Coming of Age

Earlier this week I had a dream in which I was speaking Hindi.  I’m not sure what I said in the dream, since I don’t understand Hindi, but I was most certainly speaking Hindi. India has not only infiltrated my dreams, it’s everywhere. And the longer I spend in Mumbai, and the deeper I become immersed in the culture of the American School of Bombay, the more pronounced India becomes in me. In other words, my “thoughts” are becoming Indianized; my Vichar (literally “thoughts” in Hindi) are no longer structured like they were a year ago.  They are, well…different!

 

I could explain the aphorism “Indianized thoughts” a billion different ways (one for every India on the sub-continent), but I’ve chosen to use the words of Gregory David Roberts, the author of Shantaram, to help me.

 

This quote comes early in the book, when the protagonist is experiencing his first train ride. The author’s narration of the “hustle-and-bustle of getting on the train” followed by the “calm and tranquility of the journey” is a powerful metaphor for India, and for the world, here in Mumbai, where we have chosen to live our lives. He writes:

 “…the scrambled fighting and courteous deference were both expressions of the one philosophy: the doctrine of necessity. The amount of force and violence necessary to board the train, for example, was no less and no more than the amount of politeness and consideration necessary to ensure that the cramped journey was as pleasant as possible afterwards. What is necessary? That was the unspoken, but implied and unavoidable, question everywhere in India. When I understood that, a great many of the characteristically perplexing aspects of public life became comprehensible. [And there is no doubt in my mind] that if there were a billion Frenchmen or Australians or Americans or [other ex-pats] living in such a small space, the fighting to board the train would be much worse, and the courtesy afterwards much less.

 On Monday, India, as a democracy in the 20th century, turns 64 years old. However, if you look at the birth of India from a different perspective – considering the fact that the cities of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa are the birth places of earth’s first civilizations – well, then we’re actually turning 4500 years old on Monday.  

Rabindranath Tagore’s poem, Jana Gana Mana – now India’s national anthem – speaks of India’s destiny as one that “rouses hearts” and “mingles music and beauty” with “a people full of gratitude and praise.” The poem ends with this chant of victory:

 Jaya he jaya he jaya he
Jaya jaya jaya jaya he!

I’d like to wish every school around the world–all students, teachers and parents– that they open the 2011-2012 school-year with the words of Tagore’s chant. I hope your experiences this year, whereever you may be, rouse your hearts and that the diversity within our community, in all its configurations, basks over you like beautiful music.  Regardless of everything that is on fire in the world today, if you are reading this it means you are someone who has much to be grateful for.  You are on a computer somewhere reading a blog! You are free, and you are not hungry, and you can read.  You are lucky, you have the potential to make your dreams come true. Who knows, perhaps you to are dreaming in a language not your own!  I wish it so.

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2 Comments

  1. Hey Craig….Your linkedin profile lead me to your blog. I can’t believe after all those years you are back in India!! That’s kinda cool. Hope you immerse yourself and relearn hindi. From the blog post I am summing that you have been there for a year.

  2. craigalanjohnson

    Hi Saurabh, I was going over old comments on my blog (just restarted it) and came across yours. Hope all is well…I am now in year 5 in India with no intention of leaving for at least 3 more. We love it.

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