Finding God through respect

These days, it is quite common to celebrate and express our love and gratitude to our dear ones by sending them cards or gifts on special days. Father’s Day, Mother’s Day or Teacher’s Day cards are always appreciated by the receiver and by the sender too. As life is too busy these days, so even these loving gestures have a lot of value to all. Though in India and many other Asian countries, this particular way of celebration is not very common. Yet showing respect to elders and extending a helping hand to the needy is a common practice in daily life. In India, even an unknown elderly people on the street or in buses will be addressed with reverence and will be helped by others. I was surprised to hear that, in many western countries, parents and elders are often addressed by their names by their children. This is a functional matter in the west, but would be culturally shocking for many from Asian countries and seen as a sign of disrespect. I remember one incident, which I experienced in U.S.A . I was not keeping well and my son, Prodeep was escorting me back to New York from the west coast. When we reached New York, he quickly got a taxi, helped me to sit inside comfortably and then got busy in arranging things and doing other formalities. It was a new experience for our cab driver. He was surprised to see the loving concern of my son for his mother, and asked me,” originally from which country you come?”. When I said "we are from India", he just uttered two words “that explains". I was feeling happy and sad both. His two words were enough to explain the situation of elderly in the richest country of the world. I was silent, but started thinking how we can make life liveable and loveable for all. In today’s Global world, we are all connected, and can make life better by learning from each other. Inner richness which is expressed through respect, unconditional love and service, which is definitely not less important than outer material gains. Rich countries can be happier by integrating some values from some other parts of the world that are not so rich, but have deep cultural values that have kept these societies stable for hundreds if not thousands of years. Cultures where the individual is not supreme and the divine spirit is part of the collective consciousness. Where, from early childhood, love to respect for elders and a desire to learn from their wisdom are values passed on from generation to generation. Our ancient Vedic Scripture says, “Honour thy mother as God, honour thy father as God, honour thy teacher as God, and honour thy guest as God “

The world is one family

Jennifer, my young American friend came to see me the other day. She was narrating her experiences of rural Bengal and about its village women's life. Recently she went to Midnapur - one of the poorest districts in India and interacted with rural women of different age groups who were economically depressed and also socially and emotionally struggling. To know the reality of villages of Bengal and the misery and suffering across many-women from many parts of India, where they spend life as silent sufferers. It is true that such a deep rooted problem can not be solved by charity alone. And only by equipping women with education and skill formation can one can take the first step towards reaching the goal of self-sufficiency and empowerment. I admire Jennifer, who with her medical background is always ready to help such people and also runs an organisation to empower women from economically weaker sections of the society. Women are taught leather work, block printing and other skills. Products produced by them are sold in America, bringing good money to them and a sense of purpose if not comfort in their lives. In rich countries, things are mostly machine made and hand-made items are greatly appreciated. And so it is a natural fit between the handicraft of India and the desire for hand-made products in western countries. This is a great formula for uplifting woman’s lives. Vivekananda,s saying is so true. He said - those who serve poor, serve the Lord. A self centered life always tends to become boring, stagnant and joyless. Recently I heard a podcast by a famous doctor, where he discussed the problems of unhappiness among the educated and wealthy urban population. Though they have got everything, but something is missing in their lives , for which they do not experience inner satisfaction or “ santushti.” Comfort and status can be achieved by money, education, family support etc. But to have inner satisfaction, one must know how to give wings to the inner self, and like a butterfly, break out of a self-centred cocoon and be free, experience inner joy, and extend a helping hand to needy people. The butterfly cross-pollinates all around. And by cross-pollinating the needs of India's village women with the desires of hand-made items in developed industrialized economies, the effects of Jennifer's butterflies are fluttering all around the world. The Upanishad says, “ vasudhaiva Kutumbaka” , which means the world is one family. The task now is to share the joys and limit the sorrows of this family.