Dear Friends:
An American by name Jim Yost had
filled in the guest register at the US India Friendship website http://www.usindiafriendship.net
which meant he wanted to be included on my mailing list on updates and
action alerts relating to US-India relations.
I asked him what explained his interest
in India and US-india friendship.
I found his reply fascinating and
I thought I should share it with you. Please see below.
Ram Narayanan
THE STORY OF JIM YOST
Pardon my tardiness in responding
to your inquiry, ... it was not intentional at all and I am glad to reply.
I must state up front that my interest
in India-U.S. relations is probably somewhat different than most - in that
the route taken to reach this point was perphaps rather circuitous, but
in pursuing that path, I was blessed and educated. My feelings
for India are very much personal and emotional, and perhaps in a way that
my explanation will fall short of doing justice to.
First of all, as may be guessed
from my name, I am an "Anglo-American," ... but what is more significant
is that I am married to a Khmer ("original" ethnic Cambodian). My
wife, Sary is a survivor of the infamous "killing fields," and she, like
the other refugees I have worked and lived with, have given me pause to
consider my good fortune in being able to have simple things such as enough
food to eat, and the more intangible things such as the freedoms that many
take for granted.
* * *
However, I must back up a bit to
the time before I became involved with the Cambodians to properly reflect
the timeline.
As a senior in high school in a
little blue-collar refinery town outside of Houston, Texas (Deer Park)
in 1973, I had grown up watching the war in Southeast Asia on TV, ... and
as I graduated, I was destined to follow the route of most young men my
age in our town by joining the military. That I did, but before
completion of my training in preparation for any deployment overseas, ...
the U.S. participation in the war was drastically reduced, with our ultimate
withdrawal in '75.
Be that as it may, I was haunted
by the whole episode, how it ended, what was and was not done, ... etc.
It was in the mid 1980s that I endeavoured
to learn about the people from that region by volunteering with a refugee
resettlement program, Catholic Charities to be exact. In this
case, I sponsored a Vietnamese family of 8 for about a year. It was
a most humbling, rewarding, and educational experience.
I then went on to volunteer my time
with a Cambodian refugee social services organization, ... the Cambodian
Community Action Center, where I served as a liaison with other agencies,
as well as a needs assessment evaluator. It was in the course of
my layman's studies of the Khmer, ... the Cambodians, ... that a particular
country kept reappearing in the material, and that country was India.
I was soon spending a great deal
of time exploring those ancient ties between Cambodia and India, and I
know that even most Cambodians have no idea of just how significant the
bonds are, or just how strong they were during the ancient times.
Virtually every thread of the more
significant fabric of the Cambodian societal and cultural foundations can
find traces and lineages that lead to Mother India. It was
entirely proper to call ancient Cambodia a part of Farther India, ... India
Beyond the Ganges, a gem in the Crown of Mother India, ... and most importantly,
Cambodia was never "colonized" by India, ... rather, Cambodia (Kambuja),
as stated in her own historical writings, ... not just in mythology, ...
Cambodia was very much a willing marriage of Indian and Khmer.
And if we are to believe some of the views on the more ancient anthropological
observations, those around the Indian Ocean basin, ... the monsoon cultures,
were at one time more closely related than they realize.
Suffice to say, I became involved
in many areas of the Cambodian cultural scene in Houston, I was on the
Board of Advisors for the Cambodian Association of Houston, the Cambodian
Students Assoc. of the University of Houston, and I was selected by the
community to represent them on the Asia-Pacific Committee at NASA's Johnson
Space Center.
I subsequently served as chapperone
for the Cambodian Classical Dance Troupe of Houston, President of the Cambodian
Community Council of Houston, and as Associate/Features Editor for Cambodian
Life Magazine, also out of Houston, as well as other occasional appointments
for specific cultural and ethnics functions, such as the visit of the Cambodian
Ambassador to the U.S. to Houston, and requests to write or assist in refining
or developing statements for use by various refugee and pro-democracy advocacy
groups.
However, despite what may seem to
have been my single focus on the Cambodians, I was able to cultivate and
realize the blessings of having several Indian friends along the way, in
Houston as well as in San Diego, where I moved on a job transfer in 1998.
