The Very Indian Smile
The Sun set down as the Aravali Express (doing full justice to its name)crossed the Aravali range. The Sun, like your dog when it ravages your breakfast, went down with an unknown shyness. It not only marked my exit from Rajasthan but also my trip to Siana in the Sirohi district.
I did many things there from going on a safari to trekking(doing which I almost died) and shooting. But none of that matters for I saw something that villages all across India are known for. The great Indian smile! I never had experienced it in my life (even though I have spent the entirety of my life in India) but it easily was one of the topmost experiences of it.
While waiting for my train I passed a villager who just happened to smile when he looked at me. For him it was a regular exercise but for me it was the half moon that in the night sky made me wondered what great had humans done to seep in the divine majesty of nature. The smile was rugged like the village life that he was used to. It did not contain judgement about me or dislike but love. A subtle but powerful love. The one that pierces even the hearts of stone statues. He was poor, with clothes that resembled rags rather than actual clothes but that doesn’t stop him from spreading that love.
It all seemed like a normal situation that happens to everybody but that statement does little justice to it. Was it normal in India? Yes. But was it normal? Definitely not. I realised how much love is still there in the human race, hearts and souls. It warmed my heart and soothed me before my departure. The smile truly like the moon was responsible for bloom of enlightenment in me. Happiness not blood ran through my veins.
Clarity struck me at my destination that true enlightenment doesn’t need the will to leave everything, that happiness can not just be divided into objective and subjective but also human. There are ways to achieve all that and if don’t know any of these don’t worry just come to India and smile. A very Indian smile.