Vibrant South Asian

Connecting the community to South Asian people, places and cultures

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You are here: Home / Archives for Culture

The man from Bangladesh who reached for the skies!

April 3, 2017 By Vibrant South Asian

Today marks what would have been Fazlur Rahman Khan’s, a structural engineer who helped design some of America’s most iconic skyscrapers, 88th birthday.  Khan’s most important contribution to modern day skyscrapers is his “trussed tube” system.  Through his firm, Skidmore, Owing & Merrill, Khan’s design was first used in the Hancock building and then again in the iconic Sears Tower (Willis Tower today).  This new system made it cheaper, safer and easier to build tall structures, especially over 40 stories high.  His work shaped the way our cities look today.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Bangladesh, Culture

The Many Different Religions of South Asia

November 24, 2016 By Vibrant South Asian

To the unaccustomed eye, the medley of 1.7 billion South Asians spanning across six countries may look very similar.  However, many different cultural practices, languages, and even religions make up this region.  Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism are some of the most widely practiced religions in South Asia.

While India and Nepal make up the majority of the Hindu population in South Asia, there exist many beautiful temples and places of worship in widely Islamic countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan.  Similarly, historic mosques, prominent Buddhist and Jain temples, one-of-a-kind Sikh gurdwaras, and amazing churches exist across all countries in South Asia.

 Katas Raj Temple in Pakistan

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Culture

June 30th… India’s Independence Day?

August 15, 2016 By Vibrant South Asian

As over one billion Indian’s celebrate India’s freedom from British rule on August 15th, we can’t help but think about how one man’s personal moment of glory dictated the date that will forever be a part of a nation’s history.  The last viceroy of India, Louis Mountbatten originally declared that transfer of power by June 30th, 1948.  However, realizing that a declaration of independence that far out would likely yield revolt and bloodshed, leaving little to no power for transfer, Lord Mountbatten moved the date up to August 15th, 1947.   When asked why the date was chosen, his response was that he knew he had to choose a date in August or September, but then chose August 15th as it aligned to the date Japan surrendered to the allies in 1945.  Coincidentally, during that time he was the Supreme Allied Commander of South-East Asia Command.

Eleven days before returning independence to India, Lord Mountbatten works with his advisors to divide India peaceably. New Delhi, India, August 4th, 1947. (David Douglas Duncan)

The Congress Party led by Jawaharlal Nehru had declared January 26th as India’s independence day and people continued to celebrate this day until the official independence from British rule. After August 15th, 1947, the process to adopt a constitution began and was put into place January 26th, 1950, celebrated as Republic Day.

Click here to learn more about India’s government system.

Filed Under: Culture

Learn more about how Vibrant South Asian started

May 5, 2016 By Vibrant South Asian

Vibrant South Asian was inspired by the idea of breaking down stereotypes associated with South Asian countries by educating our community about positive attributes of the region. We recognized that many people in our community were enthusiastic to learn about these countries but needed guidance and resources.
While connecting our community to South Asia was important to us, we also wanted to do something to give back to the vibrant region of South Asia. Filled with rich cultures and traditions, this region is also home to areas of extreme poverty.  We decided we wanted to do something to improve access to education.  It seemed fitting that we would focus on educating our community about South Asia while enabling the people of that region to obtain an education that could improve their lives.  We contemplated various ways of improving access to education and eventually decided to focus our efforts on building libraries in impoverished areas of the countries.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Culture, Featured

Hello, Namaste, Namaskar, Vanakkam, Sat Srī Akāl… The Many Languages of India!

March 24, 2016 By Vibrant South Asian

India has 23 constitutionally recognized official languages but Hindi and English are the official languages used by the Central Government.  The Indian Constitution (Article 343) declares Hindi to be the official language of India.  The eighth schedule of the Constitution of India lists 22 regional languages, giving them official status.

The people of India speak in about 780 different languages and write in 86 different scripts. Hindi is the native language of about 20% of the Indian population and is most widely spoken in northern parts of India including the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttaranchal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Culture, India

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Who We Are

Vibrant South Asian aims to build bridges between the people in South Asia, people of South Asian descent abroad and non-South Asians.

Education is our core focus. We will educate the Colorado community about the region through stories on our website and local events and programs. As we grow, we will enable education for those without access in South Asia by building libraries that serve as centers for learning. Through your support, we can achieve our goals.

Learn more about us and how we started.

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Past Stories

International Wrestling, Promoting Gender Equality and Shattering Cultural Stereotypes

Mahavir Singh Phogat and his daughters are an … [Read More...]

  • Kumbh Mela – The Largest Gathering of Humanity
  • International Women’s Day: Celebrating Deepika Kumari
  • Happy Holi: From Hindu Festival to Global Culture

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Disclaimer

Please note that the links shared on our site are not reflective of the views or beliefs of Vibrant South Asian or its board members. They are provided as a resource to link you to other sources of information about the South Asian region. If you have any questions or concerns about any content shared on our website please contact us.

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