Now for free on YouTube, “Namaste Yoga,“ a short film by Shri Ravi Chand of Warrior Tribe Films,
Episode 1 of Namaste Yoga, a festival-selected short film about yoga, cultural appropriation, Hindu identity and what happens when a child is made to feel ashamed of his own culture. Shiv is a 10-year-old boy who does not want to be seen as Indian or Hindu. At school, he keeps his distance from Kali, his twin sister who is proud of her culture. But after a fight in the playground, Shiv is forced into mandatory lunchtime yoga classes to avoid suspension. The classes are led by Miss Blanche, his home room teacher and self-proclaimed yoga “guru” after a 200-hour course. As she teaches yoga without understanding its roots, Shiv begins to see his own culture being misunderstood, repackaged and sold back to him. Namaste Yoga explores cultural appropriation, racism, belonging, self-worth and the damage caused when Hindu children are taught to feel embarrassed by where they come from.
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In Episode 2 of Namaste Yoga continues Shiv’s story as he is forced to confront the culture he has been trying to reject. After being taught yoga at school in a way that strips it from its roots, Shiv begins asking questions at home. Through his father, his sister (Kali) and the traditions around him, he starts to see that yoga is not just exercise. It carries memory, meaning, ancestral roots, movement and belonging. As Kali performs and proudly embodies her culture through Bharatanatyam, Shiv begins to understand what he has been pushing away. What first felt like shame slowly becomes recognition. Namaste Yoga is a festival-selected short film about cultural appropriation, Hindu identity, racism, self-worth and the moment a child realises his culture is not something to hide.
