{"id":7410,"date":"2011-05-09T17:17:38","date_gmt":"2011-05-09T22:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/indianamericanstory.wordpress.com\/?p=504"},"modified":"2014-12-30T21:42:11","modified_gmt":"2014-12-30T21:42:11","slug":"apa-heritage-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/now\/apa-heritage-month\/","title":{"rendered":"It Must Be That Time of Year!"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Rajshree Solanki<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cRaj! Lauren was taught a song at school,\u201d Lauren peeked behind her grandmother\u2019s legs and sheepishly looked at me.\u00a0 \u201cHer friend\u2019s mother came into class and taught them an Indian song.\u00a0 Lauren, would you like to sing it to Raj?\u201d<\/p>\n

Five year old Lauren nodded slightly and came from around her grandmother\u2019s legs. She couldn\u2019t look at me. She had to look at her grandmother while singing to me the Hindi song.<\/p>\n

\u201cWow! She taught you that?\u201d I was impressed.<\/p>\n

Lauren\u2019s grandmother piped up for the shy blondish girl, \u201cYes, apparently it\u2019s children\u2019s \u2018Indian song\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just the other day, I received an email from a colleague that her daughter, who is African American, is giving a presentation on languages spoken in India and had to bring in an Indian dessert.\u00a0 She needed advice on where to get an Indian dessert.\u00a0 She wrote that her daughter tried to convince her that blueberry muffins came from India.\u00a0 No, definitely not!\u00a0 I then sent her links to Indian grocery stores in the area.<\/p>\n

It must be that time of the year again!\u00a0 May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!<\/p>\n

\"Sushmita<\/a>

Sushmita Mazumdar and one of her handmade storybooks.<\/p><\/div>\n

Various units at the Smithsonian Institution<\/a>, along with the Asian Pacific American Program<\/a>, is celebrating throughout the month with performances, talks, tours and family programs at the National Museum of American History and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.\u00a0 And it\u2019s all free!<\/p>\n

For the Family Festival celebrating APA Heritage Month, local book artist Sushmita Mazumdar<\/a> was invited to show children and their families how to make a \u201cfamily storybook\u201d.\u00a0 Sushmita leads workshops teaching the young and old on storytelling and book arts in the D.C. area.<\/p>\n

It started when her 4-year-old son came back from a day at preschool and wanted a turkey sandwich with orange cheese. It made her realize that her son will have an entirely different childhood in the United States versus that of her childhood in India. She wanted to connect with her son on how she was raised and teach him about India. She decided to do this by using stories from her childhood.<\/p>\n

\"Family<\/a>

A multi-generational family making storybooks.<\/p><\/div>\n

Sushmita remarked, \u201cParents have a block telling their stories. People forget where they came from.\u00a0 And their children are growing up differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a graphic designer, she decided to incorporate bookmaking to aid in making the story more personal.\u00a0 It was a way to start a dialogue about cultural differences and similarities between growing up in India and growing up in the United States.\u00a0 Her son, who is now 9 years old, corrects her pronunciation and asks her why she drinks so much chai instead of coffee.\u00a0 She takes it in stride and wrote a poem called At Cha o’ Clock<\/em>.\u00a0 Her son did the artwork for the poem.<\/p>\n

\"Bookmaking\"<\/a>

Mother and daughter making books at the APA Heritage Month Family Festival (National Museum of American History).<\/p><\/div>\n

The making of these storybooks provides an opportunity for parents and their children to share perspectives.\u00a0 Sushmita sends her books to her mother in India, which then triggers memories and responses that normally begin with her mother saying, \u201cI cannot believe you remembered that!\u201d<\/p>\n

The program focused on \u201cKitchen Stories\u201d using handmade paper made out of mango leaves and cinnamon sticks for binding.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to be an artist or storyteller; Sushmita always helps you through the process of writing and designing your own book.<\/p>\n

\"Storybooks\"<\/a>

Handmade storybooks.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Family Festival was held on Saturday, May 7, 2011 at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n