BULA readers! This week we had the pleasure to celebrate Australia Day and also the Republic Day of India.
These are very noteworthy events in the global calendar, and it got me thinking about these two great nations and in particular India being the biggest democracy in the world.
I decided to dig a little further and try to evaluate three great and cherished gifts that India has given to the global community.
There are so many to choose from, but for me there are a few I hold close to my heart and have the upmost respect for.
Culture
When we talk about culture there are so many areas to talk about, but I am inclined to think more of the beautiful and very inspiring traditional dances, like the age old Bharatanatyam dance of which I was privileged to witness at the Indian High Commission Republic Day of India dinner reception.
It was indeed very elegant with all the artists dressed in beautiful traditional outfits and performing for the audience.
India’s deep and long history has many rituals and plays performed to dance as a way of expression without the need for words, which is something I am sure that we can all appreciate not just in India, but globally as well.
Food
Indian food has gone global over the last 25 years and in the UK it is so popular that Indian cuisine is one of the most popular choices in today’s busy lifestyle.
There is not a nation in the world today where you can’t find at least one Indian restaurant such is its popularity.
This wasn’t always the case and in particular in Europe less than 50 years ago where apparently it was frowned upon as dirty to use your hands to eat and not a knife and fork also the cuisine was said to be too hot for the European palates.
How times have changed and good sense has prevailed as today Indian food is sold to a worldwide market and is a multi billion dollar industry.
Mahatma Gandhi
This individual is fondly known as the father of the nation and preached non-violence and a philosophy of passive resistance.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was known to his many followers as Mahatma, or “The great-souled one”.
He began his activism as an Indian immigrant in South Africa in the early 1900s, and in the years after World War 1 he became the leading figure of India’s fight for independence.
He urged everyone to rededicate themselves to the values of truth, non-violence, harmony, respect for all, freedom of expression, morality and simplicity.
One of his enduring qualities was that Gandhi always taught people to forgive those who commit wrong and speak harshly against you
He said about forgiveness: “The weak can never forgive as forgiveness is an attribute of the strong”.
He also quoted about resistance and persistence saying: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you and then you win” .
Gandhi was a great believer in learning from mistakes and believed it was not a sin to make a mistake as long as you learned from it.
Strength of character was always a great attribute of Gandhi and he wanted to live his life as a great example to others, this was indeed difficult as he had the whole nations hopes on his shoulders, but he certainly lived up to many of his followers expectations.
Another of his virtues was that he wholeheartedly preached for people to show love and rejected the claim of resorting to hatred also to be truthful and not to be affected by negative energy.
Was he perfect, indeed he wasn’t, but as we all know there is no perfect human being.
Gandhi inspired millions of people because he tried to be honest and work for the poor and the needy asking for nothing in return, not even earning a wage or fancy cars or riches that he could surely have demanded had he decided to be greedy.
Finally, Gandhi was indeed a hero to the masses and wouldn’t it be nice for Fiji to one day have inspirational hero’s such as Gandhi who can adopt his strong moral stance, show compassion and forgiveness, live by the rules of non violence and have a strong sense of justice for all.
Well there you are readers, just three of the many Indian influences to choose from that have positively affected the global community today, and what better influences to start with than these three I have mentioned above, culture, food and inspirational leaders.
Take care and be safe.
- Ajay Bhai Amrit is a freelance writer. The views expressed in this article are not necessarily shared by this newspaper.
