SOHP; Charting Identities Interviewee: Mrs. Geetha Venkataraman Date: Wednesday, April 23, 1997 Time of Day: 8:00 p.m. Location: Venkataraman residence in Gary 405 Wakehurst Dr., Apex, NC 27502 Phone #: (919) 363-0861 Interviewed By: Jennifer B. Saunders Tape No.: 3.28.97-C (cassette 1 of 1) (approximately 60 minutes) Field Notes: I originally met Geetha Venkataraman on a Wednesday night at the temple. I was meeting with Mrs. Timble to discuss my ethnopoetic transcription of her words at about six when Mrs. Venkataraman entered the temple. She immediately recognized Mrs. Timble and her family and came over to greet us. We introduced ourselves to each other and she asked me what we were working on. I explained my project to her and she told me about a play she was in about the life of Shiva. Unfortunately I was unable to make it to the play as I was planning to be out of town the weekend they were performing it, but I indicated that I would be interested in seeing a video of it. She said someone would be taping it and I should ask her about it after the performance was done. She then left us to work on the transcription while she spent some time over at the side of the temple which houses the murtis. When Mrs. Timble and I finished, her family and I walked outside to our cars. As we were saying goodbye, Mrs. Venkataraman came outside. We started talking. She told me that she usually stopped by the temple on the way from her job at IBM to her home in Gary. I told her that I would love to talk to her 1
further. We exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses and I mentioned that it might be a few weeks before I contacted her because I was in the process of finishing up a project on the Tuesday night Hanuman Chalisa. Perhaps I never noticed that she attended the Chalisa but she came almost every Tuesday night from then on. She may have been coming before because she quickly left once prasaad was distributed and did not spend much time socializing with the others. A few weeks later we set up a time to meet at her house. She insisted on inviting me over for dinner beforehand even though I explained that would be unnecessary. She insisted and I came over at dinnertime. It was a longer drive than I expected as they live on the border of Apex and Gary, far from the interstate. I arrived at their home in a new subdivision with flowers. Her husband Venkat greeted me at the door and introduced himself to me. We all sat and chatted in the living room for about fifteen minutes before we moved into the kitchen for an informal dinner. We ate a simple meal of vegetables, dal and rice. We talked about religion and Tamil Nadu over dinner. Once dinner was over, Mr. Venkataraman moved upstairs and Geetha (she insisted that I call her by her first name) and I sat in a small parlor for the interview. Once the interview was over, Geetha and Venkat brought me upstairs to see their puja room, an alcove in one of their spare bedrooms. Venkat also showed me some Sanskrit books that he had. I thanked them for everything and left to go home. Geetha kindly explained an alternate route I could take that would get me back to Durham faster. I felt comfortable talking to her and look forward to developing more of a relationship with her.
Comments: Geetha always seemed willing to speak to me. I was glad when I finally had the opportunity to do talk to her on tape. She modestly told me that she did not know that much about Hinduism but she would be happy to give me any information she could. She suggested I speak to her husband who, she says, knows much about the religion. During the interview she mentioned that she had a particular reason why she was going to the temple. Since she didn't offer to explain the reason I thought that it might be something she didn't want to discuss so I did not pursue it. Log: JBS: How often do you go to the temple and why? GV: Lately I've been going every evening between 6 and 7:30 for a few minutes. I pray to all the gods but particularly to Hanuman. I didn't always do this but I tend to pray to Hanuman if there is something in particular I want to accomplish. He has done what I ask before so he will do it again. JBS: Is there something in particular you're asking for now? GV: Yes. I didn't go every day before but I make a point to go once a week. The temple has become more than a place of worship. It is a place where we can meet friends; it's more like a place for social activities. I don't particularly like that, but there is a sense of God in people. Because people's intentions are good they are at their best there so it is ok to socialize. I don't personally like it but I'm ok with it. JBS: Why don't you like to? GV: I don't like to go to other temples, Atlanta or Pittsburgh, to socialize. But here we have bhajan every fourth Friday for Lalitha Sahasranaman and it is a social activity. It is hard to keep up with the reading because it goes so fast, but after that we have dinner and socializing. We keep up with what's going on in the community. I didn't do this when I was home in India. I do it here to go with the crowd, I don't want to be different. I'd rather meet people at the temple than elsewhere. JBS: So there's no religious aspect on Fridays for you? GV: No. I still go every day and that has religious importance to me. The temple has become a place to meet people and new people coming into the community. This is good because we want to keep Hindu religion alive. The temple has played a role in doing that. JBS: How long have you been going every day? 3
