Keeping my Language and Identity Intact

Language is not only a form of expression for message delivery but also a way to keep culture and identity intact. There are thousands of languages across the world, each possessing sounds and words distinct from one another, which arise from the changes in the culture of the people speaking those languages. Conversely, the language then becomes a part of those people’s identity. Similar to this, I consider the Hindi language as part of my native identity as it is also the national language of India. I was born and raised in India where I was surrounded by Hindi in every aspect of my life. From Bollywood movies, sports commentaries to the daily news playing on my home television, Hindi was the primary language used. Learning to speak Hindi was considered crucial as an Indian citizen and so I did until the age of 12 in school. Nevertheless, after completing my elementary school education in India, I came to the United States of America where learning English was more crucial than any other language. I was enrolled in special English learning and development (ELD) classes in middle school in order to speak English and “fit-in” with the other students. I still remember the very first day of school when I could not speak English well which left me feeling like an outcast.

The mere lack of my English skills prevented me from participating in group activities with other students. I could not play with other students during P.E. class or eat lunch with them because I was unable to communicate with them. Although, as time passed, I improved greatly on my English skills and was able to adapt to the culture in the United States, I still felt as if I was missing something. I was indeed missing a part of my identity because with the progression of time, as my grip on the English Language was becoming stronger, I was also becoming weaker with my Hindi skills. I was starting to forget how to read and write Hindi efficiently. This had always made me sad until my fourth year at the University of California Davis when I had the opportunity to take Intermediate Hindi 21 and 22.

Taking Hindi at UC Davis was one of the greatest decisions I have made because not only did it improve my language skills, it also helped me to reconnect with more students from a similar background as mine. I looked forward to going to class every single day and it was one of the most fun classes I have taken at UC Davis. Not only did we do rigorous reading and writing practice in class, we also did many interactive activities that made us feel at home. We listened to Bollywood music, had food presentations where we actually got the chance to eat and learn about food, we did presentations on different festivals and rituals and even watched short movies with ethical issues on which we held debates during class. Through this class, I also got the opportunity to write an article for our class magazine called “Patrika”.

This magazine provided the students a platform to showcase their Hindi writing skills by writing an article on a topic of their choice. These topics ranged from the celebration of a festival to small rituals and traditions that the students’ families have been carrying out for generations such as food recipes, wedding rituals or religious celebrations. Not only did I write an article for this magazine, I also participated as an editor where I worked with a group of 4 students on their articles. My job as an editor was to ensure that the students be able to write their article in a manner that not only met the requirements for the grading rubric, but also helped them to make their article personal and expressive. I read their articles with them during the class time that was allotted to work on Patrika, and through this we were able to notice any issues with grammar, spelling, and sentence structure. Furthermore, I made it my goal to stimulate new ideas in the students’ minds so that they could address new avenues in their articles. This experience improved my own reading analysis as well as writing skills.

Along with academics, this class also held Quarter End Events where the students were able to participate in various performances such as Gidha, Bhangra, Poetry recitation, singing and event hosting. At the Quarter End Event for Winter 2016, I had the chance to be an emcee as well as perform Gidha with the Gidha team at UC Davis. So not only does this class improve the students’ language skills, it also provides them many opportunities to explore their hidden talents. As for me, this class helped to reconnect to my roots, improve my Hindi and learn how big of a contribution my native language plays in my identity.

About the Author: 

Navjot Kaur Grewal is a Senior at UC Davis planning to graduate in June 2016 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. She loves to dance, sing, and help people from underserved communities, and plans on pursuing a career in the medical field.