It was the day of Christmas. My mom suddenly decided we should all visit a Church, not too far from our home. She couldn’t hide her excitement about discovering something new. So off she went with us in tow. I still remember our awe on seeing the story of Jesus, as a handmade series of displays. We moved in a line from display to display and at the end, for the first time we encountered the Communion wafer.
Mom was raised a Hindu and raised us as Hindus. Not very religious or ritualistic, she offered a simple daily prayer, paid visits to temples when she could and rejoiced in the social and cultural merrymaking of festivals. With a high school education, she went to school at a time when religion was a family affair and the knowledge of other religions was limited to what she saw around her.
Years later, I was pregnant with my first child. St.Philomina’s Hospital had a no-man policy in the labor room. Mine was a long painful labor and my mom’s anxiety rose with my pain. Her fear was very visible as she paced and prayed for me and the child. A friendly Muslim lady reassured her all will be well if she feeds a spoonful of sacred offering from her Durgah. Mom rushed back into the labor room and the Tabarruk was promptly administered. That day I delivered a healthy baby girl.
Fast forward to now and my mom needs the support of a caretaker, at all times. Caretakers have come and gone. They have been of different faiths and she has been very accepting and appreciative of their support.
Her current caretaker is a young Christian lady. As she closes her Bible briefly to switch on mom’s Slokas (sacred Hindu chants) on the iPad and returns to her Bible, there is a peace in the room. I am touched when she applies the Vibhuthi (Hindu sacred ashes) on mom’s forehead after bath. And the most heartwarming was mom lying in bed listening to the young lady’s pastor (on her phone’s speaker) recite a prayer for mom’s good health.
By these small acts of kindness and tolerance, I am reassured we can all co-exist and lean on each other, yet each in our own beliefs. Faith matters. In each other.
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Ushi's Take 
Very well said Usha. I too recollect our visits to the church in Rajajinagar every Christmas. Throughout my life I have had friends of all religions, whom Amma openly welcomed and fed them her yummy food. From Asanta, in my earliest age until Mansoor today, she was friendly to everyone. We visited and stayed over with Lynette in Mangalore and she took vows to her God for Lynette’s welfare. Very touched by Suma’s yeoman service to Amma. Amma taught us to live and let live.
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So true Sudha! You said it just right – live and let live.
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Beautiful words Usha. We are all truly the children of one God who loves us all. What you mention is the faith and culture that we all grew up with regardless of labels.
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So true!
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Ushi dear- thanks for sharing this beautiful post. Such powerful observations – maybe its through ones faith but no matter why, ultimately ones humanity shines through. No matter the religion- its how we connect with another human being, love, care, support and be of help to another- is what endures at the end. And you and your family walk this walk. Sending hugs
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Thanks Sarita. We are lucky that we are surrounded by such lovely people.
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Beautifully narrated. The Force has always been strong with your mom.
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Religious belief (or “faith” if you prefer that loaded word) has been used throughout history to divide and persecute people. You need only to look at recent history to see millions of people who have died because of religion. I have personally been attacked and ridiculed for my own beliefs by devoutly religious people of various denominations.
I do not mean to downplay anyone else’s subjective experience but can we please at least acknowledge that our various religions have done a huge amount of harm in misleading, miseducating, and damaging people over the course of centuries? Even “saints” like Mother Theresa are false idols. She said that “the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion” while accepting her Nobel prize. She provided a dirty concrete floor and paracetamol for people dying in angony and furthered their pain for generations by telling lies such as “prophylactics cause AIDS rather than prevent it.”
I don’t deny that good acts have been done in the name of God but the scales tip heavily toward less favorable things like centuries of suppression of women’s rights, persecution of people who disagree with you, and manipulation of vulnerable people to make them agree with you.
No thank you!
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You are right – religion has done bad and good in the world. I definitely do not want to dismiss the persecution people have been through. This is a post about love. As the last 2 sentences reinforce – “Faith is important. In each other”. In this case it happened to be religion, but meant to go beyond – belief systems, cultures, practices, way of life in general.
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A lovely narrative – simple, eloquent. Subject can be faith or anything else but you did bring out the essence of tolerance & peaceful co-existence. That’s a lovely B&W pic too
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