Why is it that NRIs have MORE LOVE AND RESPECT FOR HINDUISM THAN THE NATIVES OF INDIA???

Question

Sorry friends, I know this may appear as a very strange question. But I am just curious of the answer.

We NRIs have much more love and respect for Hinduism than the native Hindus of India. We not only appreciate our religion much more but the majority of NRIs actually worship on a regular basis. For us NRIs, the practice of Hinduism is a concomitant part of being Indian.

Whereas for the majority of Hindus in India, Hinduism means very little. They have no love, repsect or appreciation for Hinduism. Moreover they feel that they very practice of Hinduism is something that only "nerds" and "Geeks" do. I have a great deal of family in India, and they only actually pay their respects to a Hindu deity whenever they have an exam or an interview. Whereas for NRIs Hinduism is becoming more important, in India Hinduism seems to be declining ever so fast.
My Question is:

Why is it that NRIs have MORE LOVE AND RESPECT FOR HINDUISM THAN THE NATIVES OF INDIA???

"Smart Indian", you seem to have slightly misunderstood me. I was born and educated in London. Since early childhood I have been a devout Hindu. Many of my hindu friends in the UK as well as the US and Australia are like me as well. We all have been practicing Hinduism regularly since childhood. The point I was making was that if one compares a 16 or 21 year old NRI with a 16 or 21 year old native Indian, ironically the NRI would most probably be a practicing hindu. Whereas the native Indian would view Hinduism as something "uncool" and "unmodern". That was the point I was trying to convey. I didn't mean any offense.

Also, NRIs (especially Gujaratis and Sindhis) tend to be much more professional in their approach to Hinduism than the native Indians.

Jesus Christ Prikrish!!!!!!!!!!!

Talk about getting angry!!! I didn't mean to offend you guys (afterall I am one of you). All I wanted to do was to ask one simple question.

About what you said: Do you even know how many young Indians understand hindi??? Most of the youngsters from India that come to London to work, who I have befriended, DO NOT have a good knowledge of hindi. Ironically by comparsion NRIs speak better hindi than young native Indians do.

Secondly, we don't go to the temple at an odd weekend. We have domestic shrines and we worship EVERY DAY. I start my worship session with Guru pooja (25 minutes) followed by Ganesh Pooja (5 minutes) followed by Durga Pooja (15 minutes) and then I recite the gayatri mantra 216 times. My worship session ends with me reading the Hanuman chalisa 7 times. Yet I am only a 23 year old guy. Most of my friends that are at the same age as me also do this. How many 23 year old guys in India do you honestly think do this daily???

Answer 1

i have lived among NRI who have not seen india for generations..as their forefathers reached alien country and settled there

And you are right in a way... those NRIs were more hindu/Indian than RNIs (RNI = Resident but Not Indian)

The reason it seems is that the aloofness among aliens, and the love for their culture... make them teach their children hinduism from childhood so that their children are not confused in the alien culture...and keep the flame burning

Recently I went to India during Israel -lebanon war...and was astonished to see my noveau riche friends boasting as to how their children dont like to go to temples (as if it is a measurement of being modern)

muslims & christians ruled India not becuase of their bravery.... it was due to fall of hindus from their culture

Answer 2

Dear Friend it was a great solace and source of information to know that such devout Hindus are out there in a foreign land and is proudly carrying the torch of Hinduism . We in India , are grateful to you .
You had asked a very pertinent question . Hinduism is not dogmatism. It does not proclaim that you should do this and do that strictly , otherwise you will go to hell ! It only says , whatever you do sincerely , with complete belief , is bound to give result sooner or later , based on your Karma..
This had made followers of Hinduism a bit lethargic.
I am a Bengalee Hindu and we had improvised and shortened our rituals a lot . But we had also made Durga Puja an annual festival , which is followed by us , wherever we are . I have heard that the zeal and enthusiasm of NRI Bengalees are to be seen to be believed .
So you are right . In a distant land , we find our roots to be a source of strength to bind us together. We take more pride in the richness our religion , culture , language , foods , etc. etc. and why not , if we feel that we are really a superior class , compared to the surroundings ?
So your experience is based on our rich heritage , which we fail to fathom in India , as all around us (there may be material poverty here), there is so much of spiritual richness!

