Thousand Shades of India (2025)

02/01/2025

“Woodwork is divine work. It is part of the creative energy that our Creator has endowed us with. Creativity is the essence of being human.
“The purpose of learning is to realise this creative potential placed within every individual and to fulfil our obligations as humans by realising the divine design.
“The woodwork we do and the craft legacy we carry forward is among the real heritage of India, but it is of little value in our country. Our work is seen as a worthless endeavour, it is seen as backward.
“Foreigners value this more than us. We Indians don’t value our own heritage. Most of our customers are foreigners, because they have more respect for creativity and heritage.
“We are still so mentally enslaved, we are only fascinated by things made by others. We are too enamoured with everything modern and Western.
“It is very difficult to get our young people to learn this craft. They are not interested in learning about their own heritage. Modernity has uprooted us from our own cultural traditions.
“Even parents don’t want their children to learn and acquire skills that will harness their creative and intellectual potential. They don’t see any future in this, which means they don’t see any money in this.
“Fortunately, I have managed to train some youngsters and looking to train more. I don’t want to die with this, I don’t want to take this skill to my grave.
“Our work is our way of showing resilience, it’s our way of ensuring continuity of our cultural legacy.
“Our work is our way of resisting the onslaught of modernity, mediocrity and homogeneity.
“We have been in this profession for seven generations, my ancestors migrated to Delhi from the frontier province during Emperor Shahjahan’s reign.
“My great grandfather was a contemporary of the great poet Mirza Ghalib. His haveli is just a stone’s throw away.
“We have lived in this location for 150 years now. These lanes are the veins running through my body. These are the veins through which our heritage circulates.”

21/12/2024

“Tailors have to constantly adapt to the changing trends and fashions. With the speed with which trends are changing, keeping track is a big challenge.
“But, as a seasoned artist I get hang of things pretty quickly. If your foundations are strong and if you are thorough with the principles, you can create anything.
“Dexterity is among the greatest gifts of the Almighty, if you have independence to go with that, then you are most fortunate. All you need after this is the passion to serve.
“Every business is ultimately about commitment to service and excellence and that’s what I do, catering to the needs of our patrons and tailoring to their aspirations in the best way I can.
“Most of our customers are inherited, they are as old as our business. We have been crafting their suits for generations.
“There are very few new customers now. Most youngsters prefer readymade, but that doesn’t mean we are going out of business.
“I am busy throughout the year. Those who know the value of fine tailored clothing will never go for readymade. Suits and vests are part of my expertise and my customers are very loyal to me, because they get the quality they deserve.
“Each suit is meticulously crafted, with attention to every detail.
“I treat every customer like a king! Their satisfaction is my satisfaction! There is no greater satisfaction than seeing people adorn your creation with such care!”

12/12/2024

“I am the youngest of 8 siblings - 6 brothers and 2 sisters. My mother passed away when I was six months old and my father died during the Covid19 pandemic.
“My father left behind an agricultural land of two bighas which my brothers cultivate. It’s not enough for the entire extended family to survive on the produce of the land.
“So, I trained to become a tailor. I ran a tailoring shop in my village Bhavaniganj, but the business is tough in the rural set up, as people don’t have so much money to spend on clothing and most of the business happens on credit, which is difficult to recover. So, I pulled the shutter and moved to Kolkata to work in a clothing factory.
“Having found it to be very exploitative and exhaustive, I migrated to Delhi in search of better opportunities.
“I came to Delhi in 2016 and initially worked as a water-seller. After sometime, I moved to driving electric-rikshaw.
“It’s a challenging job, but it pays my bills. When I started the scene was pretty good, there was good business. Now, there are too many e-rickshaw, which means greater competition.
“This is a rented vehicle and I have to pay the daily rent of Rs500. After taking care of my food and accommodation expenses, I save between Rs500 and Rs800 per day, most of which I send home to take care of my young family.
“I have three children, including a 45 days old daughter, whom I haven’t met yet. I don’t have the luxury to go home now. I need to work to feed my family. I may not see her for another year, until I save enough to go and stay with them for sometime.
“But, I don’t have any complaints. I am very grateful for all the goodness Allah has gifted me. My life is in a much better shape now. I thank Allah for all His blessings! I am grateful for this dignified source of livelihood.
“But, by training I am a tailor and if I could get a chance to make a living as a tailor, I feel I can do much better. But, there is no doubt Allah knows best and since He has chosen this for me I accept this wholeheartedly!”

