Tattva

Though I was born and brought up in America, I always felt a connection to Bharat (India). People often ask me why I care so much about Bharat, seeing that I live in America and have established my life here. Why do I make an effort to learn about India’s history, culture, and people? Hindus outside India could theoretically live very comfortably without having to maintain any sort of connection at all with Bharat. So why not just reduce the hassle and confusion and bury away the identity crisis forever?

The truth is that as Hindus, we can never wipe away the emotional bond we feel with Bharat. The reason we make such sacrifices to stay in touch with India is beyond visiting family, sightseeing, etc. It is the rejuvenating spiritual connection we feel with the land. From the holy mountains and rivers to the beautiful temples and pilgrimage places, every aspect of Bharat is filled with Hindu culture. For this reason, Hindus all over the world, even those who cannot trace their ancestral history to India, maintain an emotional bond with Bharat that is as strong as that of anyone living in India today.

In Bharat, we can see the ideals of Dharma in practice. It is a land where parents, teachers, and guests are treated with the utmost respect. A land where poverty does not limit one’s generosity. A land where the common greeting, Namaste, literally means “I bow to the divinity within you.” A land where animals are treated with love and reverence. And the list goes on.

On my last visit to India, I was most amazed not by the grand malls and skyscrapers of Delhi and Mumbai, but by the city of Vrindavan, where I actually experienced Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (“The whole world is one family”), a concept I previously could never imagine in practice. The local people I met there were some of the kindest and most hospitable I have ever seen; I automatically felt this inexplicable connection with the city and the people. Though Krishna grew up there over 5,000 years ago, the divine pres-ence still permeated the whole atmosphere. There, I experienced the greatest peace of mind, the rare feeling of unconditional hap-piness that was not dependent on anything material. Despite the fact that they may not have been as well-off financially as most in America, the people of Vrindavan possessed a culture so deep and so rich that it far outstripped any economic potency.

People from different parts of Bharat may practice different rituals, speak different languages, belong to different sects, and wor-ship God in different ways, but their way of life is common and based on Dharma. This is what keeps Bharat together. This cultural bond was what united Bharat as a nation, even when different states were ruled by different governments. Cultural unity was and still is India’s greatest strength. Lord Macauley, who was sent to India by the British government in 1834 system realized this strength: “I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage…”

For Hindus living outside India, a political map of India or the tiranga may not stir up as much emotion as it would for an Indian citizen, as both denote India as a state. But the image of Bharat Mata and the Bhagwa Dhwaj (saffron flag) evoke a love for the country that is the mother of our cultural heritage. Though Bharat may not be our janmabhoomi (birth place), it will always be our punyabhoomi (holy land). The world will never separate Hinduism from Bharat, and that is why no matter where they were born, where they live, or where they trace their family history, Hindus across the world will always look toward Bharat as their cultural homeland.

Aparna is an undergraduate student at Boston University, studying Economics and Journalism. She can be contacted at aparna.garg@yahoo.com

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 1st, 2008 at 10:00 am and is filed under Editorials/Reflections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.