I’ve always wanted to create a blog but have never been able to figure out what I would like to write about. So I asked myself – what made me the person I am? I was hoping that by asking myself this I would get some clues as to what I should blog about. Was it the fact that I am an Indian homemaker with two grown daughters? Or was it the fact that I am a Professor teaching Hindu Traditions at my local university? Or was it the fact that I am an American citizen who emigrated from India over 30 years ago?
I soon realized that the truth was somewhere in between- that while all of the above statements were true none of them completely defined me. And unfortunately none of them gave me any ideas about what my blog should be about. So I put aside the blog and went about living my life convincing myself that when the time was right the perfect idea would present itself. And it did.
During the course of many conversations with my daughters I realized that they benefit the most from our talks around the family kitchen table. This is when I got a chance to share my particularly Hindu perspective of the world with them. They claim that my best teaching moments have always been wrapped up in stories that come from our daily life and the world around us.
And that’s when it finally hit me- I should write a blog in my everyday voice. The everyday voice that did not necessarily quote from holy books and scholarly works but instead relied on lessons learned in the India that I had grown up in. The everyday voice that enjoyed being a part of Western universities but found a way to interpret this knowledge in a uniquely Hindu way. The everyday voice that acquired a Latin edge when I spent seven years in South America. The everyday voice that constantly learned so much from her shared experiences with Americans from all walks of life, both Hindu and non-Hindu.
However, I wanted to make sure that nobody mistook this to be the voice of ‘The Hindus’ but instead, simply the voice of One Hindu. An important lesson I have learned during the course of my studies and research is that it is unfair to speak for others. That true integrity means allowing each person to speak for themselves. Therefore, I am comfortable only when I acknowledge that I am just One Hindu voice- I do not speak for the millions of Hindus across the globe- just for myself.
So here you have it. The voice of One Hindu dealing with the everyday trials and travails of being an immigrant who will forever be forced to straddle two cultures. One Hindu who sometimes feels like she is a stranger in the land of her birth. One Hindu who oftentimes feels like she is not completely at home in her adopted country either. This is One Hindu’s perspective on life, traditions, culture, religion, spirituality and whatever else may pique her interest.
From my kitchen table to yours….
onehindu 
Hi Miki
Way to go and thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences.
God Bless
Servo
Thanks so much
Yay Miki! Adding you to my blog roll. You’ve always been a wealth of wisdom and an inspiration to me so I’m glad others will get to experience you in this way and I can again too despite the distance. Besos!
Thanks so much for the encouragement Mayowa! I’m looking forward to reading your blog too- let me know when you go live!
Much love ❤️
Hi there..Thank you so much for liking my post and following my blog… I just visited your blog, I enjoyed reading all the posts here… I am following your blog now…!! 🙂
Thanks Bela- I am glad you came to visit. I look forward to reading your posts- they are always interesting 😃
Nice and inspiring blog dear friend! Thanks for following “Known is a drop, Unknown is an Ocean”. 🙂
Thanks so much! I look forward to following your blog- it’s inspiring!
Hey, Miki! Great blog you have here. Really been enjoying reading some of your posts. I hope ti check out your new stuff whenever i have the time.
And, thanks for the follow.
Thanks Russell. I’m so glad you stopped by 🙂
Hello newest Spikey! I know, a bit corny, eh, but that’s the term that has come to stick for those folk who are part of the clan known to be followers of Uncle Spike 🙂
Thank you… I really appreciate that as I for one, know how many interesting and entertaining blogs are out there.
My aim is to deliver an eclectic offering of posts, from my ‘point n shoot’ attempts at basic photography, to the sharing of my travel adventures over the decades, as well as day to day happenings here on the farm. Oh, plus a few observations on life as I see it, thrown in for good measure.
My promise to you is not to be overbearing, just a couple of posts a day, maybe 3 at weekends if I have something special to share. But if you are at a loose end one day, maybe you’ll enjoy trawling through some of my older stuff too. I have added plenty of categories to help in said digging process.
Thanks again and hope you have a great day…
UNCLE SPIKE
Thanks Uncle Spike- I look forward to visiting your site and finding some hidden treasures too 🙂
Hello there 🙂
I hope you are doing fine, I am very glad that you liked my blog and followed it. I will be around to see more from you. Your future visits and comments on my blog are valuable please come again.
May Allah bless you , ameen
Thanks for visiting Ameen 🙂
I look forward to reading more from you too!
🙂 I will be around inshaAllah
I really respect what you are doing here and so far, love every post this month. I will definitely look into your previous posts. I have two categories on my blog relevant to what you are doing here, “developing faith” and “world citizenship”… when I share (link) some of what you have written to my blog which category do you think most appropriate? The one I already “pressed” I did as “world citizenship” because i don’t know how open my audience is to conversion… lol. Thank you for creating such an educational, down to earth blog. It’s inspirational, insightful and nurturing to the spirit.
That is so incredibly sweet of you. I am thrilled that you enjoyed the posts and found them educational. You really made my day. I think world citizenship is a perfect fit for what I write here 🙂 And again, thank you so much for your lovely words of encouragement.
I have nominated you for the Liebster Award! http://mistressofthehearth.wordpress.com/2014/05/17/liebster/
Thank you! You are the second person today to nominate me for this award. I am so very honored 🙂
I have nominated you for the Liebster Award!
http://beingindian1.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/liebster-award-retarded-seal-clapping/
What you need to do?
Provide a link to the person who nominated you
Write 11 facts about yourself
Answer 11 questions set by me
Nominate 11 more bloggers, by providing their links
List 11 questions to be answered by the nominees. Good Luck
Thank you so very much- I am honored that you chose me 🙂
are you really a doctoral student? you write so warmly and from the heart. How wonderful it would be if you could write your dissertation in this same, everyday, voice.
Jan (my wife) and I are trying to do that on our site (www.remember-to-breathe.org). It’s a challenge to do that while talking about sometimes complicated stuff on the brain. But it’s fun And now I have your blog to remind me how beautiful and simple it is!
donsalmon thank you so very much for your kind comments and words of encouragement. I am indeed a doctoral student who is writing her dissertation. In fact one of the reasons I have not written my blog recently is because I have been trying to work on finishing that- a very slow process unfortunately! Your words really put a smile on my face – thank you!