24/10/2024

Grit over Grief!

When Manjunath lost everything he had in one wave of misfortune, there was hardly anyone to console him, for others around him were also at loss. There was hardly anyone who could help make sense of what had struck him, for others around him were also struggling to come to terms with the stark new reality that had unfolded around them.
But, as time passed Manjunath and his community have begun to pick up the scattered pieces of their shattered life, though still struggling to come to terms, but like all close-knit rural communities responding to grief with grit and resilience.
Early in the morning of July 16 this year, Manjunath left his mother home to get some groceries and when he came back in less than 30 minutes, both his home and his mother were missing. There was not even a trace of the life he lived with his mother just minutes ago. There was devastation all around.
Where did everything disappear? Where did his mother vanish?
What could consume an entire house? What could efface an entire existence?
For the 27-year-old Manjunath, life was never easy, balancing between the challenges of fishing in a mercurial sea and taking care of his old mother. But, it was a good life nevertheless - independent and adventurous. Now, it was all gone. The whole existence seems a lie now.
Nevertheless, this is the nature of this life - fleeting, mercurial and impermanent. But, we hardly think about it as fleeting and impermanent, despite seeing it slip out of our hands everyday. We hardly take lessons from the happenings around us, we hardly look beyond the surface of the events and incidents taking place in our lives and the life of others.
We pass on passively, not taking heed, not finding meaning, not learning lessons.

17/10/2024

Standing out in Amity!

Residents of Firozpur Jhirka, a small village in the district of Nuh, Haryana, have been living in the village for decades as a model of harmony.
A refuge for people who have nowhere to go, as was the case with Praveen and her husband Puranchand Verma (see the previous post), the community grew gradually as seekers of shelter from different backgrounds collected around each other.
It’s been a year since the community faced its harshest shock, when out of nowhere and without any notice, bulldozers arrived to destroy the dilapidated dwellings of the villagers.
A community made of a confluence of castes and creed, most of the villagers work as construction labourers, farm hands, drivers, goatherds or street vendors.
Unlike many communities that are taking shape in India now, Firozepur Jhirka is a mixed community, with people of different faiths and traditions living together in peace.
Living in harmony and relentlessly backing each other, the community seems to have been punished for standing out in amity rather than pulling apart in animosity!
Nevertheless, the community is undaunted and is unwilling to give even inch into the tactics of intimidation for division.

16/10/2024

In a society that is increasingly drifting apart, with many families not finding space for each other either in their hearts or homes, there are still great stories of kindness and compassion. The flame of humanity continues to flicker even in the heaps of darkness.
60-year-old Praveen Verma and her husband were pushed out of the house they had built with their own hands through their hard-earned money. They had raised their only son with great care and love, ensuring that he gets good education and a decent job. But, once he settled down and got married, he claimed the small flat the old couple had built and pushed them out, citing lack of space.
Nowhere to go, the old couple were wandering on the road, when an old friend of theirs, an auto driver, found them and took them home.
Himself struggling to make ends meet, having to cater to a large family, Aas Mohammed didn’t think twice before taking them home, which was not more than a small ramshackle dwelling.
“It is not the room in the house that we need, but it is the room in the heart that we need to create for each other,” says the brave Mewati, who is now facing his own tragedy, as he gathers the scattered bricks of his own house, bulldozed by the authorities.
Praveen Verma has been a pillar of support to Aas Mohammed and other neighbours as the community collectively overcomes the bulldozer oppression that took place post communal violence in Nuh last year.
“We are humans because we reach out to each other in times of need. We feel the pain of each other, we can empathise and support each other. If we can’t do that, if we can’t help alleviate each other’s pain then soon humanity will cease to exist, as the world will come to an end due to unbridled hostility,” says Praveen.

11/10/2024

Turning blind or holding the hand?

