Namaste!
Our soul honors your soul.
We honor the place in you where
the entire universe resides.
We honor the light, love, truth,
beauty and peace within you,
because it is also within us.
In sharing these things we are united, we are the same
we are the one.
Oh, how truly these lines depict our Indian ethnicity, our way of living life. No matter in which part of the globe we are, we will win over others heart for eternity. Our culture has won appreciation throughout the world. Since, we have relatives overseas, we often have foreign guests visiting us and they are always head over heels with our culture. I remember this guy Erick who is a Swiss photographer quoting to us “How easy for us to come here sit and eat and you guys work throughout the day preparing the meals, cleaning, etc. We really are a trouble to you.” And in reply to that we said “It’s nothing to be troubled of, we love you all and there’s a saying that prevails here ‘Atithi Devo Bhaba’ meaning guests are god and god is not a trouble.” He answered “This is what I love so much about India-the people and the food of course; they are extremely sweet and caring. It’s immaculate.” Well this was definitely a moment of pleasure for me because well I’m an Indian and I can brag about being an Indian everlastingly. I also saw a couple of interviews of famous Hollywood celebrities where they were asked what’s that one country they wish to visit, and they said India because of her culture and people. It’s true; there have been moments where we were mortified by others as well. Recently, there was a anecdote where a CEO of a very popular site stated that their app is not for poorer countries like India. Considering the fact that the Ceo of Google is Indian, the app could be kicked out of playstore for insulting our motherland and there were even memes about the same. But, Mr Sundar Pichai-the honorable CEO of GOOGLE did not do this because our Indian values tell us to be kind and forgiving and secondly why further populace should endure the trouncing of one man’s saying? Therefore, the app is still there. These are a few illustrations where being an Indian and the Indian way of thinking helped us overcome certain circumstances. Not only this, we have a great sense of adjustment as well. We can easily adapt ourselves to anywhere anytime. Now, let me tell you a story where being an Indian and the Indian way of thinking actually gave me victory.
I had an urge to write from a very young age and I never ever missed a chance to participate in essay-writing competitions or debates. I was in the eight standard when I participated in this competition where we were given options about many people struggling in life in one way or another to achieve something. We have to choose one to speak on. I saw the chart and there were hockey players, dancers, singers, politicians, and there were many more respectable people. My eye struck on a woman named Jhumar Devi from Rajkot. Now you must be wondering what’s special in her. Well, the story I'm going to tell is not that of a celebrity but someone who may be assumed to be very ordinary. This is a story of 33 year old widowed lady named Jhumar Devi who resides in a diminutive hamlet. I was asked by the jury out of all the people why I chose her? The raison d'être is very simple. All the other persons mentioned in the list were in the spotlight somehow or the other except for this lady because she deserves to be respected and honored equally for the brave front she has put up. My intention was to give her the respect that she actually deserves. What she does for a living is worth saluting. She was then widowed two years ago now its five years. She bears the burden of bringing up her three children single-handedly .To earn a living, she left her drought-stricken village to work as a porter (coolie) among 200 male porters, at Rajkot’s Railway station. In a society where women are still dominated and looked down upon, she chose to challenge the norms. She decided to stand among 200 men alone, take up a cumbersome task that has been solely ventured by the men folk and has successfully been doing it till now. It’s the Indian culture which says no work is minor for anyone. Roland Joffe said “Indian culture certainly gives the Indian mind to think out of the box.” Our ethnicity believes in equality and Jhumar Devi is a living example of it. She was asked “Aren’t you afraid doing this job midst of 200 male porters?” She answered “These male co-workers of mine are like family. We are Indians and there’s nothing to be afraid of. We treat everyone equally. An Indian woman is the resemblance of goddess Durga who is enough in protecting her family, herself and her country. She resides in everyone of use. She will help me.” Tony Hillerman rightly quoted “Being Indian is not much blood as it is culture.” It is true. I won that competition with flying colors and the applause I heard still plays in my ears.
So, this is my story how an Indian way of thinking made me win a situation. You have to taste a culture to understand it and many people have done it and loved it. I feel proud to be born and brought up in this culture where love wins over anything. #MoreThanIndianThanYouThink
Namaste!