Hanuman at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory
As a part of its "Domains of Wonder" education program, the public was invited to explore the vibrant culture of India through an artistic lens. Emory University presented Hanuman, the first feature length animated Indian film, in the Michael C. Carlos Museum on February 2nd.
Nina West who works in Emory's Educational Department said that the film was a chance for the university to "reach out culturally to a different type of audience," as Hanuman is the story of not your everyday superman, but rather of a hero born from Hindu epic tales and embodying the virtues embraced by Indian society�loyalty, courage and morality. On the night of the screening, the museum was indeed host to many members of Indian-American society, families, couples, students, or just anyone looking to learn a little about their Indian heritage.
"Its not like we don't know this stuff," explains Karthik Ramachandran who currently works in Atlanta but grew up in India, "This is just a great way to reinforce our culture; who says cartoon movies don't capture the interest of adults too?" According to Priyanka Farrell, a 6-year-old, the movie is "fun and just really, really cute." She had seen it once before. "The kids go to balvihar and we could have rented out the Ramayana series for them, but this is fast-paced and fun and they just loved it," said Priyanka's mother.
But the film also attracted many others, like Chuck and Peg Hunter, who came in from Lilburn to see an interesting event they had read about in the Emory newspaper. Like the Hunters, a wide assortment of the local population attended merely for the sake of experiencing a unique cultural event.
~ Kanya Manoj
Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.
