Thanks to the organizing efforts of Shiromani Swami, President of the Vishwa Chetna Commune, on January 13th, 2013, our group of thirteen American university students were able to visit the village of Nand and experience a level of hospitality that they will never forget! As a professor of World Literature at Framingham State University, with an interest in cross-cultural studies, this was my third visit to Khajuraho, but my first visit to the village of Nand. Himalayan Gap founder, Rajiv Lochan, and I have designed a study abroad program that aims to offer western students the chance to see “real India,” in other words, to go beyond the borders of big cities like Delhi, or memorable tourist sites, like the Taj Mahal, in order to understand the unique challenges and rewards of living in rural India, where the majority of Indians call “home.” The ethic of the program is all about people to people contact, in the spirit of extending real friendship, but it would not have worked without the gracious code of hospitality we witnessed in the village of Nand. My students were so moved by the reception we received, in part because in America our culture of individualism, with an emphasis on the privacy and the autonomy of nuclear families, did not prepare us for the amazing sense of community we witnessed in Nand. We began our visit by sitting front row for a spellbinding performance of regional folkdances, inspired by the life of Lord Krishna. Sometimes we are ashamed to see how much American culture is exported around the world, in part because what is exported is not always the best example of artistic production. In this case, we were so grateful to be shown a rich art form that we do not have ready access to in the States. The dancers demonstrated breath-taking virtuosity, and their storytelling dances transcended the language barrier, so that even with no knowledge of Indian languages (only scattered phrases in Hindi), we were able to understand the stories and marvel at the colorful spectacle, coming alive before us. These images will be lodged in our memories forever, along with the faces of the particular dancers, with whom we ate lunch afterwards. We marveled at how young they were, and we praised them for learning the proud traditions of their region and securing this treasured knowledge for generations to come. Besides the performance, other highlights included the chance to learn to cook a delicious Indian meal, and then eat the fruits of our labor together. There was some laughter generated by the fact that we Americans were not all that skilled at rolling out the dough for poori and chapatti, but we had good teachers, and we got better with practice! The food was so aromatic and nutritious and included a dish we had never encountered before: the leaves of the chickpea plant. Most of all, what we loved was the chance to sit in a circle and eat and sing mantras, all to the sweet accompaniment of a beautiful pet parrot in a cage, hanging by the bright, white-washed walls of the courtyard. Shiromani Swami proved himself to be a lovely singer and encouraged all of us to join in as our friend, and fellow traveler, Matura Das from England, played guitar and lead us in song. Food and art – both music or dance – brought us together, even though our homes lie in separate hemispheres. Next, we were spontaneously invited for tea at the mayor’s house. Here we received a traditional blessing, a bright marigold colored dot on each person’s forehead, and a hot cup of chai. What was most memorable about this gathering was again the chance to hear more music, by singers as young as seven, including some Bollywood hits translated into the local dialect, by our friend and guide, Vinod. What the students took away from this experience was a clear sense of pride of place. Put differently, there is a real, measurable quality of life the villagers of Nand modeled for us. We were moved by the beauty of the language, and by the festivals and rituals and everyday hospitality that makes life in Nand special and unique. At the end of the visit, we witnessed the whole community come together to distribute the warm clothes we brought from the U.S. We were impressed by the communal spirit: how the village leaders knew which individuals, and which families, were most in need. As we waved good-bye from our tuk tuks, we knew that we would never forget this heart- expanding, world-expanding day. The world was made smaller for us that day, and we hope it also felt smaller for our hosts in Nand, and for Shiromani Swamiji. With some luck and good planning, we hope that another collaboration may happen in the future. Until then, we remain grateful that our first meeting was such a success. Dr. Lisa Eck Professor of World Literature Framingham State University Framingham, Massachusetts U.S.A.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 14:59:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015