 Team Reports |
The Indian Way of LifeJill Maslanka — Mississauga, ON After this, my third trip as a SCAW travelling volunteer, I returned with the same admiration for the Indian way of life as on my previous visits.
Each morning we saw families cleaning themselves and their clothing at water pumps along the streets, taking care to present their very best self to the world. They coexist with traffic, dogs, cows, businessmen, constant noise, and pollution and seem unfazed. Working people share the same environment: commuting on jammed public buses and sidewalks but showing such consideration for each other. We can learn a valuable lesson from the Indian way of life: respecting ourselves and one another, honouring traditions and customs, while sharing the same space with our fellow man. |
No matter whom I would meet — a Rotarian businessman, the mother of a bedkit recipient, or a person living on the street — they all possessed the same gentle manner, exhibiting such dignity and a care for their fellow man — all while living in such demanding conditions. Masses of people live together sharing limited space, without confrontation, and respecting one another’s choice of religion, customs, and social position.