Mahendra Arya

Mahendra Arya
The Poet

गुरुवार, 8 अप्रैल 2010

Humanity & Houston

Hi everyone! I am starting writing here on suggestion of my daughter Pallavi. I decided to write thinking that I already have at least one visitor to my blog. Let me narrate an experience of attending an Indian wedding in USA earlier this month. I went to Houston, USA to attend the wedding of my sister Bela’s son Vibhore. The wedding was kept small for personal reasons.

We, the guests from India- numbering about 15, other than direct family members were received and housed in the neighbourhood. Initially we had all kinds of doubts. Will it be practical to stay in some one unknown’s house? More concern was for the host. How will some one feel cmfortable with a stranger living in their house! Well, the stay turned out to be a memorable experience for all of us. I stayed with a Doctor family, in their lovely mansion. They spared three rooms for us, 5 of us from the guests from India. They are Gujaratis. Their stores were full of Gujarati farsan, fridge with lots of fruits, milk and yogurt and bar fully stocked. When they welcomed us, they gave us a nice tour of their house, telling what is available where. The kitchen was an open kitchen with all gadgets. It was easy for us to manage our morning tea. They had the computer installed in the living room with Internet connected. Finally they handed us over one remote controll of their entry through Garage, so that we may come and go any time.

Hospitality was at its best. They gave us car ride to reach my sister’s house for all functions and rituals. Huge collection of old hindi songs fed into their music system, audiable everywhere in the house was at our beck and call. I can not think of anything that could be required and was not available for us.

I always heard from my elders, how in our villages whenever a barat came for a wedding, all neighburs and villagers shared the burden of accomodating the guests in ther houses. An impression is set in our minds that such caring and sharing was possibe only in olden days. Ths visit to Houston has made me aware that humanility is same as it used to be in earlier days, only our environment, our circumstances make us less concerned. There , in USA also people have business and jobs, and have limited hours- what binds them is the need for mutual co-operation. Everyone needs there everyoe else as life is more community dependent.

Great Experience!!!

5 टिप्‍पणियां:

  1. Gujratis.....Frankly speaking..only they have
    this in them..They really do extend their servics"unconditionaly".

    जवाब देंहटाएं
  2. hi tauji... glad u shift your blog as it was almost rocket science to reply on the previous one.. it was great to know your experience and what u narrated seems almost impossible in todays world.. imagine if we tried doing something like this in india.. the marriage host would probably be boycotted.. hats off to ppl in Houston for being more indian than us!!!

    जवाब देंहटाएं
  3. Dear Mamaji,

    It was a pleasure reading your work... seems like you write straight from the heart...

    About Indians living abroad, they are more Indian than us because they are so faraway... When they left, India was all about what you have written...

    But I would also like to highlight the flip side... given their resources, the space, availability and dearth of people from back home, don't you think it is just a little bit easier for them to be this way?

    जवाब देंहटाएं
  4. aapki rachnaye badi anokhi hai.aapki rachnao me jindgi ka sach najar aata hai.raj mehra

    जवाब देंहटाएं