Day 10 March SOLSC! #SOL23

Our town in on a hill. It is a university town. One end of the hill is called EndPoint. Long back there was a narrow road till the end. From there we can see River Swarna flowing towards the Arabian sea. Many people working in the different institutions of the university crossed the river in boats, climbed the hill and walked down the road to their places of work. Now there is a bridge across the river and many changes on the way to EndPoint. We love going there for our evening walk.

A few weeks ago, my mother and I were walking back. We saw a boy come towards my mother. He bent down and touched her feet and asked for her blessings. At first my mother did not know how to respond. He told us she reminded him of his grandmother. My mother smiled and blessed him. We met him once more. He immediately came and touched her feet.

Touching the feet of elders is a tradition that has come down to us from long ago. In South India we seek blessings of elders during religious functions. We touch the feet of all elders and those younger to us seek our blessings. When we visit someone, if there are elders in the house, we bend and touch their feet.

But in north India there is a difference. When people meet someone who is older to them, they immediately bend and seek blessings. When we were in Kolkata for a vacation, we met some of my husband’s students. They first touched our feet before wishing us. Many extend their right hand towards the feet of the person from whom they want to take blessings. We don’t have to touch the feet always. Those who give blessings place their right palm over the other person’s head.

Before the advent of television and later of the internet there were lots of differences in the customs and traditions of north Indians and south Indians. But now things have changed a lot. There are differences but they do not appear strange to people living in different parts of our country.

Some time ago we had attended a wedding. My husband was professor in the Dental College. We met many friends and acquaintances. We were leaving and a student was coming in. He immediately bent towards my husband’s feet. Outside we met two nurses who had worked with my husband. They were very happy to see us. They said they were seeing ‘Sir’ after a long time and wanted his blessings. They bent and touched his feet. And mine too.

At a religious function