Saturday visit, we saw quite a lot of children in the temple, and , their mothers were teaching them how to pray and to make offerings. The priest said mothers are the children’s first religious teachers; when they grow up, they will study with the priest to learn about the teachings. We also observed that the devotees would go around a small altar three times in clockwise direction. The priest explained that the three circular routes signify right knowledge, right faith, and right conduct, which are the three essential virtues for Jains. As they walk, they recognize their mortal beginning and the existence of hell, and most importantly pray for good virtues that will liberate them from the cycle of causality.

Second stop: Indian vegetarian lunch with guest Ms. Jackie Law, BA (Business Studies), 6-year Kuchipudi Dancer

Hari Om teaching kuchipudi dance in the dance studio.

We went to one of the numerous Indian restaurants in Tsim Sha Tsui.  The vegetarian restaurant was filled with customers during lunchtime. We were impressed with the variety of dishes which originated from different regions of India and began to appreciate the tasty and healthy vegetarian food.

We were also grateful to have a guest to share her experience with us, as a Chinese individual learning Indian culture. Ms. Jackie Law has learned Indian classical dance for seven years. She had learnt other dance forms like hip-hop before, but she found a great sense of connection in kuchipudi dance, which she learned at a gym in Mongkok, under the guru Hari Om.

Kuchipudi is an ancient dance form that began as devotional dance dramas offered to the gods and a way to communicate Hindi mythology to the audience. Today it flourishes all over South East India. Jackie told us that doing kuchipudi was a spiritual journey - every lesson would begin with chanting and prayers, and the dance itself was like meditation.  She recounted an extraordinary episode in a dance lesson, in which she felt she entered another dimension in which there was no sense of time and space. This transcendental experience gave her a profound sense of comfort as in a religious trance.

Jackie also learned about the teacher-student relationship in Indian culture in her study of kuchipudi. She found that the identity of a student goes beyond learning how to dance, as the student is expected to take after aspects of the teacher’s worldview. For example, they would wear Indian costumes rather than gym wear in the dance class, and they should only use the ankle bells blessed by their guru. This is in line with the guru-shishya tradition in which the student gradually masters the knowledge embodied by the teacher through commitment, devotion and obedience. 

Third stop: Mirador and Chungking Mansions

Both Mirador and Chungking Mansions have long been popular shopping centers for South Asian products. On both first and second levels of the two buildings, it was easy to find retail and wholesale shops owned by Indians, Pakistanis,  and West Africans, amidst Chinese stores. We saw mobile phone and phone card stores, as well as money changers. We checked out eateries that sold various regional cuisines, including masala tea and samosa. We explored a supermarket that sold Indian supplies, from bags of roti flour and bastami rice, to Alphonso mangoes and ayurvedic toothpaste, to Diwali streamers and Maggi noodles. Different types of Indian daily necessities piled all the way up to the ceiling, and customers streamed in and out of the shop via the narrow corridors between the shelves. It is an understatement to say that these two shopping centers have become a social center for South Asian minorities. 

Jackie took us to the second floor of Mirador Mansions where her Pakistani tailor’s shop is located. She always went there to make-to-order her Indian dresses and dance costumes. The third generation owner Mr. Amjid Siddique said the store is a family business, just like many other stores in the building.

In this field trip, we came away with the feeling that Indian culture has blended into local society in different aspects like food, religion, business, and art. Indian individuals and families in Hong Kong - whether they are high-profile business tycoons, low-profile priests, IT professionals, housewives, English teachers or yoga gurus - they have made Hong Kong their home for generations. Indians are truly part of our community, and we should embrace their culture as part of our local heritage.

[Indian Culture Workshop 2013-2014] Multimedia Presentations for Secondary School Students and Teachers

Professor Tam and the cultural trainers signing Namaste at Yuen Long Merchants Association Secondary School.

In March 2014, participants of the Indian Culture Workshop, under the supervision of Prof Siumi Maria Tam, took up the role of cultural trainers and gave multimedia presentations to 523 students and teachers from four local secondary schools.

The presentations covered three topics chosen by the trainers themselves. Each topic lasted 20-30 minutes. During the presentations, students watched powerpoint slideshows and video clips, enjoyed mass games and quizzes, as well as appreciated cultural artifacts such as costumes and food items from India. Before the end of the presentations, the students seized the chance to ask in-depth questions about the topics in the Q & A sessions. Let’s have a look now at what our Indian Culture Trainers included in the presentations, and how they reflected on this special experience!

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Topic 1: Hinduism

Yat Heng CHAN, MA in Anthropology, CUHK

For this presentation on Hinduism, the dominant religion in India, the key message was the importance of remaining open-minded and showing respect to other cultures, especially on the subject of religion.