Answer 3

Thanks for the clarification.
I agree with your point. I don't know why it is so. Probably the things that come easily are taken for granted.
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Short answer:
Hinduism is a lot more than visiting a temple during weekend.

Long answer:
Because this is your observation, it has to be true in some cases. I have spent several decades in India and actually did not find a Hindu that fits your description. I am glad that you got better exposure to Hinduism after leaving your family.

We should remember that India is an extremely diverse country which is full of extremes and no general statement defines India whatever true that statement is.

Few years ago we interviewed a young engineer from IIT Kanpur in our office at New York. It was raining that day. The guy said, "It rains so much in this country, In India, there are seasons. It rains only when it is rainy season". My American colleague asked him, "Ever heard of Cherapunji?"

All the religious exposure you are able to see as an NRI (non-resident Indian) has been made available by the native people who live Hinduism in every breath.

Answer 4

That is because mostly they are educated, and they know the comparative history of the world of how other religions evolved better than the native Hindus who from their birth, by the Congress and communist inspired school curriculum are dumping on them a bunch of lies about world history.
How Christianity spread and how Islam came into existence makes the NRI's feel so good about Hinduism that they feel their religion didn't have to do these gory acts to be what it is now.
Moreover the achievements of Hindus in ancient India, in the realms of science, philosophy are next to non existent in the school curriculum. This strips of the students from any amount of self belief and confidence that he needs the most in the formation days.
Imagine no Hindu literature is ever present in a school library in India, no Vedas, no Baghavad Gita(purely from Philosophical point of view), no kalidasa Shakuntalam, very bad narration of Ramayana and Mahabharata often the quality very poor, nothing of the sort of a book notifyng the achievements of Indians.
Indians are still reading the Aryan Invasion theory in the school, So you can imagine the impacts from this.
And another thing is that again observing Hinduism depends upon the individual, a person like doesn't go to temples that often, and when I go I humbly bow before the gods and acknowledge their great wisdom that they bestowed to this world. My perception of the Hindu Gods are that they are my ancestors (Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Guru Nanak, Durga Sita, and every otherer great saint that stood for Dharma....and I pay my respects to them). Though I do not go to the temple very often, I love those great beings and I am going to defend my culture and religion more than those who regulariy visit temples and many youth of India are like this, because only now through Internet they are able to realise their real history and what it went through down the ages to save this brilliant cultrue and religion

Answer 5

This is the question we need today. Hats off to NRIs, especially to you. It seems it is in the blood of NRIs otherwise what else the reason could be? NRIs can lead the campaign as it is very earnest requirement of present India. We Indian Brahmins are in bit bad condition (money matter) but still we conduct pujas, prayers, Vedic Manras for 16 hours daily.
1 Vedic Mantra: "Asuryaa naam te lokaa andhen tamasaavrutahaa;
Taamste pretyaabhigachchhanti ye ke chaatmahano janaahaa". But we Brahmins in India are in minority say even less than 0.1% of total population today. We were 25% in Vedic time.
Gaayatri Mantra: It seems you must be aware of, 'Bhurbhuvah'? 'Varenyam'? 'Bhargo'? and 'Prachodayaat'?
We are proud of you and always looking for people like you.

From: "VISWA PARAMAATMAA PARIVAAR DHARMA".

Answer 6

Probably because absence makes the mind grow fonder......

To explain things simpler.....you may be staying near the queens palace and not caring to give a second glance at it ....but there may be loads of people coming in from different countries just to get a glimpse of it.

similarly Hinduism has become so much a part of their daily routine in India that they don't make any special attempts to practise it as such......you see a temple at every nook and corner....
but when it comes to other countries ......in the midst of an alien culture and religion i guess Hinduism becomes an integral part of holding On to their roots and culture...

so , don't worry, Hinduism will hold its forte wherever it may be

Answer 7

With humble respects for your observations,
I have to express my excitment over the growth of devotion of Indian Hindus to their deities, as could be noticed by the number of days devotees have to wait for a darshan of SriBalaji, the increasing number of devotees visiting shrines like Badrinath, Kashi, Rameshwar, sabarima and the increase in the release and sale of religious books, even varieties of weeklies and monthlies. The Bhakthi cult within India cannot be said to be deteriorating, though the bevioural pattern of some individuals may differ.

