I was brought up by a pair of amazing parents. Two individuals who believed in a world that was just and right, who believed that speaking the truth was far more important than being nice, who brought us children up to speak our minds and live our truths. Ra-Ve Cultural Foundation is dedicated to them and to all parents who choose to bring their children up without accepting the status quo.
Culture is an abstract experience. There is nothing called culture and yet we believe in one. If I stick to history and facts, this land is of the native American people and their culture. The stars and stripes and what we believe to be American culture today, came much later. Both were strange to me. So, I chose the middle path. I taught my children my truth, my heritage. I also learned to arrive for a meeting on time – 10 minutes early. I learned to take off the weekend of July 4th to celebrate the hard-won freedom of this land (which is still denied to many but that is another topic for another time). I taught my children the struggles people had gone through so that they may have the lives they enjoy today. And through this process I arrived at the understanding that generations of people before me from halfway around the world and generations of people living here have had common experiences of struggle and freedom. Ra-Ve is nothing but a continuance of this struggle – to keep our heritage alive wherever we may be and to bring it closer to the community we live in. After all, the world is a village and we are all related in some way or the other. We may wear different clothes, but we all recognize and respect the color of blood shed in sacrifice and pain. We may sing different lullabies, but we all hug our children in the warmth of our love every day, every night. We may tell different stories, but they all speak of love and the freedom of truth.
world (nor the heat!). Enjoy casual interactions through classes (conducted through Kalaloka Institute of Fine Arts, our education arm), performances, games, movies, food and what not! They are all right here for you to enjoy. Learn more on our website and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Check out this exciting video that explains more about what we do! Come join us here in Bentonville and explore India. Explore our website for more events, classes and much more.
2 Comments
Meenakshi Srinivasan
10/23/2021 03:20:18 pm
Beautifully said! Indeed feel blessed for having been given the parents that we were and the wisdom they shared with us to explore ourselves within and share and serve with our communities in small and big ways.
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Srividya Venkatasubramanya
10/30/2021 12:27:17 pm
Yes. One of the core values of the Foundation's mission is to make it easier for parents to provide easy access to our Indian heritage! Just like our parents did it for us!
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