Editorial
Front Page - Friday, July 2, 2010
River City Roundabout
Preserving a culture
Erica Tuggle
Malayalum classes are part of the Kerala Association’s summer camp experience called Gurukulam 2010. Other activities of the camp include sports, games and arts and crafts. Indian Classical dance classes are also offered after each day of camp.
- Erica Tuggle
The bright colors of the costuming in the classical Indian dance, and the smiling children as they do yoga exercises each Thursday are things that would be a shame if lost simply because of distance. If these beautiful and diverse traditions can be carried along and shared with any population across the sea, Chattanooga is honored in the opportunity to learn about another culture at their fingertips.
This is available for all citizens to experience with the programs and events of the Kerala Association of Chattanooga, Tenn., U.S. (KACTUS).
This group has turned the idea of traditional summer camps, with their arts and crafts, games and flavor similar wherever you go, into something different and focused. Gurukulam 2010 by KACTUS is unlike any summer camp in the area.
The word Gurukulam, comes from the Malayalam language of the Indian, state Kerala. It means teacher family, and that is what this camp wants to offer for the children of Indian Americans that have come from Kerala.
Volunteer Sandhya Anil says, “Gurukulam comes from old time when it was the teacher and the student and was just like a family. We didn’t have the four walls. It was under a tree and the teacher used to give all his ideas to the students, and they were like a single family.”
The camp is held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Thursday during the summer at the Hickory Valley Christian Church and is led by volunteers Betcy Tiju, Sandhya Anil, Liza George and program coordinator, Thara Kurian. The reason this camp was started this year is to preserve the native language of Kerala: Malayalam. Kurien says that by teaching these children the letters of the language and mixing in class time with sports, games, arts and crafts and social time with their peers, children can have a productive and fun day each week of the summer.
When the camp day begins, the children sing a song and prayer in Malayalam and then do drills and breathing exercises that the volunteers say they remember doing in Kerala during their time in school. Usually, every Thursday during camp there will also be a special speaker to provide a positive message to the youth. At the end of each camp day, the national anthem of Kerala is sung in Malayalam.
Kurien says, “The main reason of this Gurukulam is to teach kids our own language. Otherwise, when they talk with their relatives and friends in India, it is hard for them to make a conversation. It’s why we started this.”
As part of this program by KACTUS, there are also Indian Classical Dance classes offered Thursday evenings from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. by Jayasree Sadanandan. Different steps, facial expression and hand boutros are used along with classical dress to perform the dance and represent different things. Admission is open to all who are interested in all age groups. There is a recommended three-month commitment, and fee for these classes. Sadanandan also teaches classes in her home.
The group that puts these events together, KACTUS, began in 2006 and does four major activities each year. The main one is the harvest festival of Kerala: Onam. This is done in honor of a king of Kerala from long ago named Mahabali who visited his kingdom in its time of prosperity to ensure all his people were still living happily.
The people of Kerala prepare for their king’s homecoming by preparing dishes, a flower carpet in front of their house and dances and songs. The main dance they do is Thiruvathira, done in the traditional dress with steps and claps. This year, Onam is on Sept. 19, although the date varies each year according to the Malayalam calendar. For all KACTUS events, such as their music program, annual picnic and spring fest, all the community is invited.
Kurien says about 25 families are active in the group and over 100 people attend the four main events they plan. She says the Kerala AAssociation was formed as a get together for those living in America to know other Kerala natives.
“India is so diversified and all the states have their own language and culture,” she says. “In the India association, we all know each other, but it’s not like in America. In America, all states have everything in common, but in India and Kerala, we have our own language and the culture is different.”
Kerala, named so because it was a place with many coconut trees, is still very far from Chattanooga, Tenn., but the activities of KACTUS allow culture, traditions and language from afar to live and thrive in Indian American homes and teach a new generation customs of their ancestors.
For more information on Kerala, Gurukulam or KACTUS contact Thara Kurien at
423-316-8272. Email Erica
Tuggle at reporter@hamilton
countyherald.com.
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