My name is Fawad. I am a Pashtun South Asian. I want to introduce you to my home. My home has been called by various names by various people through different ages. Indo, Hind, Hindustan, Baharat, Indies, the Subcontinent, Dakshan Asia and South Asia are all the various epithets and nouns used for my home through various eras of the History.
My South Asia is home to one of the world’s largest concentration of human population. It has been a seat of one of the world’s most ancient civilization whose recorded History stretches back over five millennia. It has one of the world’s most varied Geography containing regions ranging from some of the world’s highest mountains, fertile plains, thick jungles, large deserts, a long coast abetting the India Ocean to some of the world’s largest plateaus.
It has historically produced some of the world’s most profound and impressive cultures. Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, three of the world’s great religions were born in my South Asia. Its value systems have always been steeped in universally respected values of humanism and respect for nature and life in all its forms. This respect for nature and life has been the vital spirit that has animated my home in even some of the darkest epochs of its life. As long as this spirit lives, my South Asia stays immortal.
Ever since the dawn of the civilization, South Asia has gifted humanity with extraordinary literature, sculpture, drawing, painting, fine arts, theater, music, dance, architecture, Philosophy and knowledge in various forms and shapes. Mathematics, Astrology, Economics, Finance and medicine have all evolved in significant ways throughout the History in my South Asia.
Sports, such as wrestling, chariot races, swordsmanship, martial arts, running, hiking and climbing have all remained a part of the fitness culture of South Asia. Games such as Kite flying, Chess, marbles play and hopscotch have always been a part of the entertainments for the children and elders alike.
South Asia has always had some of the World’s most delicious cuisines and delightful cooking and food cultures. A strong tradition of guest service and being good hosts has remained an important part of the good eating and cooking culture in my South Asia.
Modest and beautiful dress has always remained a part of the South Asian cultural tradition across the length and breadth of its diverse Geography ranging from the Hindukush and Himalayan mountains to the coasts of Malabar and Kania Kamari. Hand stitched sandals and shoes suited to the geographic conditions have similarly been worn by South Asians for centuries. Beautiful jewelry made of various metals and stones has also been popular with men and woman alike.
From the age of the Mohan Je Darro and Harrapa in the Indus Valley through the Vedic era, the Buddhist-Jain age, the epoch of the epics Ramayana and Mahabahrata, the Muslim age the times of the Bhakties and the Sikh Gurus, a souls illuminating mysticism has remained a part of the social and cultural life of South Asia. Mystics and their adherents have not only sought personal enlightenment and salvation but have generously contributed towards the spiritual guidance and social reform of the society at large. When men of the world would burn, tire and exhaust themselves through relentless competitions for power, riches and women, these mystics and their shrines and hospices would step in to offer them physical and spiritual shelter from the travails of the material world. Gautama Buddha’s abandonment of a life of comfort to look for Nirvana in his travels, Chandragupta Maurya’s abdication from the throne to settle as a hermit with the Jain monk Bhadrabahu, Ashoka the Great’s renunciation of violence and riot after the battle of Kalinga, the unworldly, itinerant travels of the scores of the Hindu Rishis and Jogies to find truth and enlightenment and the spiritual wanderings of the Muslim mystics and Sikh Gurus are all illustrious examples of the vibrant and vital traditions of South Asian mysticism.
As we study, comprehend and live through my home, the South Asia, we shall stay connected to this rich tapestry of cultural, spiritual and humanitarian compartments of my abode. Welcome to my home, welcome to a Dharamshala, a hospice of peace, tranquility and spiritual salvation. It has been a pleasure meeting you.
