Hi everyone! Since you are reading this article, that must mean that you are either Indian-American yourself, or you wish to learn about the Indian-American experience. I am Suchitha Kumar, I was born in New Jersey, and have lived most of my life here. The Indian-American population in America is still considered to be a minority, but if you come to South Brunswick, New Jersey, you may find a lot of Indian-Americans.

My mom and dad were born in India and immigrated to America after they got married. However, they still know and practice the culture and traditions of Indians. They were brought up in very conservative families. Unlike my parents, I only know a little about my culture, but I respect it.

My parents like to put henna, which is a temporary tattoo, on my hands during any Indian functions. I would show it to my non- Indian friends, who would then ask me questions such as, "What is that red thing on your hand?" or "Did you paint your hand?" I laugh and say it is tradition and a part of my culture.

Sometimes my friends would ask me about the Diwali holiday. They would often wonder why we celebrate this holiday. What is the story behind this celebration? I try to explain the love story of Ram and Sita with many details while simultaneously not spoiling the essence of it since it is a long story. After my recitation, they usually understand the holiday better than before.

When I was in high school, some people would ask me if I speak Hindi (one of the Indian Languages.) In our school, 40% were Asians, so they knew about Indian culture. I sometimes didn't know what to say because I don't speak Hindi, but I am fluent in Tamil, which is another Indian Language. Tamil is mostly spoken in the southern part of India. It is not as well-known of a language as Hindi is, so I would simply say that I speak Tamil. Since most people weren't aware of the Tamil language, I gave them a long explanation on what exactly it was to get them to better understand.

In New Jersey, I receive a question about India quite often. Most frequently I get asked, "what is the weather like in India?" or "what is it like to live there?" I never understood the questions in a mean way and recognized that they were simply out of curiosity. From my experience, I have theorized that New Jerseyians are more open-minded and accepting of any culture, such as mine, rather than other people I have encountered.