I used a story-telling approach in my presentation so that the audience, who were unfamiliar with Hinduism, could grasp the basic beliefs of the religion easily. The presentation focused on the 10 avatars (or incarnations) of Vishnu, which represent 10 era in the Hindu cosmology, from the beginning of time to the end.

In the story of the first incarnation, Matsya the fish tells how Manu was instructed to build a big boat to save one of every species from a flood. The audience was able to draw linkages between this Hindu myth and the Christian myth of Noah’s ark, thus showing their ability to identify similarities between different belief systems.

In the story of the third incarnation, Varaha the boar tells of the formation of heaven and hell, while the story of the sixth incarnation Parasurama explains the development of human civilization. The story of the ninth incarnation Buddha challenges our understanding of Buddhism. Students were surprised to learn that Buddha, according to Hinduism, is an incarnation of Vishnu. He has come to Earth to remind people about the consequences of their own deeds, and to teach them to free themselves from the reincarnation cycle, before Shiva the god of destruction comes.

It was heartening to see secondary students taking an active part in the presentation, and enjoying the quizzes in particular. They were all eager to learn new information, with some jotting notes spontaneously, and were receptive to challenges of stereotypical concepts regarding minorities in Hong Kong.

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Our cultural trainers interacting with the students.

 

Students having a taste of wearing Indian costumes.

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Topic 2: Food and Culture

Wing Tung Connie LEE, BA student, Anthropology, CUHK

Yi Chen RAO, MPhil student, Anthropology, CUHK

Qi Ran REN, MA in Anthropology, CUHK

This exciting presentation on Indian food culture energized the audience to the max. The presentation started with an introduction on the diversity of food cultures in India. It showed that Indian food is not one single national cuisine, but rather includes a large variety of regional dishes, which have developed in different environmental and cultural settings.

A video clip took the audience to places in Hong Kong where they could try Indian cuisine, with a highlight on Chungking Mansions. It showed that ethnic minority cultures are very much part of our daily lives. All we need to do is to open our eyes and allow ourselves to learn about others’ cultures.

The students were eager to take part in the quiz after the presentation, making use of their new-found knowledge to answer the questions for prizes. The audience was asked to compare the regional differences in Chinese cuisines with the regional differences in Indian cuisines. By doing so, the audience was encouraged to link the experiences of their own culture to another culture with which they were unfamiliar. This exercise helped students to think critically about what was taken-for-granted in their everyday life, and to develop new perspectives on our own society. Multiculturalism as a way of life allows us to be more open-minded and help to make Hong Kong a truly cosmopolitan society.

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Our cultural trainer Chan Yat Heng presenting his project on Hinduism at HKTA Tang Hin Memorial Secondary School.

Students listening attentively to a presentation on Indian food culture. 

Professor Maria Tam (4^th left) and the teacher in charge (6^th left), with cultural trainers and students. 

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Topic 3: Gender and Family

Wing Yee Gloria CHUANG, BA student, Anthropology, CUHK

Hei Tung Nicola CHUI, BA student, Anthropology, CUHK

Tsz Kwan Cutter LAI, BA in Philosophy, Lingnan University

This presentation started with two advertisements of a cookie product; one was aired in Hong Kong and the other in India. They have a similar story line: a little girl invites her father to play house and shares some cookies with him.

Students were amused by the obvious cultural differences in gender roles, though the commercials share the same plot and slogan. In the Hong Kong version, the interaction between father and daughter focuses on play and fun, while the Indian version emphasizes the daughter’s domestic duty—females should serve food to the males in the family. The comparison showed the gender relations in different societies can be very different both practically and ideologically.

According to surveys conducted in India, both women and men possess very stereotypical views on sexual division of labor. Both sexes think that females should develop their career either in the household or in “feminine” professions, such as nurse or teacher. This means that women’s wage work is seen to be an extension of their domestic duties, as the majority in India considers the male is the breadwinner and belongs to the public sphere, while the female is the carer and belongs to the private sphere.

Students agreed that although Hong Kong is a more gender-equal society, male-preference is still prevalent in our social norms. They gave an example that Hong Kong women are mostly employed in the fields of education, service, and caring professions. But they also acknowledged that with female empowerment, young women are able to enter fields that used to be dominated by men, such as engineering.

This topic is important because gender is a core part of a person’s social identity. Having a sensibility for gender equality allows a young person to develop self-esteem and see her/himself in a healthy and positive light, and simultaneously helps to enhance a sense of social responsibility and justice. Examples from another culture allow us to examine gender relations from a distance, and thus serve as a mirror into which we can see and reflect on ourselves more rationally.

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Professor Tam introducing the Indian Culture Workshop at New Asia Middle School.

Students taking part in the mass quiz game. 

[Indian Culture Workshop 2013-2014] Press Conference

Prof. Maria Tam (Right) and workshop participant Mr. Ren Qiran sharing at the press conference.

