blues,
for me personally, the ritual aspects of brahminic hinduism has no meaning. it is a carry over from a tradition, watered down, irrelevant, and today, most often a source of social status than any religiosity.
in another thread, some one talked about the sacred thread ceremony. yes, perhaps, in the vedic age, at 8 years started the gurukulam stage of the boy - leaving home and living in the house of the teacher, imbibing knowledge and values, and paying back in service.
nowadays, it is for the parents, to show off their wealth, or a ritual urge to perform certain ceremonies, which by nature, the whispering of gayatri, is among the most exclusive and racist gestures known to man ie denying of god's prayers to other than brahmins.
perhaps, a venture, for you, in the realm of our philosophies might be an eye opener. not sure if you are a catholic or buddhist. if you are the latter, you might find that the roots of budhhism is the basic anti brahmin ritualistic hinduism which gautama the buddha shed.
if you are a catholic, then it is a different story altogether. much as tainted as brahminism maybe, and much as the relegation of dalits could be compared to the inquisition, hinduism has never carried on the scale of butchery of a christian europe or an islamic mongol. not much credit, but i think, some, may be due.
but in the overall aspect of your quest to hook a TB youth, i agree, that chances are, that he too is a ritual bound traditionalist, and it does not hurt to understand the concepts of upanayanam (sacred thread), pinda dhaan and thevasam.
God Bless.
