A Religious Melting Pot

In America, we take some sense of pride in considering ourselves a melting pot for ethnicities and cultures from all around the world to come and weave themselves into the fabric of American society. It is what makes America special- the diversity and the “American Dream” of creating a better life through the pursuit of excellence and hard work. One can debate the merits as to the reality of opportunity for these people coming to try to forge a better life, but they believe they can, and there is an essence of reality in believing. The variety of festivals, faiths, and food helps to give people a chance to glance through windows into lives and cultures that they would ordinarily not be able to experience. I, like many other Americans, always appreciated this aspect of realizing our similarities while celebrating our differences.

India has, in some ways, really demonstrated what a melting pot is from a religious aspect. We live in the really small town of Bajipura with a population in the neighborhood of about 5,000 residents.

We do have religious freedom in America, but in a closer glance, this freedom usually manifests itself in Christianity in its various expressions. The cathedral in downtown Indianapolis holds an interfaith celebration every year around Thanksgiving, and that is where one can witness the various faiths from the city coming together to express thanks, but they have the tendency to seem somewhat obscure, as we do not see them openly practiced on a daily basis. Indianapolis is not the most diverse city in America, but it is still a rather large city where one would expect a greater diversity in religious practices.

It is strange that the actual realization of a melting pot is much more prevalent in India from a religious perspective- especially in the smaller towns. I think one would be hard pressed to find a small town in America with as much religious diversity as the small towns in India. Bajipura has 3 Hindu Temples, a Mosque, a Jain Temple, with a Protestant and Catholic Church just up the road. While religious relations have not always been the best in India, they seem to be fairly harmonious at the present time.


It has been a wonderful experience for me to see the different faiths interacting on a daily basis, and it has also helped from a personal growth perspective. We spent our Thanksgiving with a Muslim family, and it was nice to spend it together in a family atmosphere so far away from home. This is much different than the images that we are bombarded with on a daily basis through our televisions, but that is all the interaction that many people are afforded, so opinions are formed from narrow perspectives and little information.

I also had the wonderful opportunity to spend Christmas out in the villages, as groups of people came together to celebrate. The religious fervor, be it Christian, Hindu or Muslim in India is almost unparalleled. They sing and they dance with such fervor, it is inspiring to see that faith is just not a hum drum daily duty. The people were literally stacked on top of vehicles for Christmas, as many do not have cars, but they would not be deterred from coming together to celebrate.
It is commonly understood that one should be careful when discussing religion and politics due to the deeply personal nature of the issues and the diverse experiences that people have experienced in forming their views. Discussions are healthy though, and it makes it so much easier when you encounter it on a daily basis.