Never forget your roots

Couple of days I was fortunate enough to meet Her Highness Aswathi Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bai of Travancore Royal Family. She had come to inaugurate the CSR programme of my organization which was anchored by me.

The speech she gave to the students in the school was so touching. And at each pause I could see the students were clapping collectively. Reason she addressed them. She addressed their issues. The fact that why a student has to learn about Tamilnadu even before understanding Kerala. Why a student should know China and US even before understanding India. Without understanding their birth place, the culture of their birth place kids are growing up. And getting a Green Card becomes their biggest ambition. Being a US citizen gives them a credibility which being an Indian citizen they does not get.

I was touched and it started a thought process in me too. Without respecting yourself can you respect someone. Without respecting your culture can you respect some other culture. If you see yourself, your culture inferior will others respect your culture.

Why US is on top. Because most of the citizens there respect their culture. Good or bad. They respect. When will we start respecting our culture, our roots. Yes I write in English. I respect the global language and the opportunities it has given me. But my mother tongue is Konkani I do not have any qualms talking it in any public place even if people say what are you talking, we don't understand. I say it is a language and it is my mother tongue.

To a friend I feel the most comfortable talking in Malayalam. I love Malayalam poetries. It has a beauty associated with it.

I love to wear jeans and top. I love to wear salwars. But for me nothing looks more beautiful on a Kerala Bride than the traditional off white set saree. I wear sarees for all traditional functions. Because saree is part of my culture and other cultures have to understand it is the part of my culture.

If we understand our roots, stand up for it, the world will respect us more. Before understanding the world, understand yourself, your family, your culture, your place.

And also we have a common understanding that at home we speak Kannada which is our mother tongue and we do watch Kannada shows and news and I love to read novels in Kannada as it bonds well with out psyche (mother tongue) than any other adopted language. Shruthi I had been Padmanabha temple in Trivendrum last month and I loved the fact there is dress code for both men and women. So normally before visiting temples (for the first time or may be after a long time, like few years) I make it a point to check on net about the dress code so that I am prepared for the eventuality. This was the first time I visited Trivendrum and I was too eager to visit the palace museum as I wanted to compare them with Mysore palace and derive the similarities and differentiations. It was worth visit.

@Mano India has rich cultural heritage. And our cultural heritage is not even marketed properly. I am very happy actually I could meet many youngsters like you in SKR forum. Because somewhere the culture is there. We have survived this much because our ancestors tried a lot to preserve our culture. It is our responsibility as the present generation we do our bit to conserve it and promote it.

Just as Shruti mentioned , it is also a great pleasure to know such values do exist in some of the younger generation of the day too !

This is some kind of a ray of hope which we hope can be taken forward to a larger percentage through such shows like SKR , MB , CMG and so on ..

If you look US all the major events in American or European history is made into movies. We have not delved much into that realm. Only recently movies like Airlift which showed Air India's Kuwait Evacuation which is in Guniess book of World Records and Neerja about a PanAm air hostess. I am sure there are many such stories lying there to be discovered, to be bought in celluloid.

Wishing for a day soon when we will see the pride of our nation and culture in every citizen !

But for this , the society has to have a collective mindset where more connectivity among people are formed , developed to improve concern and care towards every other individual . These measures might bring down selfishness ,uncaring attitude towards neighbours and so on . With these kind of interactions , the national pride can also be built on . Maybe like minded people should try and start getting together to plan such activities at many levels in the society with a deliberate motive of building a better society - conscious and concerned one rather than selfish and self centred .

But happy that atleast such things are taking offshoot with many thinking on these terms .