In Georgia, with India on my mind

I have recently returned from India; it continues to color my thoughts, and in moments of daydreaming and searching, I am transported back to that mysterious, beautiful, and complex land. I am hungry to know more, to experience more.

Despite its current mad dash to modernity and global expansion, the traditional Indian culture has long honored their elder citizens with deeply felt respect, and I wonder if this is a by-product of their surroundings: seeing the care and homage paid to temples centuries-old, or city squares and palaces still proudly standing, despite the changing political structure and ruling classes. Perhaps religion is responsible: with the prevalent belief centered around reincarnation, one is careful to be kind, so that he can return in the next life in a higher state of being. Perhaps the real explanation for this phenomenon of eldercare is simply a tradition powerfully and continuously extended through generations, much like a trade or skill passed down from father to son.

In Mumbai, many of the city parks reserve special hours for senior citizens, offering them tea and a safe and lovely place to stroll. All forms of transportation offer discounts to seniors, and nursing homes were, until recently, few in number. Regrettably, however, as more children seek educational and/or career opportunity overseas, the majority do not return to India, and their aging parents are left behind. I will be watching how the government and people of India respond to this looming crisis.

During this trip to India, I kept a journal of drawings and observations of the places we visited, the people we met, the sights we saw, the food we ate. My scribblings won't change the world, but they did change me.

Be well.