South Asian Art Reflection Paper

When I first entered this class, I didn’t have any extreme expectations. The topic of the class in general didn 't spark any particular interest in my mind. However, I did take a moment to think about what kind of curriculum I would be encountering in the class. I thought, “Oh, this is probably going to be all facts and research about South Asia.” That was not the case. Intro into South Asian Art and Visual Culture with Dr. Sharma gave me more insight into the concept of visual understanding than I’ve ever received. I came into the class with little to no knowledge about South Asia or what “visual culture” meant. Now, I am proud to say that I can take most of the topics discussed in class and write about it or include the topic in a conversation. …show more content…
Hinduism can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization. With Hinduism being the third largest religion in the world, I’m sure that it’s had to overcome some challenges thrown by society. There are also many misunderstood truths about the religion and I have had the privileged to learn about them. Dharma, is a key concept within Hinduism and other religions. With Dharmic Beliefs, there are a number of different deities (gods or goddesses). Some beliefs that follow Dharma that I personally find very intriguing are that the Gods or Goddesses can take human form, or they can change their identities if they please. Along with the human forms, there are other forms of worship, sculptures. One of the most well-known Dharmic sculptures is the Dharma Wheel, but the wheel is a symbol of Buddhism that serves the religion as a symbol, much like a cross represents Christianity. Hinduism describes Dharma as a natural, law of the universe; and those who follow this religion, will be jubilant and content. “All the problems we experience during daily life originate in ignorance, and the method for eliminating ignorance is to practice Dharma.” Learning about what Dharmic Beliefs actually consist of, has definitely given me a whole different outlook on the …show more content…
In America, several people may not know that the yoga they do every morning, originated from the Hindu religion; but that may not be enough to convince those people to learn more about Hinduism. There is a great number of people who have limited information about this wonderful religion. Their view may not always be the nicest and their sense of understanding is somewhat orthodox. The discouraging reality of racism is all too real for people in the United States, not only against their own, but against those of a foreign land. I personally believe that those who are from South Asia are put under more social pressure when coming to the United States. The social stress of others wanting you to drop your beliefs and abandon who you are is a result of their ignorance towards those who have a different religion than their own; but there is a bright side to South Asians coming to America. Their presence here has given others the opportunity to get a more realistic point of view for the Hinduism. Not only are Americans influenced by the religion, but that also goes for those who practice Hinduism. Sure, there may be a bit of tension towards the unknown; but that just proves that we should give thought to a foreign concept and want to learn to understand the religion before we judge it. I am pleased that I had the opportunity to learn about something I’m unfamiliar