DATE: Monday, September 8, 1997             TAG: 9709080073

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE, CORRESPONDENT 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   80 lines

INDIA FEST CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF FREEDOM, DISTINCTIVE HERITAGE

Folks bought spicy food, colorful clothes and jewelry in Old Dominion University's Webb Center on Sunday.

They had their hands painted with intricate designs and bought books such as Gandhi's biography - or comic books such as ``Akbar Birbal Digest No. 2: Birbal's Charisma.''

At the second annual India Fest, adults wandered from ware to ware. Their kids huddled over a table with colored markers and crayons and drew posters for a contest commemorating India's 50 years of independence from British rule.

Rishi Chhatpar, 11, and Rahul Kapoor, 14, were both aiming for first place.

Both are of Asian-Indian descent, though Chhatpar has been in America long enough to forget the city of his birth.

``I think Bombay or something.''

Kapoor held up his drawing. On the top, it had a Union Jack labeled ``before.'' The ``after'' was the orange, white and green flag of India, the world's most populous democracy, which - despite riots, severe overcrowding and poverty,turned 50 years free Aug. 15.

Kapoor's poster tried to tell the tale. ``Does that look good?'' he asked.

``Yeah,'' Chhatpar said. ``Cool.''

``I'm just too cool,'' Kapoor laughed.

Chhatpar lives in Suffolk and Kapoor lives in Norfolk, but they see each other regularly. Their families are part of an Asian-Indian community that corresponds through private gatherings, a Hindu temple in Chesapeake and, for the past two years, India Fest.

Their numbers are relatively small. Asian Indians of Hampton Roads, the group that organized the event, estimates there are 600 Asian-Indian families living here.

While groups such as AIHR seek increased political and social activity in the United States, they do not want to see their heritage disappear into the sponge of American culture.

They want their children to sing ``Jaya Hey'' - victory to you, from the India national anthem. They want their children to understand the customs and dress of India, even as they wear Nike accessories to schools named for people in America's past.

Shyamala Cowsik, an ambassador of India to the United States, told listeners Sunday at Webb Center: ``You can be a citizen of this country and still have a little bit of your heart in the country of your birth.''

Sheela Raman of Richmond heard these words.

She said that, as the Asian-Indian population grows here, an informed, unified community must be the center of such an effort.

``There are a lot of children growing up here,'' Raman said. ``We feel there is a need to keep our culture represented.''

It is hard, she admitted. Traditional names are being Westernized by Asian-Indians who have moved to the United States for work or to be with family. Her own name is actually Susheela. She shortened it because she is living here. One of her daughters married an American of German descent, then named her grandson Jay.

``We say, `Jai,' '' she explained, ``and they say, `Jay.' ''

``Varun,'' she said to a boy wearing a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey T-shirt. ``What does your name mean?''

``Rain god,'' he said.

Raman explained that traditional names have meaning in India.

Varun knows.

``See,'' he said, ``I'd rather have the American name.''

He walked off.

``You have seen these boys,'' she said of Varun and others. ``They are so much Americanized. We try to keep the culture going.''

They do it through celebrations such as India Fest, which will continue as long as the public comes out to observe the culture, sample the wares and taste the food.

This suits young poster-makers such as Rishi Chhatpar just fine. He summed up the India Fest in two words:

``It's cool.'' MEMO: Mother Teresa honored at churches/A1 ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

TING-LI WANG/The Virginian-Pilot

ODU India Fest dancers Bonnie Devanath, 8, left, Nayyirah Zaman, 10,

and Sabrina Haque, 6, wait to perform a traditional drum dance

Sunday.

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