There are many new perspectives that I’ve noticed and learned about since I’ve been arrived in India, but today I’ll just describe two that I think you all will find interesting.
Early on in my stay, I learned how differently people here react to death compared to the way most Americans would react. I was in my office working and I heard a blast of noise outside on the street. I went to go check out what was happening, and I found a procession of people carrying around a family member who had just passed away in a beautifully decorated casket. People were playing drums and leaving a trail of flowers on the ground. There was an air of celebration and joy in the air. My co-worker explained to me that here, death is seen as a celebration of one’s life rather than a loss of one's life. Because of this belief, families choose to celebrate with festivities and color. This perspective is very different from what most people believe in America. In our culture, losing a friend or a relative is seen as a time to mourn. We wear black to funerals and act in a very somber manner.
