Gyana Nadi works to connect the Bay of Bengal with the San Francisco Bay Area by promoting Oriyan culture and language. Gyana Nadi connects non-native speakers with Odiya language and strengthens communal bonds by sharing cultural practices. Specifically, Gyana Nadi fosters cross-cultural dialogue and exchange while highlighting the richness of East India’s cultural heritage and the importance of Oriyan language and culture.
Ever since the 1960s, a link has existed between the Bay of Bengal and the Bay Area of the United States. As the numbers of Odiya families emigrating to the US in the hopes of better lives increased, Odiya culture and tradition also made its way in the US. Nicknamed “The Land of Temples,” Odisha is one of the most vibrant and cultural states to exist in the Indian subcontinent. A millennium of tradition ranging from the Rath Yatra of Puri to the silk white dhotis suddenly found itself immersed and integrated with American culture.
As a young child growing up in the United States, I did not care much about Odiya culture. To me, I was an American living in the United States. Odisha was oceans away – and even further away in my mind. However, as I got older, my views started to shift. Witnessing the cultural evolutions of many of my peers, I began wondering about my own background. When asked about my ethnic heritage, I would quickly become defensive – so I started to ask why? Was I ashamed of my Oriyan background?
Soon, I began asking my relatives about life in Odisha. I spent time with my parents as they engaged in Oriyan cultural traditions. Soon, I found myself loving the dahi vadafrom street vendors that I tried (and frequently failed) to make at home. I began marveling at the beautiful arches of the Puri Mandir. But most importantly, I fell in love with speaking the language.
When visiting my relatives in Odisha, India, I took every opportunity to flex my new linguistic muscles, speaking with strangers on the street, with family on the terrace of my house, with the milkman – with absolutely anyone. I loved speaking and learning about the experiences of Oriyan people. I quickly realized the main reason I was able to have such a great experience in Odisha was because of my fluency with the language – something I realized wasn’t the case for many people my age in the Bay Area.
In order to spread awareness of Oriyan culture and promote learning Odiya as a language, I start Gyana Nadi, a Bay Area non-profit devoted to Odiya language. At Gyana Nadi, it is our fundamental mission to encourage the passage of Odiya tradition through an emphasis on active speaking. While speaking alone cannot express the entirety of Oriya culture, it is a good way to stimulate and raise a sense of cultural awareness within Oriya individuals of all ages. By focusing on speaking, one can successfully bring a little bit of the Bay of Bengal to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Aditi Biswal
Co-Founder and CEO
Gyana Nadi Inc.
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