Page 55 - Microsoft Word - CMA BOOK_2

Cultural Migration in Autobiography Grundtvig Partnerships 2009-2011

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

e-mail: kszia@komesnet.com.pl http://cma.internetdsl.pl

55

Destiny

Parimal Bhattacherjee

Bengali proverb.

Three things depend on destiny: Birth – Death – Marriage

Going back in time, I can definitely say my destiny was my husband. It hadn’t been planned, it simply happened. My Destiny decided I had to live in Italy not in India. A really big change for me; I got the help and support of my husband but an important part was my Indian culture, the one I breathed during my youth as, since I was a kid, I got used to other cultures, to other religions: I’ve always been conscious of the presence of the ‘Other’, I’ve always thought it was a natural part of life. Hinduism, especially in the 20th century, through the words of Gandhi and Tagore, teaches that all religions are one and good and preaches the utmost form of tolerance. Gandhi message tells us of harmony among all aspects of life, while it was a very deep spirituality that brought Tagore to seek a bridge between India and the western world. Very strong was the influence of Sri Ramakrishna, who says that all the religions are good to get to the supreme destination. As his words go ”So many faiths so many paths”. That’s why it was so difficult for me to accept the idea that an only religion is the one which can assure the salvation of our souls. Moreover I can’t deny I missed my Indian family, my brothers…I still have in my eyes and on my body the sunshine, the colours, smells, tastes and perfumes of India. A night by the moonlight reminds me of past times when I used to lie down on the terrace, there in my faraway house, me, a fanciful kid, who looked at airy clouds and created magic little pets. Spices, perfumes, a sweet melody in the distance…but Time never stop. It never will. You can’t go back.

What I did was the right thing, but it was written in my Destiny, on the small piece of paper and with the pen that, according to an old Bengali tradition, parents used to put in the room of every newborn baby for the God of destiny to write the baby’s DESTINY.

Parimal Bhattacherjee was born in Howrah, India. She lives in Faenza and has got one daughter.