Unity in Diversity

Leaving my family and home, which was in New York City, at the age of 11 was not easy. Yet I was determined to venture into an entirely new world and attend a boarding school m India. In retrospect, it is clear to me that I was to leave my family and my home because of a strong urge to discover myself and clarify my identity. So, in 1986, I joined Rishi Valley School located in southern India.

I had born brought up in New York City and spent the first through fifth grades in an elite all-girls school. I soon realized that peers evaluated me on the basis of my interests, my clothes, the music listened to, and the TV shows I watched—or rather didn’t watch. My interests were seldom consistent with theirs. I was not popular, which made my life unhappy.

Joining a new school, in a different country was a challenge. Despite being raised in an Indian home, I was only vaguely familiar with my culture. I had visited India only during summer vacations and had not interacted with many Indian children my age. I had to adjust to a new environment, new culture, new teachers and a new way of life. But being away from home was the hardest adjustment. I was homesick for weeks. Yet underneath the loneliness and the unfamiliarity of change. I saw the possibility of making friends and living in a culture with which I could identify.

I discovered quickly that I had friends with whom l could not only walk to and from class, but with whom I could talk at a deeper, more personal, and more meaningful level. What especially made a difference was being able to talk about my own religion without that I was different. I could talk about my family, their background   their values, which my friends would understand, having a similar background themselves. The people of Rishi Valley did not pressure me to fit into a mold, and I soon felt very much at home.

When I joined Rishi Valley, I had resistance toward trying out new activities in the field of sports. On Sports Day, one of the annual events of our school, l joined the 1500 meters race despite my inclination to shy away from such events. I joined the race for the sake of participating. As I began running, I realized that the full joy of participating could only be achieved if I finished the race. I was tired, but with each step I took I knew that I was one step closer to the finish line. As l approached the finish line, I realized the whole school was cheering for me—I was the last one to finish the race! But somehow it didn’t matter to me. I had finished the race and my spirit and effort were appreciated. I soon got over my fear of participation in sports.

A realization has come to me that the essence of life is ‘change’. The past seven years of my life were spent in India as well as in New York City during vacations. By being part of two seemingly different cultures, l learned that the differences, after all, are not so great. The heart of the homeless man in New York is very much the same as the heart of the beggar in India. I am beginning to see a certain unity in diversity. As Swami says, “You all members of the same family bound by the religion of Love.” Mankind can find only in unity; not in diversity.”

~Pia Awal
Manhattan, New York, USA