Thursday 17 January 2013

Seeking your blessings!

The German girls I live with decided I should write a Kinderbuch (I'd be really impressed if I go through my first children's short story soon) because we keep landing ourselves onto interesting Kultur conversations. That which seems normal to me, seems strange to others. And it takes an aha moment to recognise it at times, because I've been home so long, that getting used to nuanced changes is a slower process. I'm still quite set in my Delhi ways. (PS: I do not really venture out late in the night unless accompanied).

But I'd like a note-down, of my normals that are ceasing to be so, normal. Our director came to me specially in our break today and started off. His team member from India just had a baby, and wrote him an email asking for his blessings. He needed to critically know what these blessings meant. Was he supposed to send a card? Did he need to write a good email? What were these 'explicit' blessings?

It hadn't even hit me, how I, for normal, regular occasions (on my birthday, going out for an interview, getting to meet important personnel, going for an exam, just anything...) ask my parents to wish me luck. I even talk to grandmother sometimes and say ok, now give me your blessings. It's really regular with me. I have seen very many people do this with my parents, touch their feet, seek their blessings. Write to someone respected, and seek blessings. I'm not sure where Indians get it from. But before we start prayers, we seek blessings of Ganesha, all the four directions, all the elements, the earth, fire, air. Everything. We do it all the time. It was strange to the Chinese, and the Colombian family oriented people too. Till, it wasn't so strange to the Colombian one once I started off with the explanation.

Of course in Germany noone ever says, wünschen mir alles gute bitte. I had just never thought about it.

2 comments:

  1. I don't think I ever do that. At least do not have the recollection of it. May be when we were kids before going for exams. But I didn't seek blessings I 'told' to go seek (which itself I found weird). I guess I always wanted to achieve everything on my own merit. Not that there is anything wrong in seeking blessings. It could be a good confidence booster.

    ∞ © tanvii.com ∞

    ReplyDelete
  2. it is one of those childhood things with me! And definitely a confidence booster :)

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...