2008 Woodie Awards
Anthropology professor proud of his heritage
By Stephanie Sherer
Rocket Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/10/06 Section: Life
Srinivasa Mani has been heavily influenced by his Indian culture. Mani is a professor from the sociology, anthropology and social work department and engages his classes with interesting stories about his travels. He strives to teach his students to be open-minded about other cultures. He is dedicated to teaching, his family, religion and achieving happiness.
He keeps all eyes open in his classes, with his liveliness and passion for the study of anthropology. He tells remarkable stories about his past and culture to help relate his life and experiences to his classes. His in-class stories give insight to Slippery Rock University students about what life is like in his home country of India.
Mani's Indian culture is much different than American culture.
He notes that family structure, lifestyles, and food are quite distinct. In his culture, it is expected for a younger person to give up their seat to an elder because older people are held in high regard. Mani said people in India have great respect for their elders and do not argue with them, even if they disagree.
Young Indians desire their parent's approval and Mani is no exception. He still asks for permission from his parents to make important decisions. In matters such as buying a house or selling land, he would make sure his parents thought it was a good idea first. If they did not approve, he would not do it. When Mani is having a conversation with his father and someone else calls, he asks the person to call back. If he was offered a high-paying job that he would normally take, he would decline the offer if a family member was coming to see him that day because relatives are given preference over work. Through Mani's actions, it is apparent that family is of utmost importance to him.
"What I am is because of my family," Mani said.
Mani, his wife and daughter and parents live together. He and his wife will live with his daughter and her family when she gets married. The marriages in India are arranged by the parents, because people from India feel that the parents know who is best suited for their children to marry. He and his arranged wife have been married for more than 35 years. He believes arranged marriages last longer than marriages that are chosen by the individuals themselves.
Every Sunday, Mani goes to his temple in Monroeville to worship. There are festivals at the temple every month where they celebrate. The Hindu religion prohibits him to eat any meat products. Mani said he finds it hard to eat at Rocky's because of this.
In his free time, he enjoys photography, using his video camera and gardening. His true passion, though, is traveling. Mani has traveled all over the world, not as a tourist soaking up the sun, but soaking up the different cultures and interacting with indigenous peoples. He is excited for his upcoming trip to Costa Rica for spring break. Mani will be joining 14 SRU anthropology students. They will visit health centers, museums and many other locations while on the trip.
He keeps all eyes open in his classes, with his liveliness and passion for the study of anthropology. He tells remarkable stories about his past and culture to help relate his life and experiences to his classes. His in-class stories give insight to Slippery Rock University students about what life is like in his home country of India.
Mani's Indian culture is much different than American culture.
He notes that family structure, lifestyles, and food are quite distinct. In his culture, it is expected for a younger person to give up their seat to an elder because older people are held in high regard. Mani said people in India have great respect for their elders and do not argue with them, even if they disagree.
Young Indians desire their parent's approval and Mani is no exception. He still asks for permission from his parents to make important decisions. In matters such as buying a house or selling land, he would make sure his parents thought it was a good idea first. If they did not approve, he would not do it. When Mani is having a conversation with his father and someone else calls, he asks the person to call back. If he was offered a high-paying job that he would normally take, he would decline the offer if a family member was coming to see him that day because relatives are given preference over work. Through Mani's actions, it is apparent that family is of utmost importance to him.
"What I am is because of my family," Mani said.
Mani, his wife and daughter and parents live together. He and his wife will live with his daughter and her family when she gets married. The marriages in India are arranged by the parents, because people from India feel that the parents know who is best suited for their children to marry. He and his arranged wife have been married for more than 35 years. He believes arranged marriages last longer than marriages that are chosen by the individuals themselves.
Every Sunday, Mani goes to his temple in Monroeville to worship. There are festivals at the temple every month where they celebrate. The Hindu religion prohibits him to eat any meat products. Mani said he finds it hard to eat at Rocky's because of this.
In his free time, he enjoys photography, using his video camera and gardening. His true passion, though, is traveling. Mani has traveled all over the world, not as a tourist soaking up the sun, but soaking up the different cultures and interacting with indigenous peoples. He is excited for his upcoming trip to Costa Rica for spring break. Mani will be joining 14 SRU anthropology students. They will visit health centers, museums and many other locations while on the trip.
