The News Journal from Wilmington, Delaware • Page 2

www.delawareonline.com A2 THE NEWS JOURNAL SATURDAY, FEB. 28, 2004 COMING SUNDAY Oscar picks Black history: Delaware stories In launching a year-long project to record and share Phillies9 bullpen The Phillies are excited about their bullpen, and it's not just because of the presence of All-Star closing pitcher Billy Wagner. SPORTS Critic Gary Mullinax takes a crack at predicting Sunday night's Academy Award winners and offers a couple iLuiieui maun uuawaieaiii, i -i i r- of surprises. ine News journal promes two people who helped to make history. A1 It! .11 i i.li l.

limrni 1 1 Balance: Indian music, films have gained popularity in America A C'A I7'-' whom did not date when they were young, and those of their contemporary American peers. "I disagree with how our par-; ents have raised us sometimes," -said Jay Mittal, 18, of Hockessin about growing up in a strict household. "But when we're in college and our parents are here, they can trust us because we respect their values." i Asthana said children who grow up respecting the impor- tance of education, faith and In- i dian history without having it forced on them are more likely -to keep their heritage as they grow older. "Our kids have a lot of strength in dealing with two cul-' tures," Asthana said. Sadhana and Ashok Pasricha of Hockessin encourage their daughters, Sarina, 20, and Meghan, 17, to take part in Indian activities such as Bharat-: natyan a South Indian dance and Indian classical music, along with American activities.

Meghan is a trained classical In-' dian dancer, the co-captain of the girls' golf team at Sanford School in Hockessin and a black-' belt in karate. In the Pasrichas' home are pictures of Hindu gods, im-' ported artwork from India and Rolling Stones albums. "We realized that if we didn't incorporate what our children wanted, this family wasn't going 1 to be successful," Sadhana Pasricha said. "We also wanted them to know that there is a place for Indian culture in their lives." Reach Mural! Balaji at 324-2553 or mbalaiidelawareonline.com. of him growing up in Punjab, a state in India.

"My parents put an emphasis on studies nothing else," Dinesh Rawlley said. But raising children in the United States, means making room for social activities, he said. The Rawlleys recently returned from a two-week trip to India to visit relatives. "Here, we spend more time with our kids, but we bring them up with some of the values we grew up with," Rawlley said. Dinesh and Daisy Rawlley insist on the family having dinner together every Friday.

They often watch Hindi language movies and discuss family issues, which they credit for keeping the family close-knit and culturally in-touch. "We try to tell our kids, 'You are lucky to have two cultures -pick the best out of said Dinesh Rawlley, who works for Playtex in Dover. Like many Indian parents, the Rawlleys speak their mother tongue Hindi along with English at home to keep their children fluent in their native language. The Rawlleys' daughter, Ashley, said she translates Hindi words used in American songs for her friends. "They want to know what some of these words mean and it's cool being able to tell them," she said.

For many young Indian-Americans, dating is the primary area where they find themselves in a tug of war between the expectations of their traditional parents, many of itage firsthand. Manjul Asthana, a Newark psychologist who heads the Indo-American Association of Delaware youth group, said the more exposure young people have to their culture, the more pride they will take in it. Asthana, who has lived in Delaware since 1973, recalled that in the late 1980s and early 1990s, her daughter, Shivika, and other young Indians would shy away from their heritage be-cause they wanted to be accepted as Americans. "They didn't want to be seen as different," Asthana said. The desire of young Indian-Americans to be accepted as Americans often clashed with their parents' goal of maintaining Indian traditions.

Indian parents were less likely to allow their children to participate in activities considered American, recalled Shivika. A former member of the rock group, Papas Fritas, Shivika Asthana, 30, said as a teen she would sneak out for dates and parties. She said her parents didn't allow her to participate in sleep-overs with friends, and she had to take Indian dance lessons and learn to play the sitar, an Indian string instrument. "My life centered around the Indian community," Shivika recalled. "I wasn't trying to do that.

It happened by default." She said her parents wanted her to have an arranged marriage, a tradition in India, and get a professional job. She joined a rock band, instead. "It took my parents a little convincing, but they accepted it," she said. Her band, which broke up two years ago, released three CDs and had one of their songs Special to The News JournalCHUCK McGOWEN Members of the Indo-American Association of Delaware (from left) Neeta Jain, Nitika Gaiha, Anjall Gupta and Charvi Ganatra snack before a youth group meeting at a member's home near Newark. reer.

Dinesh and Daisy Rawlley of Middletown said they have encouraged their children to take part in extra-curricular activities but emphasize academics first. "My parents expect nothing less than A's when I come home," said Eshawn Rawlley, a sophomore who plays soccer and tennis at Tatnall High School in Greenville. "It makes me want to perform well." Dinesh Rawlley, Eshawn's father, said the same was expected played in a TV commercial. Shivika is now a freelance Web developer in Boston. Better educational and economic opportunities are the reasons many Indians immigrated to the United States beginning in the late 1960s.

Many came to Delaware for graduate studies at UD and Goldey-Beacom College or to work at corporations such as DuPont. Others came to work as doctors or to start their own businesses. Many Indian parents limit or prohibit their children from participating in activities that distract them from academics and the goal of a successful ca Ib. COMPACT CANISTER FREE! yfAr fit wi fs? FROM PAGE A1 films to the West. Artists such as Jay-Z, Missy Elliott and Timbaland have combined their hip-hop styles with Indian beats to make Top 40 music that is striking a chord.

Suddenly, being Indian is "hip," teens and experts said. "There's something about Indian movies and Indian music that gives me a feeling I don't get from American music," said Shalini Neelkantan, Nikhil's twin sister. "I feel proud of being Indian." Local high schools and colleges such as the University of Delaware host dances where Bhangra, folk music with contemporary beats that originated in Punjab, ring through the halls. On weekends, young Indian-Americans can watch Indian music videos and movies on a local cable channel and listen to popular Hindi songs during Raga, a two-hour program on the UD radio station. S.

Mitra Kalita, author of "Suburban Sahibs," a book examining the impact of Indian immigration on New Jersey, said the desire of young Indian-Americans to connect with their' Indian culture has a lot to do with Indian influences in American pop culture. "It's not a coincidence that being Indian is suddenly en vogue," Kalita said. Indian-Americans are one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the country, increasing from 800,000 in 1990 to roughly 1.9 million today. The Indian-American population in Delaware has nearly tripled in the last decade, up from 2,200 in 1990 to nearly 6,000 in 2003, with most living in the northern part of New Castle County, according to census data. Several Indian restaurants and grocery stores have opened in the county The Hindu Temple in Hockessin opened in 2001, becoming a social and cultural gathering place for many Indian-Americans.

Indians also are among the most affluent of any ethnic group, with a median income of about $62,000 a year, compared with the U.S. average of $38,000, according to the census. That affluence means many young Indian-Americans have the opportunity to travel to India and learn about their her- Corrections Lynn Rogers is the fire chief of Milton Fire Company. The name of the company was wrong in a Friday Life Leisure article about Sussex County community activist Harold Truxon. The article also gave the wrong location for a restaurant Truxon once ran.

It was at the intersection of U.S. 113 and Del. 16, near Ellendale. A recipe for Cat in the Hat sugar cookies that appeared in Wednesday's food section contained an incorrect amount of sugar needed for the cookies. The recipe requires 1 cup of sugar.

A recipe for Sunshine carrots and asparagus in Wednesday's food section gave an incorrect amount of cornstarch needed. The recipe calls for 2 teaspoons. To comment about the accuracy, fairness or adequacy of news coverage, call the public editor at 324-2906, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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