" Omiyage"

 In Japanese culture, "omiyage" holds a lot of importance. One is required as part of social etiquette to bring back gifts for one's friends, family and colleagues from a place that you visited on a personal or work related trip. One generally gets these beautifully wrapped gifts that specially represent the place you visited. For people at work it could be some sweets or other famous food items particularly from the place of visit which have been equisitely packed. In India too we follow thattcustom but more so with friends and family. But in Japan one has to maintain that formality and etiquette of gift giving at work place too. One can find omiyage shops easily at various places in Japan and even at shops in subway stations or airports for last minute gifts shopping. They are already so finely packed that one does not have to bother about gift wrapping.

As a Japan exchange teacher, I always carried back gifts from my country for my friends, neighbours and colleagues so as to make it known to them that I appreciated them and they were in my thoughts on my trip away from them. In fact even when joining work for the first time , I carried small gifts for my bosses and neighbours as part of introducing myself and my country to them. The gifts could be small but what matters is the thought behind it and the warm gesture. I would take Indian handicrafts items , accessories, Indian teas, silk scarves or sweets for people .  I would try to carry back small gifts for all my team teachers in Japan and all my colleagues later in Napa Valley in States though in States it is really not required to do so specially at work. Nevertheless I enjoy giving gifts ! But sometimes because of baggage restrictions on an international trip,  it is advisable to carry something big or collective that everybody could share instead of individual gifts. It could simply be a big box of local sweets or a box of famous tea or something that everyone could share at work. 

Gift giving or gift exchanging is an integral part of Japanese culture. And it is equally important as to how you present those gifts and how you receive them with appreciation. There are a lot of etiquettes involved and I just love that !

On another note it is also important to say that not everyone can acquire the art of gift giving and gift receiving in the most thoughtful way as it is not that simple as one thinks in certain cultures. Many things have to be carefully considered and wisely selected even when buying gifts specially in dealing with certain nationalities particularly in the Diplomatic community. It requires great cultural sensitivity too. For example in certain cultures some numbers and colours are considered inauspicious on certain occassions. So one has to keep all that in mind when picking up gifts or the way you give it. We shall get into that later at another time ! For now just enjoy the pleasure of gift giving and gift receiving ! It is the thoughts behind it that counts after all !              

Bullying has to stop ! No more bullying !

 

NHK is doing a good job in supporting the cause of "anti-bullying" by covering  short real life stories  in between their programs. They show short stories of people from all around the world who have actually experienced bullying and narrate what they went through or how deeply it affected them . At the same time these people also inform how they addressed the issue of bullying and how that changed their lives for the better. 

Bullying at schools, colleges or work is unacceptable. In fact bullying in any environment or relationship should not be accepted at all ! One has no right to mistreat or humiliate another ! 

As a student, teacher and later as a manager in a work environment, I always ensured that nobody was being bullied. Bullying at work can create a very hostile environment too. I always motivated my students and later work team to be sensitive, considerate and empathetic at all times through long discussions and giving examples . Bullying someone can destroy that person's life in more ways you can imagine. Bullying someone can break that person beyond repair at times. It can have such a long lasting and deep rooted negative impact on the person who is on the receiving end. It can powerfully affect a person's personality and performance. That is why it is absolutely important to protect and stand up for people who are being bullied. 

There are different forms and methods of bullying that an individual or group of people can adopt. An individual or a group of people can bully someone and target that person constantly. They can bully someone because of their race and how they dress too at work as well. I feel that most bullies are people who are actually complexed and insecure about themselves and that is why they derive such sadistic pleasure, power and confidence through intimidating others. In a way in being intimidated by others do they intimidate others if that makes some sense. It is important to explore why bullies are the way they are to be able to effectively change them into better versions of themselves. I used to have long one on one discussions with students who would bully other students just to study the root cause of such behaviour in order to deal with it effectively so that they won't ever repeat it. And that somehow worked wonderfully and I would see visible positive changes in them thereafter and change of behaviour for the better.       

Joy in small things

 Finding joy in small things in your daily life is so important since it inspires you in so many ways...

In Japanese culture, there is importance and appreciation of sounds and colours of seasons. One finds tranquility in attending a Japanese tea ceremony where the simple sound of pouring tea or whisking tea gives peace. It is a kind of meditation in itself where one connects deeply with the sounds hidden in silence. It is as if silence speaks...

The changing colours of the leaves throughout various seasons and the beautifully abundant trees of cherry blossoms remind you of the wonders of nature and instill hope in you for beautiful things to come. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Japan where everybody in everyday life gave importance to nature. They are very creative people and it reflects in the way the way they wrap gifts (origata) or fold paper (origami). Their creativity reflects in the delicate and beautiful decorations and display of their food which tries to include different colours of nature or shapes of flowers too. I just love the way they find great meaning in simple things of life everyday. 

My grandmother was like that too in the sense she found joy in everything she did everyday however mundane it may have been. She celebrated life in it's simplistic ways and yet converted each moment into such special moments with her zest for life and love for the family. Like the Japanese people she was quite ritualistic too as well as celebrated each season of life by adapting that to her food and decorations. I follow her footsteps and try to find joy in everything that I do and every moment I live. 

Today when I hear that people find it difficult to be at home, I find it strangely surprising because I was taught to appreciate and enjoy being at home. I was taught to find art in all that I do at home be it in cooking or decorating a home.

To make life pleasurable we must find beauty and solace in our homes specially now where the outside life is holding so much stress. It is at home and it is in the everyday routine at home must we find joy, peace and contentment more so now when we are supposed to remain mostly at home during the times of health crisis. At your home can you find peace and joy if you really look for it. At your home can you find solace. In the month of thanksgiving, let's be grateful for all that we have. And let's demonstrate that gratitude towards the universe and feel that gratitude endlessly by making genuine efforts to find joy in everything that surrounds you however challenging life may get...