GV: Since the thirteenth or twenty-third of February, so not too long. JBS: What other events do you go to, you've been going on Tuesday nights. Did you start doing that recently? GV: Yes. I knew they had Hanuman Chalisa but it is inconvenient because it doesn't start until 7:45 and I like to have dinner ready for my husband. I recite the Hanuman Chalisa every morning. On Tuesdays we do it as a group and Mrs. Sharma has been reading the Ramayan and I've never read it before. I've read parts in English. I know the story but this gives me an opportunity to read it in a group. I might not do it on my own. I find the Tulasi Ramayan easier to read than any other. JBS: Why? GV: Because it is in Hindi and the verses are broken into two parts. I don't necessarily comprehend everything we read. JBS: I don't understand a lot of it too. GV: Because it isn't spoken Hindi but I can guess from the words and the context. Also, Mrs. Sharma explains the meaning of what we read. That is why I started coming for Hanuman Chalisa. JBS: Is there anything else you go to regularly? GV: Most major festivals. New Year (Uggadi), Mahashivratri and Pongal. JBS: I know that Uggadi and Pongal are more South Indian. Did you go for Holi? GV: I would have gone if I had been in town. JBS: So its not because Holi is North Indian? I guess you would've celebrated it in Bombay. GV: Yes. I wouldn't go if they splashed colors on me though. I would have gone for the puja and cultural program. I actually probably don't go for all the festivals. I wouldn't go for Baisahkhi, the Punjabi new year that is coming up. I wouldn't go but since I've been going every day I might go on that day. But I wouldn't go to the celebration because they have food after that and the Punjabi community takes care of it and they don't involve me. I would feel guilty about eating anything if I don't prepare anything. I always keep that in mind. If I don't take food I don't stay for food. JBS: Do you the normally bring something if you are staying for a function? GV: Yes. I bring large amounts of food (laughing). 4
JBS: I feel guilty because I don't bring food. GV: There are plenty of people who don't. That's ok too. If everyone brought food there would be too much. JBS: My Indian food isn't as good as everyone else's anyway. I've noticed that you leave on Tuesdays before most others do. Is that so you can get home earlier? GV: Yes. I try to leave as quickly as I can because it is a weekday and I have to work on Wednesday mornings. Otherwise I stay and help clean up the kitchen. If I haven't brought food then I leave as soon as the function is over. JBS: How did you first come to the temple? GV: We came here in April 1994 for an interview. We heard then that there was a temple in Raleigh. That was one of the reasons we wanted to move here because the place we were before, Rochester, Minnesota didn't have a temple. The Indian population was smaller there. We had to drive to Minneapolis or Chicago for an Indian grocery store. We were tired of that. It was also very cold up there. We were there for four years and we were tired of it. So we wanted to move and came down for an interview, but it didn't go very well. We both felt we wouldn't get the job. We weren't desperate. We had good jobs and it would've been a hassle to move, but we wanted to move here eventually. JBS: You knew you wanted to move to the Raleigh area? GV: Yes. JBS: Why this area? GV: We are both in telecommunications software. We did a lot of research before we chose this area as our first preference. The job sounded great but we didn't think we would get it after the interview. We went to the temple and prayed that we would get the job. It was spring and beautiful here. Venkat left his wallet at the temple and we realized a few hours later. We had been other places in the meantime but Venkat said that we should go back to the temple. We went there and the whole wallet was in the same place. Venkat then said that we would get the job and we did. We moved here and became emotionally attached to the temple. I always tell him that the temple is one integrating factor in this community. Because we have so many different kinds of Hindus here. Not only Hindus but Indian Christians and Muslims like to come to the temple. Some pay for membership. This way they can keep in touch with other Indians. The Hindu Bhavan directory has become a good reference place for us. I like that it integrates the entire Indian population. Otherwise there would be no other way. There are so many different people and languages. People tend to give money in 5