Prof. Siumi Maria Tam introduced her Multiculturalism in Action project findings and, together with Workshop participants, shared aspirations for social harmony, at the press conference last Saturday, September 20, 2014. The hour-long press conference turned out to be a 2-hour long fruitful discussion. 

Prof. Tam discussing the social marginalisation faced by the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong.

As a cultural anthropologist, Prof. Tam has developed research projects focusing on issues of cultural identity as they interface with ethnicity, gender, and transnational mobility. Through her studies on South Asian groups in Hong Kong, namely the Nepali and Indian communities, she found that public misunderstanding and social stereotypes have led to personal and structural discrimination, and cross-cultural ignorance gives rise to social isolation and exclusion, which further reinforce unhealthy ethnic relations and underuse of talents, with a negative impact on Hong Kong’s development as a cosmopolitan society.

 

Mr. Ren Qiran sharing his experience in the Indian Cultural Workshop.

During the press conference, Prof Tam was being asked about her views on the racist attitudes towards the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. She pointed out the relatively high level of cultural illiteracy in Hong Kong, as well as the superficial events on promoting ethnic minorities cultures held by the Race Relations Unit did very little on inviting the public to really engage with the minorities. In hopes of disarming the racial stereotypes and discrimination in Hong Kong, Prof Tam has produced an 80-page bilingual information booklet together with a DVD highlighted the seminars and field visits. She hoped that the information kit would benefit education institutions to develop culturally sensitive lessons on the one hand, and raise awareness of the role of the Indians in Hong Kong since 19^th century on the other.

Media Coverage:

Lam, Lana. “Academic’s Free Educational Materials to Battle Racism,” South China Morning Post. 21 September, 2014. at  http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1597038/academics-free-educational-materials-battle-racism

<<on.cc東網>>。2014年09月20日。「中大印製文化資料集　助了解少數族裔減歧視」。

http://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20140920/bkn-20140920121716424-0920_00822_001.html　

<<東方日報>>。2014年09月21日。「港印度社群貢獻常受忽視」。港聞一A23。

http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20140921/00176_015.html

[Indian Culture Workshop 2013-2014] Visit to Zoroastrian Temple

Ervad Homyar introducing Zoroastrian rituals to the participants.

Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest religions in the world, which originated in today’s Iran. The followers are called Parsee or Parsi.  In the 8th to 10th century, many Parsees fled to northwest India in order to escape from the Muslim conquest of Persia.  Many have since settled in Mumbai or further migrated to different parts of the world.

In Hong Kong, the Parsee community is made up of just over 200 people.  The closely bonded community gather regularlyat the temple in Causeway Bay. The temple is overseen by an ervad, a priest who is knowledgeable in religious teaching and takes care of the fire.

The Indian Culture Workshop organized a visit to the temple in March 2014. During our visit, Ervad Homyar shared an interesting story with us: When the Parsee migrants arrived in India and requested to settle, the Indian king refused.  The king then  filled a glass to the brim with milk, to show that there was no space for the Parsees to settle in India.  The wise Zoroastrian priest asked for some sugar and put it into the milk. The sugar instantaneously dissolved without any overflow.  The priest tried to provenot only would the Parsees not overload India but would make it even better.  The king was convinced and allowed the Zoroastrians to settle.  From then on, wherever the Parsees go, they would help to improve the society they settle in.

The three basic principles in Zoroastrianism are “Think with good intentions”, “Say good words” and “Do good deeds”.  Many Chinese misunderstand the religion, as its Chinese translation means  “the religion that worships fire”.  In fact, the Zoroastrians do not worship fire; instead, they use it as a medium to communicate with their deity.  They believe that all elements of nature (including water, earth, air, fire) are sacred, but among these, fire is the most special.

Zoroastrians inherit their religious identity patrilineally, and they do not actively seek to convert.  As in all religions, Zoroastrians mark their life stages with specific rituals, like navjote.  Between age six and puberty, Zoroastrian children go through navjote, a rite of initiation overseen by their father.  They wear a special white garment (sudra) with a white rope (kusti), and recite a prayer.  Thereafter, the child is considered a member of the church.

Due to different kinds of restrictions, not all Zoroastrian traditions can be carried out the way they had been. The community has to find ways to adapt and localize.  Ervad Homyar led us on a visit to the Parsi Cemetery in Happy Valley, where he explained that a Zoroastrian’s body should return to nature after death.  As only cremation and coffin burial are allowed in Hong Kong, instead of a traditional sky burial, a burial is practiced after the death of a Zoroastrian.

The Zoroastrian community is relatively closed and low-profile, it is however not difficult to find the footprints of famous Zoroastrian philanthropists in Hong Kong.  Sir HN Mody, a Parsee real estate entrepreneur, was one of the major donor of the University of Hong Kong.  Recognising his social contribution, Mody Road in Tsim Sha Tsui is named after him.  Other Parsee merchants like JH Ruttonjee and DN Mithaiwala also made important contributions to  Hong Kong’s public health and transportation development. The former  established Ruttonjee Sanatorium and the latter the Star Ferry.

