Editor’s notice: This story is a part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Space highschool college students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. College students in this system report and {photograph} tales beneath the steering {of professional} journalists.
Rising up on this nation, Foram Mehta was bullied when she obtained henna designs, or mehndi, painted on her arms at Indian-American group celebrations.
“Henna was not a factor individuals understood, so individuals discovered it bizarre, particularly youngsters,” stated Mehta, a content material creator who grew up in Texas and till just lately lived in San Francisco. “A handful of years later, celebrities are sporting mehndi.”
The Bay Space, Mehta’s second residence, is residence to a vibrant South Asian group. Since 2010, the inhabitants of individuals of Indian descent in San Francisco has doubled, based on the San Francisco Chronicle. Because the South Asian group grows, parts of its tradition like mehndi and yoga have develop into fashionable, leading to debates over what exhibiting respect for a tradition seems to be like, versus simply profiting from it.
For Foram Mehta, some exterior South Asian tradition are benefiting from its artwork types with out respecting the years of historical past these traditions are rooted in — a follow some name cultural appropriation. She believes that the Bay Space’s prosperity has enabled the rise of such appropriation right here.
“The Bay Space is stuffed with wealth and people who find themselves concerned about different life,” she stated. “So on this space, there are individuals who have the power to alter their life, which permits extra cultural appropriation.”
Santa Clara-based mehndi artist Mansi Mehta, nonetheless, appreciates the elevated curiosity in mehndi and aspires to deliver gentle to her tradition by way of her work. She has been training mehndi for 18 years, beginning in India throughout fifth grade.
“Plenty of American purchasers may not know henna’s historical past, however I respect that they’re respectful of the artwork,” Mansi Mehta stated. “So long as we stay respectful and perceive sure boundaries, that’s the key.”
Mohana Narayan, the director of a San Jose studio for bharatanatyam, or Indian classical dance, additionally believes that mehndi ought to be open to all individuals.
“Why would we predict anyone else’s utilization can be taking up our tradition?” Narayan stated. “I are typically extra on the open aspect.”
Foram Mehta sees cultural appropriation of South Asian tradition as going past mehndi, into yoga. Based on Statista, a market analysis agency, the yoga trade made $11.6 billion in america in 2020.
“Virtually each yoga trainer says namaste with out information of what it means and that’s as a result of they discovered from yoga institutes based by individuals who appropriated the follow,” Foram Mehta stated. “If you’re going to develop into a yoga trainer, it is advisable to study it correctly.”
No matter their views on cultural appropriation, all three girls agree on one factor: It’s necessary to not detach from one’s tradition however relatively to develop a stronger reference to it.
“Our tradition is for us,” Foram Mehta stated. “It’s important for us to reside our lives and proceed training what we all know. It’s important for us to have group and preserve our tradition alive.”
Via mehndi, Mansi Mehta has discovered a method to embrace the sense of togetherness that has been valued in her tradition for hundreds of years.
“Henna has been in South Asian tradition for hundreds of years,” Mansi Mehta stated. “Togetherness has been there in our tradition because the starting, so that’s the reason we’re so linked to henna.”
Narayan switched from a profession in know-how to instructing Indian classical dance, partly “to permit for our personal tradition to thrive by way of artwork,” she stated.
Rising Santa Clara Excessive College junior Anika Dontu is a bharatanatyam dancer who grew up within the Bay Space. She believes her upbringing with dance within the space allowed her to develop into extra conscious of her identification together with that of others.
“I’ve lived within the Bay for all my life, so I’m fortunate to be in such a various space,” Dontu stated. “It made me extra conscious of who I’m and proud whereas extra educated about all completely different cultures on the planet.”
Foram Mehta urges the South Asian group and past to take a more in-depth have a look at what differentiates cultural appreciation and appropriation.
“When individuals strategy cultures with humility, you might be on monitor to understand cultures as an alternative of acceptable them,” Foram Mehta stated.
Khadeejah Khan is a rising junior at Santa Clara Excessive College.
