Home is where the heart is-Life of an Immigrant

 

The heart and life of an immigrant are always divided between the county of birth/origin and the country of residence. Wherever one might go in this world, one's heart actually resides in one's country of origin. Home is where the heart is...I am an Indian and my heart always remains in India even though I live abroad. Some of the Hindi songs like " Phir bhi Dil hai Hindustani ", "Mitti" or " Main jahaan rahoon" best describe one's emotions when one is living far away from one's "desh"  (country). 

Wherever I may be, my heart will always remain Indian. The country you were born in is your janam bhumi (land of birth) and the country of residence abroad is your karam bhumi (land of activity or action since you work there). You are true to both and yet you cannot belong to one entirely. It is like you are present somewhere but your spirit is elsewhere. 

As an immigrant, you are blessed with a sense of belonging to two lands and after some time one cannot do without the other. But one ends up having two parallel lives. My parents always say that I should consider myself lucky that I have two homes in two different countries and can enjoy both which is true but everything comes with a price. Being here means missing out on golden moments with your family and friends back home. One can choose to go back but one cannot somehow...And in times of crisis, one feels the distance even more. Many immigrants would feel the same.     

And at times like now when we are faced with the difficulties of the world health crisis, all the more one wants to be close to one's family because it is so important to be there for each other. It is not at all easy to live away from home in these times. But we have no choice but to be strong! One knows that one has no choice but to be courageous when one embarks on a journey far away from home to distant places since lots of sacrifices, risks and adventures are a part of that journey.   

Right now when India is facing life-threatening challenges caused by the pandemic, all we can do is to pray for our families back home in our country. All are worried about all that is happening back home but we can only rely on our faith in prayers to protect our loved ones.

We all stand together for India in our thoughts and prayers right now. We are sending positivity and healing energy through our prayers across the distance...

#StayStrongIndia   

 

Last week I had watched again a very emotional and inspiring program on NHK- " Regaining Names". It was dedicated to the Miyagi Prefectural Police's search for victims of the earthquake and tsunami. It covered their detail-oriented and endless search for people who lost their lives and finding their remains to help them reunite with their families and thus regain their names. 

It talked about this person's self-imposed mission to trace each and everyone who was lost to their family in that natural disaster. He felt all of them and every last of them should return home and I believe that is the greatest thing one can do for others. Helping someone regain their name and identity is the most significant thing you can do for someone because your name defines you.  This real-life story demonstrates the deep sensitivity of the people involved in it. Here they helped people who lost their lives regain their names and identities. Once again it goes to show that deep emotions matter to Japanese people and that is so much part of their strength! 

I always say that having emotions is not a weakness but a true strength that gives one the courage to do and address things with deep commitment. It is essential to deeply appreciate and honour the feelings of others!

 This program made me think that in life some people who still have life in them also need to regain and find themselves and meet closures in matters of relationships and tragedies. Everybody living or not deserves closure to either regain their identities or regain their lives. We must be there to provide such closures to people to lead better lives or find peace in painful partings. Partings and Separations are never easy but one can help people find a sense of peace through proper closures. 

In the story of " Regaining Names", one person in particular Abe san helped people get closure through the composite sketches drawn by him whereby victims were identified. He taught his son that is important to "approach any task with unfaltering dedication". That is the most beautiful trait of a Japanese person. That is something my parents and grandparents have taught me too. I approach everything with absolute dedication and commitment. Such an approach makes life worthwhile and satisfying. 

Anytime I feel lost and need to establish a direction in life, I find solace in the Japanese way of thought. Japanese way of life and Japanese culture translate my thoughts in many ways. It is as if they define my beliefs and me. I relate so much to it in terms of their sensitivity, appreciation, and creativity towards life. 