As pain and sufferings inundate a large section of our society, are we to turn a blind eye to the agony of our fellow citizens?
Thousands of old men and women are either homeless or lonely across most Indian cities.
Young people are abandoning their parents, who burnt their blood and sweat to raise their children.
At the same time, there are many ‘unwanted’ children on the streets, exploited by the evil gangs for their material ends.
Even as we struggle to deal with these challenges of homelessness, abandonment and poverty, more people are being pushed into penury through hatred, violence, destruction of businesses and illegal demolition of houses.
How do we respond to these stories, which are actually not just stories, but the stinging reality of our beautifully diverse society that is crumbling at its centre?
Do we just look away and get on with our lives, too comfortable in the bubble of our comfort zones?
Or do we work together to make every shade of India shine again?

Share your thoughts in comments…

10/10/2024

Pain is an intrinsic part of life, it is unavoidable and we never know when it will strike.
But, when pain is foisted from above and apathy becomes the default characteristic of the society, it becomes revulsive.
When people are forced to suffer constantly as an expression of bias or hate, it becomes explosive.
Though we are mostly oversensitive to the pain caused to us or our loved ones, we are less considerate to the sufferings of others.
In a humane society, what matters most is how conscious we are of the pain of others and how compassionately do we respond to it. How we respond to the trauma of others shapes the character of the society we live in.
When some sections of the society inflict pain on others as a policy and many others look on or look the other way, it is a sign of a society losing its soul!

How do you respond to the sufferings of others? Tell us in comments below…

09/10/2024

Pain is a source of revival!

Do you agree?

Pain, if endured with resilience, will blossom into renewal!
Pain is a seed, if nourished, can help us grow new buds, blossoms and fruits.
Pain, if given the right direction, becomes a source of strength and growth.
Pain helps us appreciate the joy of living!
Pain helps us regain our senses, and feel human again!
Pain is the essence of life.

Feeling the pain is healing the pain!
We are humans because our hearts ache at the sufferings of others as much as it aches when we suffer, if not more.
Without aching hearts and stirred spirits, we cease to be humans!

Have we really stopped feeling the pain of others? Have we become numb? Is the spark of humanity flickering within us, dying?
It’s time we introspect and see where we stand and how we react to all the sufferings around us!

05/10/2024

Do you listen to silence?

Silence, solitude and quality time reflecting and pondering on Self, Existence and Reality of Life are the most essential gifts we can give ourselves on the path of self realisation!
Silence helps us listen to our inner voice, silence helps us think, it helps us find deeper answers to questions that appear to all of us. But the distractions, the cacophony around us and the endless, meaningless race we are stuck in, drown the inner voice that seeks meaning and a higher purpose.
Silence is a virtue, nurture it, nourish it, lend an ear to it - it will speak to you when you need it the most, in solitude!

04/10/2024

At the first glance, it might look wild and random, but the wild is never wild, it is in perfect order, perfectly balanced, perfectly designed. Every element in nature is perfectly placed, each performing its role perfectly, always in sync, always aligned, always in tune, always inspired, always inspiring!
At the first glance, it might look still, but it is never so, always alive, always on the move, always performing, always animated, always rising and growing!
At the first glance, it might sound quiet, but it is never so. The wild has its own composition, its silence has a soothing symphony, so melodious that it overwhelms the listener, it resonates with our inner voice that craves for quietude and solitude every now and then, because like the nature’s voice the human inner voice too can be heard and felt only in absolute silence.
The growing cacophony of the modern urban space deprives us with the most essential quality of a good life - silence.
Take a break, step out and step within - listen, be present and be truly and fully alive!

Do you feel alive?

03/10/2024

The immense biodiversity of India offers a great opportunity to travel, learn and seek answers from nature, because every element in nature is a sign pointing to the Miracle of Existence. Every element is a manifestation of Ultimate Reality that is beyond imagination!
Travel to connect with nature, to connect with your inner self, to be in sync with the existence that is an extension of yourself.
We can never feel fully alive without a deeper connection with nature, because nature is not outside of us - we are nature!
Travel respectfully and ensure that your presence doesn’t disturb any creature or causes any harm to any life form - be there to be One with Existence.

Thousand Shades of India

02/01/2025

21/12/2024

12/12/2024

24/10/2024

17/10/2024

16/10/2024

11/10/2024

10/10/2024

09/10/2024

05/10/2024

04/10/2024

03/10/2024

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