I imagine that the young Blessed Virgin Mary was a lot like Vasu Balraj.
If the Blessed Mother was a practicing Hindu. And had a boyfriend to die for.
Vasu's smile is open and radiant. It is a smile for everybody. People are immediately drawn to her - people who are vulnerable and shy. "With this person," they think, "I will be safe."
On her first day of sixth grade, Vasundhara Balraj arrives at Grand Island Central Catholic. Her mom, a sweet overly protective Indian mother, is the only mother in a hallway that teems with hundreds of excited, scared, sweating adolescents.
"Vasu," she hovers anxiously over her small daughter. "I will help you with your locker."
Vasu rolls her eyes in agony. "Mom!" she turns on the woman who adores her. "You have to go! I'm fine!"
Thinking about that day seven years ago as she prepares to graduate, Vasu is touchingly grateful for her beautiful mother, Seema. "I'm so lucky to have my mom," Vasu says. "She does everything to keep my sister Seerat and me safe."
Vasu appreciates all the adults in her life - her father, Kavir, who teases her and makes her laugh. She is thankful, as well, for her GICC teachers who have become important to her through the years.
"It was the teachers who made the biggest impact on me here," she recalls."They were so welcoming that first day of sixth grade."
She remembers that Mr. Kester tips them in their desks and makes them shriek with laughter. Mrs. O'Connor welcomes them at the door of her classroom, and gentle Miss Wiles talks to them about their Catholic faith.
Except that Vasu is not Catholic. It's a tricky dilemma for a tiny Hindu girl to navigate her way through Catholic school waters. But not so tricky. Her religion teacher, Miss Wiles, poses thoughtful questions about Vasu's Hindustani culture and faith. Vasu is reluctant to answer at first. Her classmates, however, are fascinated by their lovely classmate with her big dark eyes and beaming smile.
They ask questions about Hinduism. She asks questions about Catholicism. Somewhere, in the mushy middle, they come to recognize the great teachings that filter through all faiths: to love one another, to thank God for all his blessings, to recognize and repent of our sins.
"Studying Catholicism has helped me grow in my own faith," Vasu says. "Sometimes, I presume other faiths or cultures might say my faith is the wrong one, but I know that's not true."
GICC chaplain Father Scott Harter teaches Vasu's religion class that God has come to save all his people. He tells students that being Christian or Muslim or Jewish doesn't matter. "God loves us all," he tells them. "We are all his kids." His words hit home with Vasu. In a world that seems increasingly suspicious of other cultures and faiths, she is reassured that God is still loving and tolerant.
Her confidence grows at Central Catholic. In the ninth grade she commits herself body, soul and spirit to speech and drama. Vasu is not only good and gentle to the core. She's a big time ham. Her speech coach, Brian Mohr, persuades her to develop a humorous speech for the district contest. Vasu decides to find humor in a subject nearest and dearest to her heart - her Indian roots. Her mother and father, who have grown up in northern India, come to the United States the year after Vasu's birth. Although Vasu is completely Americanized, she is deeply in tune with her Indian heritage and visits her family in India regularly. For her humorous speech,Vasu has discovered plenty of material in her own family.
In a flawless Hindustani accent born of many vacations with her northern India family, Vasu's speech wins award after award. Her spot on impersonations of her parents and grandparents bring the audience to their knees.
Her parents, she confides to the audience, are so obsessed with her grades that nothing but perfect scores are acceptable. Even her B positive blood type is forbidden.
"Vasuuu!" she imitates her traditional grandmother. "Have you gained weight? Why aren't you TALLer? Are you darker than before?"
Vasu, a high school freshman, does something unheard of. She bares every adolescent insecurity on stage for all the world to see. And she laughs at herself.
I insist that she perform her speech in our ninth grade English class. Vasu is happy to do so. It is perhaps the hardest thing in the world - to perform in front of your peers. But Vasu abandons herself and hurls her pride out the window. Her classmates explode with laughter. I think I have never laughed so hard myself. This beautiful dark eyed girl turns all our insecurities and foibles into a universal bag of laughs. She has made it safe for her classmates to examine their own ludicrous fears and find that there is nothing so fearful after all. They're all in the same pimple popping, hormonal wrenching, I-hate-myself boat. And it's funny as heck. Vasu's humorous speech takes a third place finish at the state tournament.
Now the end of her high school career approaches. She has entertained hundreds with her honest depictions of life. She's been part of an award winning golf team. Most of all, though, she's made many good friends, the kind of friends that last a life time.
Next year she will enroll at St. Louis University to study medicine.There will be no speech meets or golf teams. Instead, she will study hard to help other people. Inspired by her grandfather from India, Vasu hopes to be like him.
"He was a doctor who opened up schools and hospitals for the underprivileged," she explains. Her parents have always understood Vasu's great compassion for others. Vasu is beginning to understand it herself.
Last weekend is junior-senior prom. Vasu dresses for the formal event in traditional Indian garb. She is beautiful and looks every bit the exotic Indian princess.