Coming to the question of NRIs, every responsible senior Hindus have to appreciate the level of their faith, in rituals and worship .
Some one can say that they are home sick and away from mother land and hence by natural instinct they fall back to their culture so that they can diminish the cultural gap with which they are bound to carry on their life some where in
the universe.
They are curious to learn more and practice more and contribute more, financialy, physically and tecknically. There are many web sites promoted by NRIs. Free MP3 down loads of our veda manthras, ancient scriptures, slokas, stotras, works of Sri. Sankaracharya ,, Raraghvendra, Maha Desika, are available. Free Mp3 downloads of Bhajans on Hanuman, Sri Rama and Sri Krishna are available
Works of Sri Ramanujacharya, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and many great Gurus also find a place.
They deserve our gratitude and salutations.

But then It is a common scene, to find poor childred from slums participating in Bhajans and poojas in the Month of Margali( Magara month)

Let us not have any self doubt about the commitment level of Hindus living in India, while we have to appreciate the amazing effort taken by NRIs.

Answer 8

I really appreciate your faith in Hinduism and the regular punctual worships you make in spite of the fact you are non resident Indian. A proverb I heard during Sai Baba's speech, enable me to answer your question to a certain extent. There will be always darkness below the lamp. Also a frog which is nearer to the lotus do not know anything about the lotus. I do not demean resident Indians. It is only a proverb and to a certain extent it will answer your query. I have heard people very near to Puttaparthy do not consider the divinity in Sai Baba whereas people from far off countries and even those from Communist countries, people of other religions such as Islam etc flock to his residence ie., Prasanthi Nilayam more frequently. This I have witnessed for the past 35 years or so since I visit the ashram almost on a yearly basis. One more reason I attribute to the adherence of NRIs to their treditional worship etc is due to the main fact that you are isolated in an alien culture. Naturally you wish to safeguard your religious connections. Hence there is more urgency on your part to practice it sincerely. As you said a percentage of Hindus have no spiritual roots here, though they are born here. They are enamoured by western cultures and fall prey to the alien cultures which seems to fascinate them thanks to the intrusion of satelite TV, Mobile and Internet. Shri Sai Baba also several times indicated the decline of practice of Sanathan Dharma by Hindus. nagarajan.

Answer 9

Dear H.L.!!!
Hinduism is not a religion it's a culture. IT's not about Puja's and rites. It's about human values. You won't find the word Hindu in Vedas. Hindu was the word coined for people living around the river Indus. Vedas talk about 'Sanatan Dharma' - 'Duties for all'.

So called hinduism is about acceptance, tolerance, respect, knowledge, humanity, etc. All those puja's and rituals donot constitute in your being a hindu. Your karma as a human being does. Since you are the kind of guy, who performs regular puja nad claims to be a hindu, yell me what's the message behind the mouse eating ganesha's laddoos, or the fundamental of sindoor & Bindi, or what does 'Lingam' mean. Not to offend you, but we have a lot to learn about the culture. It's a beautiful set of instructions. The one who follows those instructions would never experience any miserable moment in his life.

All the best...

:-)

Answer 10

You need the pujas because you live in England which is a highly materialistic country. In addition, it is not your own country: the earth does not support you.

As opposed to the Indians who live in the country of their forefathers. They get a lot for free - spiritually. They don't need to do so much pujas because the earth, the Gods and spirits support them They are at their wavelength, immediately accessible.

In England, talking to a Hindu deity is like making a long-distance call to a far-away country, through lots and lots of static in the air. It may seems to you that this is not the case but sorry ... that's just how it is.

(The same goes the other way round: when I'm in India, I hardly hear the spirits of the land of my forefathers ... and I don't speak the language of the spirits and gods of India.)

See what I mean?

Answer 11

Because it is human nature that the grass is always greener on the other side.

My cousin sis lives in the US and makes her 12 year old son learn prayers by rote because she believes her son should learn Hinduism.

Awareness of the religion is also one of the things affecting the choice of NRIs and foreigners alike - how many baba cools with that "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" attitude do you meet or think that India is about saris and spirituality?