On my recent trip to India, I had the opportunity to go into an Indian village. Having grown up in India, I thought it would be just another village tour. It was meant to be a simple exploration and walk down the memory lane which turned into a learning experience.

In this village, I saw women working and engrossed in domestic chores. Their houses were absolutely sparkling clean. I met this one lady who was heading out to get water from the village well. She had covered her head with her saree and had two pots on her head. I asked her if it would be dangerous to cover her face. What if she tripped? She looked at me and said, “This is sign of respect. I am not supposed to show my face to the village elders”.

There she stood convinced that she was doing the best to keep up with the values of the community. I was amazed. She brought forth for me certain realities that don’t exist for me. I stood there in a bit of disbelief. I wondered if modernization and education was still only privilege of the chosen few.

She turned to me and said, “would you like to put the pots on your head?”. I said, “Why Not?”. And both of us laughed. I loved how we came together for that moment even though we can from different experiences of life. The lesson I learned was – There is always something that connects us – even if it is for a brief moment.