Raising Children with Hindu values

(This is the transcript of the talk by Yogna Josyula on Jan 19, 2025 at Visakhapatnam public library as part of the Hindumitra Foundation event “world is one family”.)

When addressing the topic of raising children with Hindu values, I thought it would be easier to understand my choices given a bit of information about my background.  

Going back to the early 1900s my great grandfather left India and moved to South Africa.  My grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, my sister and I, pretty much everyone in my entire extended family was born in South Africa. 

Indians in South Africa did a wonderful job of maintaining values and traditions from India, they built mandirs and community halls which were used for gatherings, ceremonies and festivals. My mom described her home as a place where anyone could eat and sleep. 

Families ensured that they taught their children bhajans, Indian classical music and dance and Hindu values such as respecting elders. My grandfather also started a Gujarati school in a remote part of South Africa in the 1940s.  For 50 years Indians in South Africa did not have contact with India because of the white government-imposed restrictions during the apartheid regime but Indians continued practicing what they could remember.  We lived there during apartheid, where opportunities were limited because of our skin colour and because of this my father thought it would be better to move to Canada and so we did in 1988 when I was 4 years old. 

My upbringing in Canada was also filled with glimpses of Indian knowledge as a child I attended Balvihar classes at the Chinmaya Mission Toronto, where we learned some things from the Vedas, Gita and Upanishads.  But at that time, I never became one with our ancient knowledge, traditions, values and way of life, because ultimately being born and raised abroad, I identified as a foreigner.   Actually, I didn’t even think I was Indian, I Identified as being of Indian origin, Canadian, South African but I never thought of myself as Indian.  It was only after meeting my husband who told me ‘No matter what you think you are, when someone sees the way you look - you will always be Indian’, I realized that no matter what I thought, being Indian runs through my blood.  I bring this up because it ties with what I will be talking about in a little while.

In my twenties I visited India for the first time and I spent many months travelling, learning from Bharat and from my husband who I met during my travels.  I can say I know a few more details about this culture now than I did as a child.  I cannot claim to know all the particulars of Hindu values. But, somehow, I do understand infinitely that the profoundness of Sanatana Dharma eclipses any other way of life I know, and this is the basis of our decision to raise our children with this as our guiding premise.

The value systems of the West and of India are different.  Growing up in Canadian culture a lot of emphasis was put on emotions and I believed that if I felt a certain way then that was true or real.  This cultural premise still remains strong in the west, if not stronger today and we can see this through Gender Identity.  If I believe I am a man, then I am – opinion is more important than facts. In addition, Individual needs and wants are always emphasised and at the forefront in the west. 

According Indian knowledge systems, emotion is known to be transitory and therefore according to this tradition emphasis was never placed there, but on karma or action. Karma which is in line with dharma, the law of nature, or the universe.  Our traditions, customs, knowledge systems always point direction to something greater than us, something filled with splendour and grandeur, and when awareness is put there, we are able to recognize our insignificance as individuals and our oneness with all. The whole world becomes our family, not metaphorically but truly. 

India to me is like a portal to his awakening.  Here in India, I can visit Simhachalam and go back in time.  I can meet my ancestors and witness firsthand what was created as an expression of their deeply rooted knowledge, dedication and love.  Our ancestors built such remarkable structures filled with intricate and stunning carvings to stand the test of time as a reminder to us, the future generations, of the wonder of this existence.  To me this realization is both grounding and aww inspiring. 

The decision to raise our children here is rooted in the closeness to the ancient knowledge which lives here, in this land.  I cannot uproot my children and hope that they will flourish.  A child who grows up knowing who they are and developing a strong sense of self can venture into the world and wholeheartedly live according to the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the whole world is one family.  Just as my forefathers did over 100 years ago. 

But, an Indian, who identifies as a foreigner, and when I say Indian this, I am referring to myself but also many people who live and grew up here in Bharat who have been through the Indian education system which is not indigenous to this place and in my opinion, designed to create a sense of inferiority in Hindus. So, an Indian who identifies as a foreigner regardless of where they live, will experience an inner conflict, knowingly or unknowingly.  And this leads to personal and mental struggles.  This simply can be minimised if one develops a strong foundation and deep roots in our indigenous culture. Then there is no limit to the possibilities of that life.   

Studying Hindu scriptures without feeling the wonder of the universe and embodying the splendour of life is unfortunate to say the least.  I want a better life for my children than I had and I don’t mean this materialistically, I say this because I know that no amount of riches has value when one is in darkness.  No amount of knowledge has value without personal transformation.  This brings me to the next sub-topic which Malladi Srinivas garu has suggested that I touch upon: homeschooling. 

Our four children do not attend school.  They have simply learned through our adventures together.  We spend a lot of time in nature, taking road trips outside Vizag, watching documentaries together and being immersed in arts.  The only formal education we have provided them are music lessons (Carnatic vocal, veena, Hindustani bansuri) and Telugu tutoring.  They walk to their classes and back home on their own and always have the most interesting stories to share about their experiences on these mini journeys. 

Last year on our visit to Canada, the children painted a mural on a city wall. Nobody told them what to paint or how to paint it, they came up with the concept, chose the colours and turned it into a living piece of art which is a part of that neighbourhood now.  This mural is sort of a representation of who they are.  In it they included all the animals they observed in Toronto and the natural beauty that they’re mesmerized by.  The painting has a vivid aliveness which to me is a visual representation of the life that runs through them in every moment.  The life which runs through every single one of us in every moment and can be seen through eyes that are unclouded.