My Reflections on India

India is a land filled with richness. Richness in tradition; culture; spirituality and above all, resilience, the everlasting human spirit that is conveyed in the form of smiles. Every single minute, you could see the people drowning in poverty.Not having proper sandals to wear in the unbearable scorching heat. We had to remove our footwear to enter the holy sites and boy did I sprint for my life. It was above 40 degrees and it felt like I was walking on fire. Yet these resilient souls walked calmly, barefoot, without a cringe. Maybe they were immune or shall I say accustomed to all these hardships. But what did not fail to catch my attention was the bliss. The bliss they had on their faces. These are souls who do not even have a proper roof over their heads.They either live by the roadsides in small tents or in dilapidated slums. If you have seen Slumdog Millionaire, you would know what I'm talking about.

There was one particular soul who tugged my heart strings. He was around 7 or 8. When he approached me, I thought he was a tout,trying to harass me for money. But I was so wrong. All he wanted was a notepad and a pen to write. His family doesn't have the means to send him to school. He had the burning desire to study and that could be seen in his eyes.

What was a real awakening was the fact that these souls are deeply embedded in poverty and yet they are able to smile from the bottom of their hearts despite their daily battles with life. The bliss they were expressing among themselves was definitely not a facade. It was a heartfelt genuine contentment that they showed. We, on the other hand, the ones from the developed nations, who are living a materialistic life, cant be easily contented. Why is that so? Are we really blessed or cursed? That burning question has been on my mind ever since.