In her prom pictures, she radiates joy and confidence. Even at her last high school dance, she embraces her culture and family. She has no desire to be anybody but who she is.
Why would she? She is Vasundhara Balraj. And she is perfect.
If the Blessed Mother was a practicing Hindu. And had a boyfriend to die for.
Vasu's smile is open and radiant. It is a smile for everybody. People are immediately drawn to her - people who are vulnerable and shy. "With this person," they think, "I will be safe."
 |
| Vasu Balraj |
"Vasu," she hovers anxiously over her small daughter. "I will help you with your locker."
Vasu rolls her eyes in agony. "Mom!" she turns on the woman who adores her. "You have to go! I'm fine!"
Thinking about that day seven years ago as she prepares to graduate, Vasu is touchingly grateful for her beautiful mother, Seema. "I'm so lucky to have my mom," Vasu says. "She does everything to keep my sister Seerat and me safe."
Vasu appreciates all the adults in her life - her father, Kavir, who teases her and makes her laugh. She is thankful, as well, for her GICC teachers who have become important to her through the years.
"It was the teachers who made the biggest impact on me here," she recalls."They were so welcoming that first day of sixth grade."
She remembers that Mr. Kester tips them in their desks and makes them shriek with laughter. Mrs. O'Connor welcomes them at the door of her classroom, and gentle Miss Wiles talks to them about their Catholic faith.
Except that Vasu is not Catholic. It's a tricky dilemma for a tiny Hindu girl to navigate her way through Catholic school waters. But not so tricky. Her religion teacher, Miss Wiles, poses thoughtful questions about Vasu's Hindustani culture and faith. Vasu is reluctant to answer at first. Her classmates, however, are fascinated by their lovely classmate with her big dark eyes and beaming smile.
They ask questions about Hinduism. She asks questions about Catholicism. Somewhere, in the mushy middle, they come to recognize the great teachings that filter through all faiths: to love one another, to thank God for all his blessings, to recognize and repent of our sins.
"Studying Catholicism has helped me grow in my own faith," Vasu says. "Sometimes, I presume other faiths or cultures might say my faith is the wrong one, but I know that's not true."
GICC chaplain Father Scott Harter teaches Vasu's religion class that God has come to save all his people. He tells students that being Christian or Muslim or Jewish doesn't matter. "God loves us all," he tells them. "We are all his kids." His words hit home with Vasu. In a world that seems increasingly suspicious of other cultures and faiths, she is reassured that God is still loving and tolerant.
Her confidence grows at Central Catholic. In the ninth grade she commits herself body, soul and spirit to speech and drama. Vasu is not only good and gentle to the core. She's a big time ham. Her speech coach, Brian Mohr, persuades her to develop a humorous speech for the district contest. Vasu decides to find humor in a subject nearest and dearest to her heart - her Indian roots. Her mother and father, who have grown up in northern India, come to the United States the year after Vasu's birth. Although Vasu is completely Americanized, she is deeply in tune with her Indian heritage and visits her family in India regularly. For her humorous speech,Vasu has discovered plenty of material in her own family.
In a flawless Hindustani accent born of many vacations with her northern India family, Vasu's speech wins award after award. Her spot on impersonations of her parents and grandparents bring the audience to their knees.
Her parents, she confides to the audience, are so obsessed with her grades that nothing but perfect scores are acceptable. Even her B positive blood type is forbidden.
"Vasuuu!" she imitates her traditional grandmother. "Have you gained weight? Why aren't you TALLer? Are you darker than before?"
Vasu, a high school freshman, does something unheard of. She bares every adolescent insecurity on stage for all the world to see. And she laughs at herself.
I insist that she perform her speech in our ninth grade English class. Vasu is happy to do so. It is perhaps the hardest thing in the world - to perform in front of your peers. But Vasu abandons herself and hurls her pride out the window. Her classmates explode with laughter. I think I have never laughed so hard myself. This beautiful dark eyed girl turns all our insecurities and foibles into a universal bag of laughs. She has made it safe for her classmates to examine their own ludicrous fears and find that there is nothing so fearful after all. They're all in the same pimple popping, hormonal wrenching, I-hate-myself boat. And it's funny as heck. Vasu's humorous speech takes a third place finish at the state tournament.
Now the end of her high school career approaches. She has entertained hundreds with her honest depictions of life. She's been part of an award winning golf team. Most of all, though, she's made many good friends, the kind of friends that last a life time.
Next year she will enroll at St. Louis University to study medicine.There will be no speech meets or golf teams. Instead, she will study hard to help other people. Inspired by her grandfather from India, Vasu hopes to be like him.
"He was a doctor who opened up schools and hospitals for the underprivileged," she explains. Her parents have always understood Vasu's great compassion for others. Vasu is beginning to understand it herself.
Last weekend is junior-senior prom. Vasu dresses for the formal event in traditional Indian garb. She is beautiful and looks every bit the exotic Indian princess.
In her prom pictures, she radiates joy and confidence. Even at her last high school dance, she embraces her culture and family. She has no desire to be anybody but who she is.
Why would she? She is Vasundhara Balraj. And she is perfect.
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