India and Me
It was in May last summer that I arrived in India for my Kathak (Classical Dance) workshop, for a short period of 6 days. I barely had 2 days in hand for sightseeing, shopping & relaxation. One fine morning I woke up, took a deep breath, wore my pretty colorful dress, kept my to-do list place in my hand bag and left for the cafeteria of the place where I was staying. I happily began my breakfast while watching the colorful flowers smiling around me, what a pleasant morning it was! A girl approached me while I was having my breakfast and asked, “Can I sit here?”, I took a sip of my tea and replied, “Sure, why not!” with a smile. “Aap bohat sunder dikh rahi hain aapka dress”, she said while complimenting me. I gave a wider grin and told her I am from Pakistan and this is our cultural dress with these Khussas (Chappals). She blushed with joy, “Oh Really?”, I nodded a yes. I never knew that this is going to be a journey of smiles that will never come to an end. “Atithi Devo Bhava”, she said, “The guest is equivalent to God'
This girl put me in a deep thought. A short conversation followed as we shared our likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies, dreams, inspirations and much more. We ended up deciding to go for some sightseeing together. We took a taxi and went to a famous shopping mall where we saw a lot of things of our interest. I took out the list from my hand bag and started collecting the things I needed to buy. She helped me in showing around the best choices that I couldn't make in a short period of time, whether it was color, design or texture or anything.
After our small happy shopping she took me to a place where we could have our lunch. She said to me straight away, “Didi I brought you here so you can taste real Indian food”. I patted her cheeks with affection as she was younger to me and the most beautiful part she called me her sister even while not knowing who I am but humanity spoke to her soul that moment. I told her, “Whatever you like that will be my choice too”. “No didi, you are my guest”, she insisted. I replied sweetly, “'On one end you call me sister and other end you say I am your guest. This will not be accepted, now I am your sister and we will both have the same” and both of us started giggling. We placed an order of South Indian food which was simply amazing. After having our lunch we decided to have some sweets. We went to the next shop for some tasty Gajar Ka Halwa (Sweet Dish).
Our stories were never ending-- smiles, jokes & laughter. It seemed as if we knew each other for years. The similarity of thoughts; how could this happen in a one day meeting but it did happened, that is what my heart said to me. I peeped out from the window, it was going to be sunset soon, “Lets go around the city and have a look around. We only have a few hours left. It will be dark soon and we have to go back from where we started our happy journey”, I said. I never knew my words would make her sad but I could read her eyes. My sister seemed a bit sad, she thought I will be leaving soon but I assured her that we will go together and she doesn’t have to worry. She smiled back and we took a short view of the famous places, buildings, monuments, parks, temples, mosques and all around whatever came our way bought a lot of joy to our heart.
As the sun set, it was time to say farewell to our happy times. Of Course we both will miss every single moment we spent together as it was precious and we shared a lot that cannot be replaced. We can never buy this time, it was a treasure that you find once in a life time. The most interesting and shocking part of this happy journey was that I didn't had to pay a single Rupee from my hand bag but why did this happen, I asked myself soon - Am I a guest or am I a sister? This Indian girl who was beautiful from inside and out never let me touch my hand bag. Every time I tried to reach my hand bag to pay she will raise her eyebrows in such a way and will say, “Didi, aap mujh se le lain” (Sister take from me). I believe humanity comes with no price tag and her kindness and generosity has left me speechless.
Those words echoed in my ears for a long time and I kept thinking, “Am I a guest or a sister?” (Sigh) . . . I got the answer the time the taxi dropped us to our hostel where we were living together but never knew that we came here for the same workshop. The answer was 'Incredible Girl, Incredible India'.
On my way back to Pakistan I met an amazing Indian Poetess who kept me captivated with her beautiful verses throughout the journey. I felt the trees are dancing in rhythm, the flowers are blooming with joy and the whole universe has become poetry. At that time, as I said earlier, the journey of smiles never ends.. Yes, India is a really different way of life (Smile). The kindness of Indians, amazing aromatic food (specially South Indian) and beautiful places, all exceeded my expectations.
I brought immense happiness home with me, one that I found during my stay in India. I must admit that I live with a wider smile on my face and I am in a total harmony ever since. The ornate, grand and mystifying temples, the scrumptious food that bursts with flavors, the wonderfully welcoming people were all things that made me fall in love with India. It’s going to be a year but it seems like it was yesterday.. --"I truly feel that a part of me was left in India"--