Ugandan-born Indians concerned over loss of identity
Some of the Indians in Uganda during campaigns at Lugogo in Kampala at the weekend. PHOTO /JESSICA SABANO
What you need to know:
- The leaders of Indian Saptagiri Sri Venkateswara Aalavam Temple in Kitende on Entebbe Road say many Ugandan-born Indians no longer identify with the traditional Hindu cultural and moral values.
The leadership of the Indian community is concerned that their members born in Uganda are increasingly getting detached from their Hindu cultural norms.
The leaders of Indian Saptagiri Sri Venkateswara Aalavam Temple in Kitende on Entebbe Road say many Ugandan-born Indians no longer identify with the traditional Hindu cultural and moral values.
In an interview yesterday, Sekhara Gupta, the caretaker of the temple, said the facility was built in 2011 to enable the Indian community to practice the teachings of Lord Balaji—the Indian god, renowned for teaching and promoting Hindi values of being good human beings, loving family, community.
However, he said they have realised that many Indians living in Uganda are instead identifying with Ugandan culture.
“Uganda is a very sweet country. The people of Uganda are very friendly. We have to adopt that culture and follow their systems. Ugandans give support to the extended family, they love people,” he said.
“We conducted a quiz among the Indians at Acorns School in Bukoto on September 1 so that they could learn these moral values by themselves. We are not teaching them, but we want them to learn by themselves,” he added.
However, Gupta said the younger generation aged six to 20 does not know its cultural roots.
In a bid to bring alive their Hindu culture, last weekend, the temple organised quizzes among 54 Indian groups to assess their knowledge of the Hindu culture. Only 21 groups made it to the semi-finals.
Lavanya Gogulapati, the event organiser, expressed admiration for the practice of Ugandans coming together when they lose a loved one, which he likened to the teachings of Lord Balaji
“The Hindu region has four eras. These are real stories. There are places where they have happened. There are temples built in honour of the kings and queens to remember their life history, how they set values of becoming a good human being towards society, siblings, the family, a good ruler, a good father, and a good husband so that society remains peaceful,” she said.
Surekha Rammohan, another member, said because of busy lifestyles these days, parents do not have time to sit down with their children to pass on the value.
She said even the grandparents who would have sat down the young children to teach them the values, no longer live with them and India like the rest of the world has also suffered the death of the reading culture which has been taken over by the mobile phone and television.
