India had been influenced by West over generations now and most of the lifestyles and our way of culture are slowly integrating with the global platform. Be it the education, environment, festivals or cultural integrity, today, India stands nowhere behind any of the generalized protocols of the world. Indian media and marketing have not left behind by bringing in the festivals of ‘Valentine’s day’, ‘Friendship Day’ and ‘Cancer Awareness day’ and so on. But one festival that is yet to reach our entire Indian shores and make an impact in the younger generation is ‘Thanks Giving”.
Gratitude
had been in our blood ever since Indian Civilizations emerged. We do thank people for their kindness, help,
care and affection in all ways possible.
To me, Thanks giving should be one festival that should integrate into
our lives, irrespective of the religion or nationality, because we should take
a moment to pause in life and explicitly express our solidarity and
thankfulness to all people who brought in the difference in our lives. Thanksgiving especially is a harvest festival
giving thanks to God for the harvest and primarily celebrated in US and
Canada. It also becomes an important day
to express gratitude to all things that brought happiness, all the moments of
trouble that we overcame, all the
strength that emerged by lessons learnt, and all the good people in our lives. We have local festivals like Sankranthi,
Pongal, Onam celebrating in similar lines and this urge is only towards a
common thread that can bind the entire nation in gratitude.
I
take this opportunity to thank God, my parents, my spouse and child, my teachers,
my friends and colleagues and all people who influenced towards the best in my
life so far and especially to Inner Wheel that makes us commit for a cause with
conviction, compassion and consistency.
---
Umasree Raghunath, Inner Wheel Club of
Madras South
