The day I understood why my civilization survived

I remember this day in Singapore when I came face to face with a truly timeless civilization.

Exploring India’s history had become the central mission of my life and I was writing a series of essays on the educational heritage of India which later became a book. While the intellectual aspect of Hinduism had appealed to me immensely, the Bhakti aspect had not caught me yet.

Unlike Christians who go to church on Sundays and Muslims who go to mosques on Fridays, Hindus have largely been free to establish their own unique relationship with Bhagwan. There is no coercion when it comes to religious beliefs and this is why I was happy to be Hindu. But I really did not know much about traditions or the role they played.

“Oh, I am not a temple goer.”

“I only visit temples if they have some history.”

“I only go to temples when there is a nice dinner served.”

This was me until just a decade ago. In school-going days when my parents planned vacations, I would push for hill resorts and historical forts in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan but shoot down plans to visit the shrines in Vaishnodevi and Kedarnath.

As the elders say, things happen only when the right time comes.