Humanity in diversity: Learnings from my inner child and children who are deaf
While I am Hindu (by birth), in many ways Eid is as precious to me as any other festival. You must be thinking it's probably because of the biryani but nope! It's because of my fond childhood memories ingrained in diversity.
Let me explain.
As a kid, back in the 70s, I never differentiated between religions, in fact festivals in India were about bringing people across all backgrounds together and celebrating unity in diversity, but wait! Not just unity, it was something more than that.
While growing up in Kolkata, I had the most loving neighbors who were Muslim. They always welcomed me with open arms, so open and so loving that I chose to spend most of my time in their home than my own. I went to the mosque with my childhood friend on Fridays, at least twice a month, to experience consecutive, warm hugs of trust and belonging.
I went to a catholic school where I read parts of the Bible every week, through which my moral sense grew over time, in a sustained manner. I still go back to many of the stories when I talk to my kid today.
When I went to college in Pune, the resilience and friendship of the Sikh community taught me how to act in the most conflicting situations that might disturb your mental well-being. Their grit and loyalty is unmatched.
When I started my first job in Hyderabad in the 90s, my Parsi neighbours, who I considered as grand parents, gave me so much love and respect even though I had no experience. They took care of not just my stomach but also how to dress and behave in a social gathering. Their sense of etiquette is a class apart.
Upon returning from the US and envisioning the future of India with a group of children with hearing loss in Mumbai, they taught me the balance of preserving my individual identity while fostering a feeling of universal connectedness.
So honestly, when I started writing this post I thought I will talk about Eid but when I let my fingers be the search engine of my mind, one common theme naturally emerged. Did you experience it?
Humanity In Diversity.
Care to spread the feeling?
(*Images are hand-drawn artworks of students from NES School for Deaf, Bhandup, Mumbai submitted to Project Dream On India, which curated India’s first Book of Dreams in 2019. The project is an on-going non-commercial, non-political, social initiative aimed at amplifying children’s voices and not for profit.)
Download India’s (and world’s first) book of dreams co-authored by children from:
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