In her documentary “Indian Summer” director Mridu Chandra takes viewers inside the Hindu Heritage Summer Camp in Rochester, N.Y.
Throughout the short film, we see young Hindus from across the country learn spiritual chants, attend yoga classes, learn the stories of various gods, and do some of the more run-of-the-mill summer camp activities like swimming and team sports.
“Indian Summer” is currently streaming online as part of the PBS Online Film Festival, which runs through March 22. Many of the young preteens and teenagers Chandra speaks to over the course of the film tell her that they had never had any Hindu friends before attending the summer session and it is interesting to see the campers attempt to form their spiritual identities and find a very real sense of community.
Adult American Hindus will also notice that middle schoolers still have the same questions and make fun of the same things that their older siblings and parents did back in the day. “They ask a lot about cows,” one camper notes, while another describes fielding questions on vegetarianism.
It should be noted that this film is strictly about the campers. We hear nothing from the camp directors or counselors about their motivations for starting the camp or how they form a curriculum for a faith as varied as Hinduism. At a time when celebrating one’s “Hindu heritage” is often a distinctly political act both here and in India, the absence of that discussion is noticeable.
One of the most touching scenes in Indian Summer occurs as they credits are about to roll. We see the students preparing to say goodbye to each other as the two-week session comes to a close. On the last day of camp the children come together to sing not a bhajan but a classic John Denver song:
Country roads…
Take me home…
To the place I belong…
You can watch the entire film and vote for it on the PBS website.
Indian Summer – Trailer from Mridu Chandra on Vimeo.