[Upcoming Event] [Indian Culture Workshop 2013-2014] Indian Culture Workshop Press Conference Cum Nepali Culture Workshop Information Session

Poster

Are you interested in knowing what your friends did on most of the Saturday last Fall? 

Do you want to know what the Indian Culture Workshop is about? 

Are you thinking of joining other similar culture workshop? 

If you said "Yes" to any of these questions, please come and join our Indian Culture Workshop press conference.  The details of the press conference are listed as below:

Date: September 20, 2014 (Saturday)
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Venue: Room 408, Yasumoto International Academic Park (YIA), The Chinese University of Hong Kong [Updated on Sept. 12]

And we have a good news for all of you, we are going to hold a new Nepali Culture Workshop!  The information session of the new workshop will be held on September 27.  For details, please read this blog post. [Updated on Sept. 17]

[Indian Culture Workshop 2013-2014] Visit to Sikh Temple

The Sikh Temple located in Wan Chai

From time to time in Hong Kong, we see Indian men wearing a turban called a dastar.  The dastar is an important part of Sikh culture, representing the values of spirituality, honor, piety, and courage.  

To give the Indian Culture Workshop participants a chance to learn more about Sikh culture, the Indian Cultural Workshop and the 6^th Postgraduate Anthropology forum committee co-organized a visit to the Hong Kong’s only Sikh Temple in January 2014.

This temple (or gurdwara) in Hong Kong acts as a religious institute, as well as a community center.  Followers can come to the temple for documents and translation services.  They may also join the weekend classes organized by the temple, which range from computer classes for adults to tutorial classes for school children.

Unlike Sikhs in Hong Kong, Sikhs in India only go to historic temples rather than religious temples.  Historic temples can only be built at the places visited by at least one of the Ten Gurus of Sikh; while religious temples, like the one in Hong Kong, are built solely for religious purposes.

For the Sikhs, the gurdwara is where life rituals and important ceremonies are held. These include baptism, marriage, and religious festivals.  Before entering the prayer room, followers should cover their head with a scarf to show respect.  Once inside, everyone should sit on the floor, whether they are men or women, priest or follower.  The practice acknowledges the belief in Sikh teachings that everyone is equal.

Sharing with the community is one of the core teachings in Sikhism.  The free kitchen or langar is a signature public service.  Visitors to the temple become the special guests of the temple. The temple serves meals to them every day, Sikhs or non-Sikhs alike.  To ensure people with different dietary restriction can eat as equals, only vegetarian meals are served.

Click the label "Indian Cultural Workshop" below if you want to read more.

[Indian Culture Workshop 2013-2014] Session 6: Changing Indianness: Bollywood, music, and dance

Session #6: Changing Indianness: Bollywood, music, and dance

Speaker: Ms. Minaz Master

Indian movies have gained international attention in the last decades, and even earned a title, Bollywood. From the 3 Idiots to the first 3D dance movie ABCD: AnyBody Can Dance in 2013, the Indian cinema is surely a global sensation. Speaking of Bollywood, people would normally think about series of singing and dancing scenes, as well as colorful costumes and settings. This perception did nourish the birth of the Moulin Rouge!, which was an attempt for Hollywood to create something that resembles the Bollywood genre. Yet, if we take a look at some classics in the past decades, we will find the many transformations of Indian cinema. To be precise, this involves adding a lot of Westernized elements, while enforcing some of the Orientalist perceptions.

In this session, Ms Master showed us the constant change of Indian cinema, including the dance and music styles in it. She explained that the Indian cinema has been able to preserve some traditional Indian values, but at the same time also adopted some Western elements. Film is a powerful medium for us to understand Indian society which is in turn highly influenced by this medium.

Indeed, contemporary Indian cinema plays a powerful role in creating and shaping social identities, political orientations, as well as cultural values. Other than being joyful and delightful, Bollywood movies are also a medium to tackle critical social issues. Sensitive subjects such as sexuality, that are difficult to articulate in everyday contexts, are often a popular theme in Indian cinema. In Deepa Mehta’s Elements trilogy (Fire, Earth and Water), Fire became the first Indian movie explicitly dealing with homosexuality, and Water touched on the topic of widowhood. Indian film also plays a role at times of political turmoil. For instance, the 1957 classic Mother India uses a mother figure during a period of instability in India, to create a sense of security for the people.

Using Bollywood movies as a lens to look at social or cultural taboos provides a new way to intercultural understanding, and helps to debunk a lot of misconceptions. 

Ms. Minaz Master (far right) enjoying Indian cuisine with the participants after giving a talk on Bollywood movies