Pottus, Sweet Rice and
Shrine for Ganesha at US School

Anonymous

I wish i could send the url to this piece in the "readings" section in the latest issue of harper's but since i don't subscribe to their web version i have to type the whole darned thing. But it is fun (?) Reading and i hope someone on saja has more info on

"multicultural illiteracy"

(from a transcript of testimony given on feb 22 by 13 year-old tiana dibari in new york state district court. The dibaris and two other roman catholic families sued the public school system in bedfor, new york, to bar it from offering programs that they claimed violated their religious freedom.... James m. Bendell, an attorney with the american catholic lawyers association, questioned for the plaintiffs; attorney warren richmond questioned for the defendants)

James m. Bendell: what grade are you in?
Tiana Dibari: i'm in the eighth.
Jmb: did you go to pound ridge elementary school?
Tb: yes.
Jmb: now, at any time at pound ridge were you exposed to the hindu deity lord ganesha or stories about lord ganesha?
Tb: yes.
Jmb: could you tell me what grade that was in?
Tb: in the third.
Jmb: what did your teacher tell you about lord ganesha?
Tb: she read us the story about how this boy got the elephant's head and that he's a god and that you could pray to him for wisdom and power.
Jmb: did the teacher suggest any follow-up activities that you could do at home?
Tb: you could make one of those things where you put him inside and pray to him.
Jmb: did the teacher ask the students to bring things to school for lord ganesha?
Tb: yes.
Jmb: what?
Tb: she said you could bring fruit and put it around him in the classroom.
Jmb: did any students bring fruit for lord ganesha?
Tb: yes.
Jmb: was there any other dish that was brought to school for lord ganesha?
b: i think rice pudding.
Jmb: a rice dish. And what was the meaning of the rice dish, if you know?
Tb: it was for him, because he eats it.
Jmb: he eats rice.
Tb: yes.
Jmb: and were there any other arts and crafts done associated with lord ganesha?
Tb: mrs. Sharallel came in with dots for an indian, and we put them on our heads and we sat in a circle.
Jmb: where did the dots go?
Tb: in the middle of the forehead.
Jmb: were these painted on or were they stickers?
Tb: they were stickers.
Jmb: no further questions, your honor.

Warren richmond: prior to your coming here today, did you talk to your grandmother about this testimony?
Tb: i was just asking her what it would be like, that's all.
Wr: at any time, have you reviewed with her the questions you would be asked?
Tb: i think like once or twice, but that's it.
Wr: and when was that?
Tb: i think last week.
r: and when was the other time?
Tb: probably last week too.
Wr: now, you were in the third grade with mrs. Reizes, right?
Tb: yes.
Wr: and what are some of the things you studied in that class, other than ganesha?
Tb: we studied india for most of the whole year. And ganesha was part of that.
Wr: anything else? What about math? What did you do in math?
Tb: i don't remember.
Wr: what did you do in science?
Tb: i don't know.
Wr: you don't remember anything you did in science?
Tb: no. Wr: what did you do in english? Did you read any stories? Not stories about india but other stories?
Tb: i think so.
Wr: what were some of these?
Tb: i don't remember.
Wr: were there a lot of them?
Tb: a few of them.
Wr: can you name one?
Tb: no.
Wr: what other type of stuff did you do in third grade?
Tb: all i mostly remember is about india.
Wr: and particularly about ganesha. You remember a lot of stuff about ganesha, don't you?
Tb: just that stuff. That's it really.
Wr: and you remember specifically that mrs. Reizes told you to build a shrine, right?
Tb: yes.
Wr: and you remember that she told you to pray to the shrine, right?
Tb: to ganesha inside the shrine, yes.
Wr: and you remember mrs. Sharallel bringing in dots?
Tb: yes.
Wr: other than those things, do you remember anything else that happened in your entire third-grade year, anything else that you studied in her class?
Tb: no.
Wr: thank you. No further questions, your honor.


Now, does anyone on saja know what happened to this case? Also, i wonder what would be the reaction here/elsewhere if there were to be an american hindu lawyers' association, or an american sikh lawyers' association....

Cnr