Cultural awakening
Making lifelong friends at Hindu Heritage Youth Camp
The last day of school is the beginning of the countdown to Hindu Heritage Youth Camp.
Namita Pallod remembers eagerly awaiting the start of camp each year, crossing off the days on her calendar along with her friends.
“We always called camp the best five days of
the year,” she said. “Camp was the highlight of my summer and even my year.”
Now, the 24-year-old is returning as director of the Hindu Heritage Youth Camp. She was a counselor for the past four years and a camper since age 7.
“It’s basically in my blood,” she said.
The camp lasts two weeks, from July 30 to Sunday at Camp Lantern Creek, 4045 N. FM1486 in Montgomery. The first five-day session is for grades third through seventh, and the following week for students in eighth through 12th grades.
Like traditional summer camps, time is reserved for basketball, volleyball, kickball, ultimate Frisbee, canoeing, archery and swimming.
At the same time, campers take a deep dive into their heritage and Indian culture. Children get to try kho-kho, kabaddi and langri, sports from India, as well as learn traditional dances like garba, raas and bhangra. They also have their own version of the Holi, a Hindu festival of color celebrated in the spring.
Pallod explained that each afternoon centers around a topic for discussion — ranging from a Hindu god to yoga and meditation. This is a chance for campers to learn more about their
religion.
“It’s been a huge part of my spiritual journey as a Hindu,” Pallod said. “The charm of our camp is that you learn from people who grew up in the U.S. just like you.”
Abhi Aggarwal, who codirects with Pallod, attended the camp the last year of high school.
“It was unlike any experience I’ve ever had,” he said.
Aggarwal grew up in Kingwood. “There are not a lot of other people who are Indian here,” he said. “I didn’t interact with kids who shared my culture. I felt foreign in some respects. Going to camp changed it all.”
There, he was surrounded by students who shared his heritage. “You don’t question your own identity,” he said. “What you see at home feels normal.”
Aggarwal served as a counselor for the past four years before becoming director. “Any kid can come here and have fun,” he said. “Camp becomes a really big support system. Campers make lifelong friends here.”
The desire to make a true and lasting connection between campers and counselors, heritage and tradition, has been the focus of the Hindu Heritage Youth Camp since it was founded in 1985.
Founder Sharad Amin came to the U.S. in 1983 and said that around that time, there were a lot of Hindu parents with children in Houston.
“They were all worried about how we could maintain Hindu culture,” Amin recalled. “A lot of people had a concern. They wanted to take the good character that we inherited in India and instill that in our kids.”
He wanted to do something to engage children and help them learn more about their origins, morals, traditions and beliefs. That’s how the summer camp idea was born.
The first summer, 40 children showed up. The camp was held at the Jewish Community Center’s facility in Rosenberg.
A couple years after the summer sessions started, Amin and camp volunteers had another idea — to ask the 20something-year-old members of the Hindu community to become counselors. Not only would they have a chance to develop leadership skills but they could also serve as role models for young campers who grew up in a similar environment.
“As adults, we are observers,” Amin said. “We don’t interrupt, but the counselors know that we are there if they have any problems.”
He continues to volunteer at the camp — now, 35 years later. “I still love the kids, and I still enjoy it,” he said.
Both of his children, Arpan and Sujata, attended the camp and eventually became camp directors, as well.
Three decades later, the camp changed locations to Montgomery and divided into two sessions to accommodate all of the participants. Amin said more than 200 students will attend this year.
“They like it, and they keep coming,” he said. “Now we have a full waiting list.”
Amin said the camp has a cyclical nature — children attend and later become counselors. Parents who attended in their youth now send their children. Some of the original adult volunteers now bring their grandchildren each summer.
“This is a continuous process,” Amin said. “Everyone realizes its importance. This is an opportunity to learn — and for us to pass on our good values we learned in India. We are so happy to see the results of the longest running Hindu camp in the U.S. run by the youth.”
Rakhi Israni is a prime example. She has attended camp since she was about 7 years old, then became a camp counselor and eventually director. Now she lives in California, but flew to Houston with both of her children to attend their second year of camp this July. She plans to stay on as a volunteer.
Israni admits that her 11-yearold daughter, Siya Singh, and 9-year-old son, Shiv Singh, were at first reluctant to head so far away from home for the summer.
Now, when asked if they want to one day become counselors, they both shout an enthusiastic, “Yes.”
“It was fun,” Siya said.
Garba was her favorite part last year. “I loved dressing up and dancing,” she said.
Her brother preferred playing dodgeball.
Israni said her brother is also coming with his two kids. “Our plan is that they all grow up going to this camp,” she said. “It’s a bonding experience. It’s such a loving place.”
Israni enjoys seeing multiple generations running the camp, all passing on knowledge to the children. She added that watching adults give up time from their busy lives to volunteer each summer made an impression on her.
“That selflessness I saw in them, it’s a big part of my life today,” she said.
Israni said that camp was foundational for her faith as well.
“It allows you to take the best of what your parents brought from their country and what you see in the states,” she said. “You put it together and become a better individual that can give back. You become a more productive citizen. It’s tied to the idea of being part of something bigger than yourself.”
Israni is confident her children will come away with that feeling. “What they’ll remember is the idea that you’re not alone in life,” she said. “The older generation gave us so much. I have complete gratitude for what they sacrificed for us.”