As I look around, I see India as a very contradictory country. There are so many elements and beliefs of this place that don't seem to fit well with other elements and beliefs. I also notice contradictions between myself and this country. Here are a few examples:
The people love their country and land so much and are very proud of it, yet they throw trash on the ground everywhere littering and polluting the land they claim to love. When one of my fellow volunteers asked where she could put her wrapper, the cab driver responded, "out the window!" The people of India consider cows to be holy, yet they let the cows wander aimlessly eating not much more than the trash that decorates almost every square foot of open space. You'd think that a figure they considerd divine, would get the best treatment possible...or? Many people live in mud huts that they have constructed themselves, giving the illusion that they are very poor and cannot afford many essential items, much less something that isn't even almost essential, yet many of these mud huts have satellite dishes attached to their grass roofs. They can't afford a home, but at least they won't miss this week's episode! In a country of Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism, I seem to have found more Christians than I ever expected. The food is almost always spicy and sometimes extremely spicy, and yet I eat it (I think I've burned my tastebuds). It is blazing hot and yet, I have not been sunburned yet. In America I am lovingly teased about being so white because everyone there seeks to be darker, and yet here I'm near celebrity status because they wish to be whiter. But the biggest contradiction I have found lies within the colonies of people who suffer from leprosy. These poor people have been ostracized by society to be considered less than the polluted dirt, and given the label, "cursed by God". No one will touch them because of this so called curse, much less even acknowledge them. They have virtually no human interaction because they don't even like to socialize with each other too much. In the eyes of the Indians there is almost nothing worse than leprosy and people who get leprosy aren't capable or deserving of love or attention of any kind. And yet... The minute I saw them I fell completely in love. Looking into their eyes that can't see and touching their arms with missing fingers, it is hard not to love them. These people may have missing body parts, sores all over what is left of them and are considered by society the ugliest of the ugliest, yet they have the most beautiful spirits. These people have every reason this world could give them to complain, but they just smile, give us a hug and say 'nandri' which means 'thank you'. These so called hideous people remind me what true beauty really is. My heart has never been so full of gratitude and love as when looking into their eyes. Touching the untouchables in this world of contradictions has changed my life forever.
I'm sorry if these turn out sideways... I'm not sure what the deal is...
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