Lost Heritage

I hope you all agree with me that the Indian economy is booming. We have plenty of money at our disposal, which was a distant dream just 5 or 6 years back. Pay-scales are increasing year-by-year. Opportunities are opening up for the young and talented. The world is just like “You dream, you work, you achieve”. Innovative ideas are being appreciated and paid all over the world.
But beneath all these green pastures is the danger of forgetting our culture! You have everything now but still you are missing the simple joys that come by doing your favourite things (you might have even forgotten about your interests by now). Just try to answer the following questions:
1. When did you last go to a temple alone?
2. When did you last see a teenage girl wearing a half-saree?
3. When did you last visit your native village/town?
4. When did you last eat our traditional snacks like kaarappoosa, gorumiti, kajjikai, mysorepak etc?
5. When did you last read any book that’s written in your regional language with interest (not for time pass)?
6. When did you prostrate before your elders?
I don’t mean that you should do all these so as to follow our culture. These are just some of the huge list of the examples of our lost heritage. Just close your eyes for a few moments and try to imagine your childhood. Imagine the days you spent at your grand-parents’ house. Imagine the days when you used to play with a bunch of friends. Imagine the games you used to play with them. Imagine being scolded by neighbours for trying to steal guavas and mangoes from their backyards. Imagine the happiness in your face when you see all the family members gathered at your grand-parents’ house for festivals. Imagine the feel of cool evening breeze blowing mildly on your face while playing in the fields. Some of these things are done even better now. But is there the purity of the past in these things now?
Holidays, for elders, are being spent lying around in bed or working extra hours for extra bucks while holidays, for children, are being spent in special coaching centres for personality development etc. Are your parents not happy with what they used to get in their days? Did you ever need summer camps in your childhood? Is this because of the lack of outdoor activities for children? Do the play-stations and X-boxes help your kids to build team morale and the physical exercise that we used to get in the games we played in our childhood?
An average person is thinking twice to eat rice with pure ghee (the reason stated at this juncture is mostly the fat content) while he/she eats a burger with a whole slice of cheese without a second thought. This is just a small example to show that the mindsets of the people are changing.
My sincere advice is to try to follow any of the following things by taking a small break from your routine works:
1. Visit a village-side in your free time and enjoy the simplicity
2. Go to a peaceful place that’s untouched by the sounds of the motors and try to listen the sounds of nature.
3. Pluck and eat a fresh fruit from a tree in the neighbouring field on the road-side without anyone noticing.
4. Sit in the cool shade of a tree and enjoy your favourite book or music.
5. Sit on the riverside and enjoy the feel of the breeze tickling your face.
6. If it’s not possible to go to a village, just go to the city outskirts and visit a movie theatre where some old movie’s playing.
These, all, are possible for us and are in our reach except for the fact that we make ourselves busy and think that doing something to please your heart is purely a wastage of time. In this busy world, buying yourself your dream bike is very simple but sparing a few minutes for your inner joys is very tough. All I say is:

“It is your destiny. Only you have the right and potential to change it”.