the name of God but people think twice about other things. Even though we are busy, people do come together at the temple. After the function is over I am surprised how many people stay to help clean up. We don't do this back home. We have learned not to fight with each other even there are politics. JBS: How much are you involved in the temple? GV: I am usually involved with food preparation. I don't usually organize, but I'm always in the kitchen distributing food. I try to be supportive and baby-sit others' children while they are socializing or praying. That's pretty much what I do. JBS: Is there a particular deity you worshipped growing up? GV: I did worship Hanuman a lot. Also Ganesh. JBS: Why is Hanuman so important to you? GV: I've been taught by my parents that Hanuman can get you things nobody can. He can make the impossible possible. I believe this because this is what I've been told. When I feel that things are beyond me I turn to Hanuman. He has taken care of me before. JBS: Has your faith in Hanuman increased over time or has it been consistent? GV: I can't tell. I just believe in him. JBS: Do you think that your religious life has changed since coming to the States? GV: My religious life has changed more that 200% since my marriage. Venkat is extremely religious and I learned all the scriptures, slokas and prayers that I know now except one from him. Sometimes I can't believe how religious I've become. I always believed that God would help me but I would just go to the temple and ask for one thing or another. Now I spend the time to pray and I know many prayers off the top of my head. This is because of Venkat. Coming to North America wouldn't have made a difference but coming to North Carolina has changed my life a lot. Because of our association with the temple my religious life has changed. I feel that I'm spending more time thinking about and praying to God then before. JBS: Did you get married before you came here? GV: Yes. We came here right after we got married. He was already here doing his Ph.D. at Iowa and I came and did my master's. Then we both found jobs in Minnesota. We were there for four years and we've been here close to three years. We moved here in June. 6
JBS: Have you seen any change in the temple and/or the Indian community since you've come here? GV: Do you mean the physical appearance of the temple? JBS: More about what goes on there, the activities and how they happen. GV: Three years ago I felt the temple was more (tape flip). It appeared that the temple was run by the North Indian community. The South Indian community was not as involved. Things are continuously changing and the South Indian community is more involved. The next generation is involved. Changes happen from month to month. They always did Pongal, the Uggadi was more like a North Indian New Year. It has become a more mixed community. I see people going to functions I wouldn't expect them to go to. I think this is good. JBS: Why do you think the South Indians have become more involved in the temple? GV: Frankly, I don't know. It is definite that the South Indians are extremely religious people. If you compare the South Indians to other communities, they are extremely godfearing. If you're raised to be that way the temple becomes a place you would eventually want to relate to. I would still go to the temple even if there were no Hanuman because I am used to going to the temple. Some have gotten more involved with the temple's activities so they are feeling more of a sense of belonging so they want to go more often. Venkat organizes the Rudra Abhishekam. I think it is because the Hindu Bhavan has given time slots for South Indians to do their own pujas. People will want to go if you organize activities for them. JBS: Why do you think they're getting the time now for South Indian events? GV: The time has always been there but there's more awareness on the part of the Hindu Bhavan's directors and whoever is managing the calendar to give the time slots for South Indian activities as well. JBS: Had they been asking for the time or was the community not large enough? GV: I don't know. I haven't been here that long. The South Indian community has almost doubled its size since we've been here. The people who were here didn't care if the temple accommodated them. JBS: Why not? GV: I don't know. I know many of them but they don't come to the temple as often. They have either lost their religious bearings. The generation who comes haven't been here as long. 7
