Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!

I climbed into a rickshaw last week, and the driver suddenly proclaimed, “I am a Christian! Are you a Christian?” It occurred to me that this was the first Indian Christian I had met while studying abroad in India. I proudly answered, “Yes, I am a Christian!” probably a little more emphatically than I would have in the states. The rickshaw driver beamed at me, pointed at the rosary hanging from his rearview mirror, and proceeded to serenade me with a song about the miracles of Jesus.

This experience reminded me that I have been living in an entirely Hindi dominated society. I was prepared for an experience that would be drastically different from the predominately Jesuit ideology that pervades the Georgetown community both academically and socially, but I didn’t realize how evident Hinduism is in Indian daily life. Instead of crosses hanging in the background of classrooms, I see small Ganapati statues gracing the dashboards of rickshaws and adorning restaurants and shops. There are small temples in the middle of the road, and whenever people walk by an open temple with a deity, they touch their palms and raise their hands to their forehead and heart. According to my host mother, this is a small action, which acknowledges the presence of the god in a person’s third eye and in their heart.

India, although officially a secular democracy, in my experience is unofficially a Hindu country. During the festivals of the god Ganapati and the goddess Durga, signs appeared all over the city sporting the faces of local politicians wishing the people of Pune a “Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!” Local and national newspapers also contain information on how to conduct certain pujas (prayers). The entire city shut down last week to celebrate Dasara, the last day of Navaratri, a festival celebrating the goddess Durga, while Eid, a Muslim national holiday, was barely recognized by the city.

Coming from Georgetown, a place that encourages interreligious dialogue and provides outlets for all types of religious expression, I was surprised at how difficult it is to openly practice a religion that is not Hinduism. In Pune, there are approximately five big churches in the city, all of which are at least a 30-minute drive from my house. In contrast, there are about 30 Hindu temples all within a five-minute walk of my home. There is one synagogue, and I have yet to discover a mosque in my neighborhood.

This differs so completely from the United States, where the practice of religion is both a privilege and a private choice. In India, it is so seeped into the culture that the plethora of religious deities, symbols, and temples begin to feel less religious and more cultural. I have yet to meet someone who does not practice a religion, and if I did, I’m sure they would still participate in the citywide religious celebrations. Even I have found myself regarding Ganapati as an auspicious figure, participating ardently in religious ceremonies with my host family.

The adjustment from a Christian community that promotes interreligious dialogue, to a community where Hinduism is rooted in every aspect of daily life has allowed me to realize how lucky I am to be able to freely practice my religion and to have people understand why I choose to be a Christian. I guess I will just have to get my new friend the Christian rickshaw driver to come to church with me!