A few months back, I was travelling in Delhi through Uber Pool. This one time, I was the first rider, then a young lady with her little daughter joined us and in the end, after about a kilometre, a Muslim guy sat in the front seat. This guy was wearing their traditional white cap.

So this little girl got curious and asked her mother, “Why is this uncle wearing a cap in the evening? There is no sun outside!”

Till now, the radio was on, the Muslim guy was having a conversation with the driver and I was busy scrolling through my news feed.

But this question made me take my eyes off the phone, the conversation between the guy and the driver stopped and the driver lowered the volume of the music player. I thought of explaining something to the kid, but, the mother was already ready with the answer.

She said, “Have you not seen me covering my head with a dupatta, whenever I visit the temple? Or when some elder guests come to our house? Or when I have to touch the feet of your grandparents? It is a sign of respect or to pay our regards, my child.”

The girl wasn’t quite convinced. She came up with another question, “But who is this bhaiya paying respect to? There is no temple here. He is not touching the feet of anyone. Neither is anyone so big in age sitting in this car. So, who is he trying to give his regards to?”

Surprisingly, the mother was ready for this too. She very calmly replied, “His parents have taught him to respect everyone he meets and to pay them his regards. Just like I teach you to say Namaste to guests.”

No one was expecting this reply. Not even the Muslim guy himself.

I was the first one to take the cab so we reached my destination first. I got down, smiling, and thinking that if this is what the common man thinks about people around him and if this is what people are actually teaching their children, then our politicians are failing at dividing us.

All the orthodox idiots are failing in disturbing the secular fabric of this nation.

All I can say is-
MERA BHARAT MAHAAN.”

Submitted By – Meghna Athwani

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