Toward a Big Life

I am Hindu and grew up in the Midwest of the United States. I got messages, primarily from white Christian women who were close to me, that I was going to hell. It felt like there was no escape from assimilation.

In India, Hindus are the majority, and Hinduism is used as a tool of the state to perpetuate the oppression of women, working and poor people, rural people, and people from other religions, such as Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, and Christians. I need to work on both oppressed and oppressor roles. It is hopeful that Hinduism has powerful female deities to which both men and women pray.

I led the songs committee at the South, West, and Central Asian Workshop. We quickly realized that it made sense for us to sing women’s liberation songs from our own heritages and in our various languages. We supported our sisters from outside the United States to share their songs and dances.

I got a chance to discharge heavily on the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan, which left millions dead and installed recordings* of terror on me and my family. The sexual violence, used as an instrument of war, was devastating. I got to fight the recordings of defeat and hopelessness that come up when I learn how war is affecting my fellow women throughout the world. I need to know what is happening in the world in order to be in charge, participate in change, and have a big life. My silence colludes with U.S. imperialism and male domination.

In Washington, D.C. (USA), I lead a support group for women targeted by racism in which there are women from various constituencies. I grew up with little information about my own heritage and was pressured to assimilate into white culture and cut off ties to my own culture and family. To be an ally to women of African heritage, I need to build relationships with Indian-heritage women. With a team of my Indian sisters, I can discharge my oppressor recordings that target women of African heritage and from other oppressed groups. Doing this will also help me have a big life as an Indian-heritage female.

Anupama Singh Yadav

Washington, D.C., USA

(Present Time 171, April 2013)


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Last modified: 2022-12-25 10:17:04+00