Jesse Killingbeck came across the state from his hometown of Conklin, Mich., to visit East Lansing, but left with knowledge about a country across the world.
The MSU Museum opened an exhibit last week to celebrate India Week, which takes place during chiatra, India’s spring, and Holi, the festival of color, life and unity.
“They have old stuff, and we have new stuff,” 8-year-old Jesse said after eyeing the Bidri work crafts on display. “That was so interesting.”
Juan Alvarez, the curator of exhibits at the museum, said most of the objects featured in the exhibit came from the homes of local residents.
Although it is sometimes difficult to find donors for exhibits, Alvarez said people were excited to include their belongings, such as prayer rugs, dishes and a wedding dress, in the weeklong exhibit.
“It was pretty simple because of India Week,” he said. “There were more activities going on. We were making sure that we tried different things to bring people into the museum.”
The museum also sponsored Indian speakers, Indian dinners at the homes of local residents, and a live performance on a Veena, the predecessor to the Sitar, a stringed instrument.
Veena Mandrekar, a member of the MSU Museum’s Associate Board who came to America from India in 1961, said she hopes the exhibit will introduce people to a culture many are unfamiliar with.
“We have stereotypes, and we are trying to break those images,” she said. “I remember how different it was coming to another country and going to high school.
“This is just a little bit of information we’re bringing, but hopefully we will begin more of a dialogue between cultures.”
Although India has existed for thousands of years and the United States has existed for little more than 200, India’s democracy has barely existed for 50 years, a noticeable difference between the two countries. India is home to hundreds of religions, and 18 recognized languages, each with hundreds of dialects.
Although India’s constitution guarantees citizens the right to equality, many people still subscribe to a system of social ranking called the caste system.
The museum’s exhibit focused mainly on the traditions of the Muslim religion.
While the exhibit only occupied a small space next to the Hall of World Cultures, Mandrekar said she is interested in creating a more comprehensive exhibit next year.
“I think there’s a lot to be done,” she said. “Only a fraction of the things we had were used because we had such a small space.”
