Editor’s note: This is the second of four in a series of articles covering the topic of students of differing religions at Northwestern.
Bundled against the snowy Saturday afternoon, Sadikchya Gautam’s smile shone brightly between her hat and scarf. Eager to share her story, she spoke of her home in Nepal where she was born and raised with her brother by her two parents in the Bokhara district. She spoke quietly but with great enthusiasm about how she enjoys writing, how she was very involved in community service projects back home and how she has enjoyed her travels between Nepal and Orange City.
Gautam happened upon Northwestern through searching websites online and after another girl from Nepal who attends NW recommended it to her.
“I’ve been here since August,” Gautam said. “I like the professors here so much; it was more than I expected. I have really enjoyed my experience at Northwestern so far.”
Since enrolling at NW, Gautam has declared an Actuarial Science and Math major and hopes to go back to her country after graduation to get a job.
At NW, Gautam has taken the religious and cultural differences in stride.
“I am a Hindu,” Gautam said. “The place where I grew up, 90 percent of people are Hindu. When I first came here, I knew that this was a Christian college, but it didn’t change my decision to come. I started making friends and they seemed really open and interested, not everyone, but most of the people around me want to know what it is like in my country and my religion.”
The most difficult adjustment to make has been integrating faith and learning and the purpose of chapel.
“The thing that is really surprising to people is that we have millions of gods in our religion,” Gautam said. “But Brahman is the one supreme God, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe.”
Hindus worship a trinity of gods, Brahma, the creator of all reality, Vishnu, the preserver of all creations, and Shiva, the destroyer. They attend temple worship and have multiple festivals throughout the year.
Since coming to Northwestern Gautam has been faithful to her practice of Hinduism, though it is hard with no temples in the area.
“I have brought the god that I worship with me, but I don’t have all the things that I need to worship available so I can’t practice all the rituals. But I pray for my god to be with me every day.”
One of the missing rituals from Gautam’s life is that of her mother who would get up early, around 5:30 in the morning, to worship and pray over her family. She would place the tikka, a paste made from rice, on the forehead of her family members and pray to keep them safe throughout the day.
Along with the rituals Gautam misses the festivals that are common in the Hindu culture. Gautam said,
“The rituals and festivals are what bind all of our extended families together. Sometimes families have more than 100 members,” Gautam said.
There are different caste systems in the Hindu culture, of which Gautam and her family are Brahmins, which all have different festivals as well.
Knowing about the history of Hinduism is also important.
“In the month of January we read the Swasthani, a book about our history, in thirty days,” Gautam said. “My dad reads the book every evening and we all sit and listen.” Gautam has also had the chance to learn things she never knew about Hinduism while here at NW.
“Hinduism is the oldest religion of the world,” Gautam said. “The language Sanskrit is also the oldest in the world. Even I didn’t know that!”
It is easy to see why people accepted Gautam so readily. Her bright personality and eagerness to learn brighten up any room.
“You cannot know about other people around the world without going to the places they are from. That’s how we feel about the world and people around us. They look different and have different perspectives. There is so much to learn,” Gautam said.
Gautam encourages anyone who wants to learn more about Hinduism to talk with her. Her passion for her beliefs and her desire to know about others’ is infectious and will have you invested immediately.