Living abroad, I have always felt responsible to connect my children to their Indian roots. During this period, I have taken upon myself to teach them Hindi, our mother tongue ; allow them explore its rich literature & partake in its treasures once they have mastered the language. We spend time reading Indian folk stories together and discussing mythological tales.
For my younger one, who is eight years old, the familiarity with Hindi is at best, restricted to speaking the language at home. Learning how to read & write the script never found priority in her normal schedule, and the arduous teaching, not in mine. Thankfully, we have nailed the project and made good progress in the last month & half. While we go through the akshars & matras together, my heart fills with pride to be sharing this beautiful language, with my beautiful child.
I ask her, ‘What is it that you like about Hindi?’ and she says to me , ‘ The words are special because they have a roof on them, they are always shaded.’
Well yes, they are. Just as I am shaded under the umbrella of my cultural values, spiritual grace, & belief in the cyclical pattern of chaos and order, which help me brave these trying times.
I love spending covid with my amazing mom aka Rashmi!! 🤩✌️
Words have roof on top.... umbrella of culture. We who stay in India do not value the culture as we think it’s orthodox. Loved it the first time I read and loved it again today. This line brings smile on my face