Being from Canada, a huge and cold country, I chose to spend my winters in India for a few years because I’m retired now! How to explain my attraction to this country so different from mine!? How do I describe how I feel when my feet touch the Indian soil? How to say all the states of mind that I have in contact with the people of this unique country in the world!?

I will talk about my personal experience and try to show how much I love India despite the misery, dirt, corruption, and overcrowding. What touches my heart are these beautiful children I meet everywhere with their bright dark eyes and their nice smiles. These children are the future of this great country. They are smart, they are eager to learn, and I am sure they will change a lot of things in this country and I may not be old enough to see what India will be like 25 years from now. I like to see these Indian women with multicolored saris, and jasmine flowers in their beautiful black hair. Looks like princesses who walk everywhere and often I’m surprised to see one of these women come out of a ruined house as if she lived in a castle.

Rural India touches me more deeply because it is where you can see real India. In each village, there is a temple dedicated to Hindu deities who are part of everyday life. Hindus perform rituals and prayers with faith so present that it upsets me every time. In the villages, I feel a great solidarity between people who help and support each other.

There is less visible misery in the countryside even though life is hard and work is difficult. People live in harmony with the animals that are part of the family India is for me a refuge where I come to relax and where I come to challenge myself in relation to my North American values. I listen and see how people live here and I’m learning a lot about being in the moment and living more simply.


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Odette Beaule