He aha te mea nui o te ao
What is the most important thing in the world?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
It is the people, it is the people, it is the people
–Maori Proverb
I have now been back home for 3 days, and my most commonly asked question is – What was your favourite part of your trip? The first time I was asked this, I was stumped. After a long few minutes of awkward silence, I proceeded to reply, “Only one?”
When I look back on what was undoubtedly the most incredible six weeks of my life, it seems impossible to boil it down to just one highlight. The Taj Mahal was pretty incredible, but visiting the slums was so eye-opening; the Himalayas were astounding, but the skyscrapers of Mumbai were also out of this world.
After about the third time being asked this question, I realised I should probably try to prepare an answer. So, as I scrolled through my camera roll reminiscing on the hundreds of incredible moments, the answer slowly became clear. My favourite part? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.
The whole group pictured outside the Taj Mahal on our final day.
If I think back to my old self before the trip, I was most worried about three main things:
- My safety, being in a whole new country as a woman who only speaks English.
- Spending every moment of six weeks with a group of strangers who could all hate me.
- The food.
Ignoring the food (which was incredible, by the way), it’s crazy how the two things I was most afraid of ended up being the highlight of my trip. India was beautiful, but what made it beautiful wasn’t necessarily the landscapes. It was the people who lived there. The hospitality we experienced in India was better than anything I could have imagined. In every hotel and restaurant, the staff went above and beyond to attend to our every need. At the education institutions we visited, the students were always so excited to see us, to talk to us, and to show us their studies and culture. Most impressively, they always cheered at our Bollywood dancing, no matter how tragic it may have been. But what will stay with me the most is the kindness from people who had nothing to gain from us. The locals who would wave to you on the street. The kid who gave me a free bracelet despite the fact I had nothing to give in return. The constant excited requests for photographs. As I walk past people on the streets back home, heads looking at the ground – their worst fear is making eye contact, let alone smiling, I feel a sense of loss for the joy those tiny interactions used to bring me. It is something I can try to replicate in New Zealand, but I know it will never be the same.
The 24 strangers I talked about earlier are now 24 amazing friends. Within days of being back, our group chat is still blowing up my phone. We have two parties organised in both Auckland and Wellington, one Zoom call for next week, and a weekly coffee date set up in Hamilton. India would not have been the same without them; the jokes, commentary, and even arguments made the trip truly come to life.
If there was one quote that has stuck with me from the trip, it is Muhammad Gandhi’s “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” I think that both India and Maori culture are prime examples of the key value of caring for others. This cultural value is something I believe New Zealand as a whole needs to make more centre to our national identity. First hand I’ve seen the impact of this belief on increased well being of people, but it also inherently lends itself to sustainable growth and equitable economic development.
Lastly, as I finish off my final blog post of this incredible journey, I promised my mum that I would deliver at least one more poem. If there is one feeling I could boil the last six weeks down to, it would be love, so as such this poem is titled – A love letter to India.
A love letter to India
I fell in love with a distant land,
Its people, diverse and grand.
I fell in love with the Himalayas so high,
Ganges flowing, colours painting the sky.
I fell in love with cheeky monkeys at play,
Elephants majestic, in the sun’s golden ray.
I fell in love with curries, bursting with delight,
Breads on plates, naan in every sight.
I fell in love with corporations, bright employees in view,
NGOs striving, changing the world, too.
I fell in love with universities, passion ablaze,
Students with bright faces, eager to amaze.
I fell in love with tourist attractions, magnificent and vast,
Every second, a memory to last.
I fell in love with every little thing,
From a blade of grass, to hearing kids sing.
Most crucially, in this dance of fate,
I fell in love with myself, a forgotten state.
For that, India, my gratitude’s true,
Thank you for the love, old and new.