When I said Namaste

I said Namaste and then I made friends with an Indian who's studying in the College of Medicine in Mindanao State University. It was actually the second time that we had seen each other. The first time was during our Mental Health Orientation last February and here we are now, able to talk about something. 

Me and Shadz

 Namaste , it is a salutation in the Hindu culture to express a polite and peaceful hello or goodbye. It was shared to me by Ate Jingkay, who is very active in peace building activities among the youth here in Mindanao.  She shared to us her experience in one of her travels regarding her learning about how to say the word "Peace" in different languages.  I met her last April of 2011 during the National Volunteer's Summit held in Cagayan de Oro City and her passion inspired me a lot. 

It was indeed a proof that the words we speak can either bridge or build a greater gap between people. As for me, It made a bridge that lead us to share about each other's experiences. I had been curious about the Indian culture when I started to learn about Bollywood movies like Slamdog Millionaire , The Three Idiots and  My Name is Khan. Our conversation went through and I shared to him what was the best Indian Movie I had ever seen, and that  is  Rang de Basanti. I recited my most favorite line and it almost made me drop a tear because in awe of such inspiring words that I heard:

‎"No country is perfect. You've got to make it perfect. Join the police, military. Become part of the Politcial System. This country will change. We will change it! There are only 2 things the way you live your life and either you tolerate things the way they are or take responsibility to change them." - Rang De Basanti (Indian Film, 2006)

 My newly met friend was named Shadz. He shared to us a lot of things but I believe it was not for my blog to inform to the general public. The experience I had today moved me to read and study more about India , especially Mumbai or Delhi. One thing is for sure, the words we say can be the fire that burns the house or the fire that makes an air balloon float. May we be always think before we speak. :) Namaste to you! :)