(Left) Kyle Patel, at his Eagle Scout ceremony.
Indian, Hindu, Gandhian…these are not by any means traditional credentials of
most Boy Scouts of America. But KYLE PATEL affirms the wisdom of pushing
against our comfort zones to expand our horizons.
After growing up as a middle-class Indian boy in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, I had a culture shock
when my parents moved us out to Jackson County, a
rural beacon of small towns, shotguns, and Southern
hospitality. Despite living in the South my entire
life, I had never gotten to experience the quaint, congenial
attitudes that people so characteristically assign
to it. It was not until my fourth-grade teacher introduced
us to two Boy Scouts whose demonstrations
in creating fire dazzled my eight-year-old mind that
this move truly impacted me.
I came home with a pamphlet about Scouts,
and with sparkling, youthful eyes that I doubt he
could have refused, asked my Dad if I could join. A few
weeks later, I found myself zealously memorizing the
Scout oath and motto in preparation for the induction
ceremony. However,
the first thing I noticed
when I began attending
the Monday-night
meetings was my status
as the only person
of color in my troop. I
never felt isolated, but
conversations about
dirt bikes, car racing,
and military affairs
were foreign concepts.
Boy Scouts gave
me the opportunity
to learn about these
topics that I would
otherwise never have
discussed and develop
my overall background as a member of society.
Kyle (right) and his father, Pete Patel (left), at the top of the
mountain after a hiking trip at Tallulah Gorge.
I can recall my first hiking trip: a 3-day, 14-mile
journey in the middle of December through the woods
of Blood Mountain, a specimen of the Appalachian
mountain range whose name speaks for itself. However,
I was solely focused on the excitement of taking
a trip with my fellow Boy Scouts, whom I had begun
to think of as brothers. It started out precariously; I
tripped four times the first night we hiked, but the
encouragement of my fellow members, along with
my determination to succeed, propelled me forward.
My pace quickened, and by the last day of the trip, I
was jiving, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of
nature. It was a transcendental experience that I had
never had before, and I found myself continuously
looking forward to others that were to come.
I, in turn, was
keen to share my culture
with the other
boys as well. They
were interested in
learning about my
religion, as I was probably
the only Hindu
they had ever met,
and always asked
questions with animated
curiosity. I
shared these latent
pieces of my life with
people who I never
thought would be interested
and learned
something about
adjusting my assumptions along the way. During
our annual troop Christmas parties, we always put
on some skits for the parents, and one year we
decided to do a skit on Gandhi. I played the leading role,
and from then on, everyone endearingly bestowed the
nickname of “Gandhi” on me.
(Left) The Indian-AMERICAN scout at a parade with his troop.
The novel experiences allowed
me to learn the skill of adjustment
and acclimation as my Indian culture
initially clashed with the experiences
and skills I learned through
Boy Scouts, but I learned how they
could beautifully coexist and give me
a much broader perspective on life.
|
|
|
(Above) Working with his troop on his Eagle Scout project: |
I dedicated many years to the organization, and
I recently finished my journey by attaining the rank
of Eagle. When thinking about my final Eagle project,
I pondered how to best give back to the community
I had newly discovered, and I found something
that was fitting. I catalogued the cemetery behind our
troop church and created a directory for visitors to
find their loved ones. It was a unique project, but
what’s more is that it will outlast my
time there and help strengthen a community
that was initially so different from
what I was used to.
Although to some, the
Eagle rank is just a remarkably difficult
feat managed by only 5% of all Scouts,
to me, it means so much more. My family
moved four times through my seven
years in the troop, but I continued attending
the meetings throughout, and even
after becoming an Eagle, I still make the
40-minute trek on Mondays because of
the family I have developed there.
|
|
Kyle Patel is a high school senior at Gwinnett School of Mathematics,
Science, and Technology. He is currently on a year-long internship
with Khabar magazine through his school.