All cultures have many positive things to offer and we must learn from them. I come from a very ancient and rich culture too and which is deeply rooted in me. And I often rely on the ancient teachings in my culture to give me strength and purpose in life. Yet it is important to explore other cultures too to understand what is important to others too and deepen cultural sensitivity. I think that in giving to others do we truly find happiness and peace. I believe that in doing for others we find ourselves...    

Somebody has to do something !

 

" Somebody had to do something !"  This is what one person ( Nakamura san I think ) said who contributed to carrying gasoline by rail to Fukushima when the gigantic earthquake happened and resulted in the nuclear accident. Somebody also said that someone had to help the people who were dealing with the gasoline shortage which was adversely affecting their lives as a result of that disaster. Somebody said that he considered it his fate to do something for everyone at that time!  People could not commute for medical reasons or to meet their daily needs. Therefore somebody had to do something about it!  I am watching the " Lifesaving Fuel Train" on NHK. All the people who participated in carrying gasoline by rail at that time to the disaster-struck area are so worthy of all our respect.

Sometimes people have to think about the greater good and sacrifice a lot for the bigger picture! Not everyone has that kind of courage or feeling to do the greater good! But I have often seen such "kimochi" (feeling)  in Japanese people who always have this strong community spirit and are dedicated to give back to their communities as well as support them in whatever way possible. Naturally, any human being would feel intimidated by the disastrous after-effects of natural disasters. However, it is amazing how people in Japan combat the destruction caused by such disasters in the most determined, patient as well as organized manner. They handle it with such quietness, grace, and dignity. Overcoming disasters with courage and determination is a trait common among the Japanese that I so admire. 

One person said that he was fixated on moving forward to carry the gasoline on the train despite the challenges on the way. As mentioned before another said that he must do this since he felt it was his "unmei" to do this and help out others! I could so relate to that approach in some ways. Many times when life throws challenges, I by default embrace that sort of approach where I feel more determined than ever to deal with it in the best way possible and focus on getting past it or at least working around it! As I believe that most times there is no choice but to be strong!  Many Asians believe in fate! Perhaps that is what makes us adapt to many a thing that we can't understand or when we can't find answers to how life treats us. 

Natural Disasters painfully remind us every time that we can have no control over nature! Nature can be powerfully threatening! And yet the disastrous nature of nature also reminds us that the only thing we are left with is to re-build and renew our lives after the destruction. We strike too when nature strikes by not allowing it to defeat us even though it crushes us terribly! It is so challenging to recover from unexpected or expected disasters but we can discover how to work around it with all the strength that we possess. Such real-life stories presented by NHK are so inspiring especially in these times 

Things have to move on and can't remain constant to meet the requirements of others to lead as normal a life as possible even in the world health crisis. This is what one person said in the program and I think it was Nakamura san if I'm not mistaken.

We must never forget to thank all the essential workers who are ensuring that our lives are not drastically altered by disasters. And we must do our bit too since everybody has a role to play however big or small. My teacher always said that in a play each role and each part is important without which the story will be incomplete. Therefore each role matters!

I feel that at this time we must think about the greater good and protect our communities by wearing masks during this pandemic. We must follow COVID appropriate protocols to keep everyone safe. Vaccination is important even if it does not protect completely. But we must continue to give importance to social distancing and physical distancing as and when required out of respect and care for others.  This is the need of the hour! Our actions at this time will reveal how giving we are in relation to our world!  We cannot live alone or only think about ourselves because as one world we must co-exist. There are so many who don't believe in wearing masks or taking the vaccination. They may have a right to do so since to each their own. But they must consider that this comes across as a selfish and careless attitude and can affect the lives and health of others. So each one of us should carefully consider how we want to give back to the world right now and help others to have our lives restored to normalcy or at least near normalcy. We can do that by being wise and responsible! 

The world has been through greater challenges and has endured far worse in the form of world wars, natural and health disasters but through it all and every step of the way people stood together to deal with it and get past it despite so many threats and challenges. This time is one such time when we must act responsibly and think wisely! We all must do our bit as somebody has to do something!  Each has to do something!