Santha Rama Rau's Multicultural Education

As a result of her international studies, Rau experienced a multicultural education both in and outside of school that exposed her to many religions, and because of this, Rau wanted to compare Indian culture to other cultures so that many different people can understand Indian customs. While in England, Rau and her older sister attended a Quaker school. By Any Other Name tells how the Quaker teachers changed Santha to Cynthia to make a more Anglo-Indian name in favor of British culture (Rau). Such a change from the cultural norms Rau was used to experiencing allowed the writer to step outside of her shoes and observe India from a neutral standpoint. In Rau’s eyes, everything she knew was changed because of the Quaker standards at her new school.

Rau’s father, Sir Bengal Rama Rau, worked in India’s finance department as a high ranking-civil servant before working as an embassador to the United States and Japan (Weber “Santha Rama Rau Is Dead”). Along with this title, Mr. Rau served as a Round Table Conference member and a financial advisor for the Simon Commission (“Santha Rama Rau”). With these titles came the responsibility of traveling. Rau admired her father’s work and studied Indian government and the British government that her father often traveled to. These many forms of government influenced Rau to write about the differences and similarities between these political systems. Her mother, Dhanvanthi Rama Rau, was also politically active by advocating for the reproductive rights of women as well as being an International Planned Parenthood Federation founder (Weber “Santha Rama Rau Is Dead”). Growing up, the Rau children were heavily influenced by a strong female mentor, their mother, Dhanvanthi Rama Rau. Rau and her sister, Premila, were taught at a young age an understanding that women are as important as men, a concept that pushed Rau to follow her dreams and continue her education in the United States. Dhanvanthi Rama Rau additionally promoted the idea of equality within religion. When WWII began, the family opened their doors to incoming Jewish refugees in need of assistance (“Santha Rama Rau”). The Rau household protected refugees in a time of crisis, sharing their material with people in need. Seeing how other cultures react with her father’s and mother’s perspective gave Rau an opening into non-Indian minds. Santha Rama Rau became a well-rounded writer because her socially high-ranking family allowed Rau to travel, understand a strong female role, and care for