I used to feel disconnected from my Indian side. I avoided traditional clothes, felt awkward about cultural celebrations, and wanted to just "fit in." But over time, I’ve started embracing my roots: practicing my language (Kannada), listening to Indian music, and wearing Indian clothes proudly. However, this change didn’t happen in isolation. Many kids like me are going through this, in the 2nd gen community.

"We all know the Indians were colonized by the Europeans, but every colonized Indian has been colonized by the Indian reaction to colonization."

- Sherman Alexie

I feel this quote connects to Chapter 1 of Changing Society, where the book discusses the colonization of Algeria, and how the belief of the colonizers was that colonization would improve the lives of those they were colonizing. This is similar with British colonization over India, which left India with new pressures in how people were expected to behave.

Alexie's quote explains why being Indian can feel so complicated. Those pressures were passed down and still shape how identity works today. My generation is trying to understand (and sometimes undo) those layers.

At the same time, economic inequality affects how easily families can maintain these connections. For example, not everyone can afford frequent trips to India or traditional clothing for every occasion, and some must focus entirely on work to make ends meet. My own experience- being able to visit India on occasion, participate in cultural events, and access goods from home- comes from a position of relative privilege. Economic systems, both global and local, have made it easier for me to embrace my Indian identity, but they also create barriers for others in my community.

In the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic revealed both strengths and weaknesses in these systems. My family relied on public health guidelines, vaccines, and safety measures to stay connected safely with our community, but we also saw how misinformation and unequal access to healthcare hurt some families more than others- especially immigrants with language or financial barriers. One of my relatives thought COVID was not real, which was a shocker (although funny).

In the Indian American community, religion often blends spiritual meaning with cultural and social functions. Temples are not just places of worship-they’re gathering spaces, cultural hubs, and centers for teaching language and dance. They also adapt over time: many temples now offer youth programs that mix cultural education with community service, helping second-generation kids like me bridge traditions with life in the U.S.

At the same time, religion has been a site of negotiation and change. Some in my generation choose to interpret traditions more flexibly, focusing on values like compassion and community service rather than strict rituals. Others, like me, try to balance both-holding on to what feels meaningful while reshaping what doesn’t fit our lives today. Religion, for us, isn’t static; it evolves with each generation while continuing to shape our sense of belonging.

Personally, as my parents and myself have gotten busier and busier, we have let go of a lot of traditions and rarely go out to festivals and such. But I am trying to get my parents to go more, because being with our culture is so important. I think this is also part of being 2nd generation- losing touch with your culture, and then wanting to reconnect (at least in my case).

In my community, these movements have inspired younger generations to push back against fairness cream ads, call out biased comments at family gatherings, and celebrate darker skin tones.