Perhaps most instrumental in mentoring
my entry into the Indian cultural realm was a Bharatanatyam Guru in Houston,
Ratna Kumar. After meeting her and her dance troupe at several
of the Asian ethnic cultural events in Houston, she invited me to attend
some of her group's other performances. Each time I wrote down
the impressions of what I saw and felt, and it was she who encouraged me
to allow myself to fully experience the art by seeing and hearing with
more than just my physical eyes and ears. She encouraged me to watch
some Indian movies (first was Pakeezah) and to attend several Indian classical
music performances.
From the very first classical music
performance, especially the violin/flute combination, ... I have found
myself brought to tears each time in a way that no other music has affected
me, I cannot explain this, but it is extremely emotional for me.
In my tacit endeavours to better
understand the dance, I was naturally led to the religious realm.
As one who had grown up in a strict Catholic family and attended the traditional
Roman Catholic masses, ... there are some things about going to Mandir
and the pujas, especially the ritual, that was somewhat familiar.
I must point out that I later spent time as a Baptist Bible teacher, as
well as being a Methodist for a while, so I was open to exploring the various
denominations.
It was further studies, along with
visits to the Khmer Buddhist temple as well as the Hindu Mandir, that I
was to realize a broader understanding, ... but what was most instrumental
was how I/we were accepted by the Panditji and the members of the Mandir,
... we were always made to feel welcome. I have no qualms about
saying that I am now a Hindu aspirant, perhaps a bit syncretic because
of my wife's Buddhism, although I accept Buddha as an avatar of Lord Vishnu,
... I admit that I am still an "infant" on this path, of course, but on
it I am.
* * *
My wife's family is among those
Khmer families who do still recall their Indic heritage, ... it is reflected
prominently in their choice of names, ... I have a brother-in-law Deep,
... my wife is Sary, ... sister-in-law Khan (Khanna), nieces Sitha, Chandy,
... nephews Krishna, Ram, Lakshman, ... just as an example.
We do attend Mandir in San Diego,
... as well as the Cambodian Buddhist temple on certain Holy Days.
* * *
It was shortly after arriving in
San Diego in 1998 that I sought out the Mandir, and as luck (or karma)
would have it, it was the day of the Ganesh Abishekam, ... it just so happened
that a pair of sisters, ... Bharatanatyam exponents Sheela and Anita Kinhal,
were there to perform a dance in dedication to Lord Ganesh for the occasion.
Needless to say, I was overjoyed, ... and I can say today that Sheela Kinhal
has served to help to continue to whet my appetite and love for the Indian
classical arts, ... she is a dear friend, and her family has always treated
us that way as well.
I am sorry for perhaps deviating
on and off course from the intention of your inquiry, and in order not
to inflict any further boredom that may be derived from my more personal
introspects on my personal Indian-American relations, I will bring that
to a close by saying that I am a better person for having had Indian friends
in my life
* * *
As for the Indo-U.S. relationship,
... Well, if more Americans would learn about India's contibutions to the
world over the course of the past several millenia, ... I think there would
be a new respect for India's accomplishments. But that respect
should not be limited just to retrospect, ... but also towards the future,
.... I believed that India's people are the same innovative and intelligent
people they have always been, and given the opportunity and proper environment,
they will reach their potential, ... India can and will rise to her proper
place in this world once again.
As for the U.S., ... as a young
country, we have much to learn from the past, yes, but we must also be
willing to teach and share what makes us our best, especially with those
who share many of our same aspirations and ideals. Of course,
just as in any relationship, we may have occasional misunderstandings or
disagreements, ... but it is how we manage those deviations in order to
achieve a reconvergence that will be important. There were periods
of "estrangement" between the U.S. and India in the 20th century, hopefully
those times have passed.
I believe that a multi-faceted Indian-U.S.
partnership will not only be beneficial to our two countries, but I believe
that it will be vitally necessary for the safety and security of the world.
Both countries must strive to build a bridge between them that will endure
for generations to come.
* * *
I hope I have provided a worthy,
albeit somewhat confusing, reply to your inquiry. ... If anything, you
now know of my affinity and respect for India and her people.
Jim Yost
