Athiti Devo Bhava

Todays headlines have an ominous tale to tell, India has been declared as one of the 20 most dangerous places for tourists to visit. The tradition of India says Athiti Devo Bhava, which means, the guest is considered to be God. We have grown up believing this doctrine which ma had iterated again and again. As a child I considered the chief of the Thieves in the story of Alibaba to be really really villainous since his strategy was to vanquish the family of Alibaba by befriending them. He deserved to die, thats what I thought then, now, when I look at the pictures of the terrorists, mutilated and lying in a pool of blood, the rage is similar, they deserved to die too. The only difference in the story is that, In the Alibaba story, they were nabbed before they could attack, in todays story, hell has been let lose with the havoc they have wrecked on innocent public. Having targeted the posh hotels of Mumbai, they have instilled fear into the minds of the public about the Hospitality which we Indians are so proud of.As a mother of a growing teenager, my heart also goes out to the terrorists who in their impressionable age have been brain washed to believe that in destruction lies the joys of revenge. They may have been promised heaven on earth for their deeds. Now with nine of them dead, and one begging to die, the traditional Indian in me doesnt wish the live terrorist any harm. On the other hand I pray that he realizes his grave mistake, and lives with the guilt of his ill deeds, a conscience that will prick him for the rest of his life and rob him of his peace of mind. Let this be an eye opener to all impressionable youngsters that integrity of soul is the prime gift of God. A Margina in the present day may have averted a great deal of tragedy, but the likes of Margina exist only in fairy tales I guess.