In my parents' home, the four-armed Hindu god Ganesh sits on the mantel above the fireplace next to a porcelain sculpture of the Madonna, her head covered in a baby blue veil as she holds a single rose in both hands. This is my everyday reality.

Hindus are born into their religion; Catholics are brought into theirs through baptism. As a result of my parents' interfaith marriage, I was born a Hindu and baptized a Catholic. My Catholic mother and Hindu father decided that my sister and I should choose our own religion. When the time came to decide whether or not to be baptized, my sister was seven years old and I was four. She was in Catholic school and went to church more often than to the sparsely celebrated Hindu observances in our community. We didn't go to temple once a week but rather practised the occasional puja and heard stories about the various Hindu gods and goddesses from our family. My sister recounts that when my parents asked us if we would like to be baptized, she said yes, "because that's what I thought I was. " I agreed because I was a four-year-old and did whatever my big sister did. It also may have had something to do with wearing pretty dresses once a week. And on top of it all, I have wonderful godparents.

Looking back, I wouldn't have changed the decision to become a Catholic no matter how many issues I have with some of the beliefs in that institution. I have the best of both worlds now and a unique understanding of two different cultures and traditions. It's opened my mind to different ways of thinking and given me a desire to understand the way others perceive life, death and everything in between.

I didn't always feel this way. I went to a predominantly white Catholic school and rarely, if ever, mixed my Catholic friends from school with my Hindu friends in the Indian community, but this was normal for me then. When my friends in the community saw me at a Hindu celebration on Saturday night, they never knew that the next morning I would be reciting the Lord's prayer. Nor did my schoolmates know when they saw me in church that I had been at a Hindu celebration the night before. The turning point came in college and university when I finally met other Hindus in a nonreligious setting. I felt more comfortable about my Hindu side (and telling people that I was both a Hindu and a Catholic if they asked about my origins) knowing that there were others like me out there.

The question I was -- and continue to be -- asked the most is: how do you worship in two religions? I'm still grappling with the answer. Old habits die hard; it wouldn't feel normal if I skipped out on one religion altogether. Both religions are a part of who I am, so I would be losing a part of myself if I only worshipped in one. What I can say is Hinduism is more of a cultural identity for me than a religious practice, while Catholicism was an integral part of my upbringing and education. Those who say the twain shall never meet have not met me.

I like to mix and match the beliefs of the two religions. Some may think this is blasphemous but it's just one of those things I take for granted. I definitely believe in karma. If I do something I think is "sinful," I do something else to improve my karma, whether it's helping another human being or animal or giving something of myself to a worthy cause.

I also recently discovered that I don't have a definite belief when it comes to death. When my sister's godfather passed away, I just knew he was on his way to heaven. However, when a close friend of mine died, the line was blurred. I tried to comfort myself by thinking she was in heaven, but because she was Hindu it just didn't fit for me. At the Hindu funeral, I felt some small sense of reassurance when the pandit said, "Only her body is dead. Her soul is everywhere. Her body was merely a container for her soul. She is in everything and everywhere." So I guess Catholics go to heaven and Hindus never really die! In all seriousness, I was struck by how much I associated religion with these two people even in death. I'm not certain of what will happen to me when my time comes but I hope I have a lot of time to figure it out.

I always joke around with my friends that I only have to follow five of the Ten Commandments, but of course this isn't true. However, if I were to follow each religion to the letter, I would never finish praying, singing, kneeling, bowing, chanting or celebrating. I try to be a moral person drawing on the teachings of both Hinduism and Catholicism -- including all ten of the commandments.

In my own home, I have icons of Hindu gods and goddesses as well as a rosary, a small statue of Mary and Jesus and my Confirmation picture with the bishop. This is my everyday reality.