JBS: Do you think they go to other temples? GV: Yes. They don't go as often but I'm sure they go if they're in town. JBS: It was funny. I spoke to a woman at UNC a year and a half ago and asked her if she had been to the temple. She didn't know that there was a temple here and I told her that there was one in Morrisville. She said that she knew the Bhavan but it is not a temple. She was from Andhra and my interpretation was/that it was not laid out like the temples she knew at home so it wasn't a temple for her. GV: That is true. I've heard that from the South Indian community. It doesn't feel like a place of worship for them. It is a place to get together. It bothers me because I didn't want to consider it as a place of social gathering. I've come to terms with that. They don't feel like worshipping there though. JBS: Even though the murtis have been consecrated? GV: It doesn't make a difference for them. A couple of people have told me that because the idols in India are made of black stone and here they are white they feel that there is no sense of devotion or bhakti within them. To me it doesn't make a difference. I would like the temple to be more typical so I could bring my children and show them this is a gopura, this is how it should be. That takes a lot of effort and money and I worry who will maintain it. There are temples in DC, Atlanta, Richmond. You need money to maintain a temple and the next generation, how much can we expect from them to take care of the temple. I would think twice if they built a gopura here. We need something that will fend for itself financially and cost little and require little effort from the next generation. We have huge temples in India and we don't have the resources to take care of them. Why build something we won't be able to take care of? People feel the other way. They haven't really said it because there's no money but they would rather build a temple than the auditorium they are planning. You can rent out an auditorium to Americans and make some money which will fend for the temple. You can't depend on donations forever because we can't expect the next generation to take care of it. JBS: I knew people were opposed to the cultural center but I didn't know why. GV: People don't realize that you can't build a temple every four hour drive. There is one in Greensboro being built. It is fine but the idea of the temple would be to propagate the good things of Hinduism, to keep Hinduism alive. I feel that Hinduism is dying even though India is the second largest country in the world because people don't realize the values of Hinduism and there are no strict rules. I didn't learn anything myself. We need to save the principles of the religion. We have to teach the next generation that being a Hindu is a good thing. JBS: I notice that your husband is the contact person for...how did he become involved? 8
GV: He recently got on the board of directors. He organizes the Rudra abhishekam which comes every fifteen days - that is another thing I go to. It is an auspicious time for Shiva. He does the abhishekam and they chant the rudram and the chamaka. Ten to twenty people attend this. He sends e-mail to everyone about it. The rudram is chanted by men. Women don't chant it because it is very powerful. Some women do chant it here. I don't know it but I follow it. It is written in Sanskrit and Tamil. JBS: Was that something you started? GV: Venkat started it. He was particular about doing it. Shankar Ayer used to do the abhishekam but he moved. So Venkat has taken over. JBS: Did he know how to do the abhishekam before? GV: I think he just learned it. I think he learned it from the other person. JBS: You and your husband are both involved in the Jay Shiv Shankar production to raise money for the temple. Have you done other productions? GV: I haven't been on stage before. But I helped backstage and for dinner for the Ramayana and the Krishna production. JBS: Why did you decide to get on stage now? GV: I didn't. They just needed someone to get involved. JBS: How much contact do you have with people outside the temple? GV: There are several Hindu families we know but we don't keep in touch with all of them. We socialize with forty-five or fifty percent of them outside the temple, mostly in Indian gatherings: anniversaries, birthday parties, concerts. We have had about 30% of them in our home. I give parties only once or twice a year. JBS: Are most of the people you socialize with South Indian? GV: Almost all of them are Tamil speaking. Whenever we have people over we invite people who speak the same language. It is more formal to speak in English. JBS: What contact do you have with non-indians? GV: We do. Mostly from work. We know our neighbors too. We have some very good American friends. They have been here for tea but I haven't gotten around to cook a whole meal for all of them. We usually meet them on weeknights after work. It isn't comfortable for me to fix a meal on weeknights. 9
JBS: Do you have a puja room in which you do the Hanuman Chalisa every morning? GV: We do have a puja room but I do the Chalisa at work. I'm always in a hurry in the morning and I just have to be at work. I read it, it only takes ten minutes. JBS: Do you do regular pujas? GV: Venkat does his prayers every morning in the puja room. He also says prayers to the Nataraja too. There's also a puja shelf in the kitchen. I don't light lamps upstairs because of concern for safety but I can do it down here. Tape ends and so does the conversation.