Rajasthan Comes to Me

Pink City Palace in Jaipur

      If we're just talking about tourism....    Rajasthan is the one place in India I've always wanted to go.  It was the Land of the Kings.  It was the fabled region of India where rulers from every corner of the subcontinent and as far away as Arabia were constantly struggling for control.  Some of the greatest stories of Indian literature come from the majestic and mystical sands of this great expanse.  

Rajasthani women cooking dinner beside a busy
city street.

     Some of the most beautiful and colorful costumes of India are everyday sights right there.  Many of the greatest kingdoms and palaces of the ancient world (including the Pink City of Jaipur) are scattered throughout the vast area.  It has a very proud and storied past dripping with legends of bravery, cunning and adventure.  Pardon the expression, but it's sort of the "Texas" of India.  Only bigger.

     Actually, that was the farthest thing from my mind last Monday.  We had just completed the first day of a new Pastors' Training Conference with a group of 97.  I was lost in thought as the car carried me to where I was going to stay that night.  As always in India, I was looking out the window since you never know what you'll miss as you drive along in this fascinating country.  We were going fast and there is always lots to look at.  As we moved along, I didn't really see it so much as I absorbed it in my peripheral vision.  I noted colorful people seated on the ground, a small pit of coal and fire, a man with a hammer in his hand and a hand cranked blower...

Rajasthani blacksmith making his living one 
little homemade blade or axehead at a time.

     Yes, that's the same thing my wife says, "So what?!!!"  But that's just it -- I've always wanted one of those hand cranked blowers and a blacksmith's portable forge.  As quick as lightening these things flashed in my mind:  "Rajasthanis.  Traveling blacksmith.  Where can I find one of those blowers?  Gotta come back here tomorrow."

     It's funny just how detailed and clear our impressions can be sometimes even when we don't realize we're even really focusing on things.  But all of those thoughts were there.  Instantly.  

     The next day we searched out the spot, found the people and stopped to talk.  As you can see by the photos, they are happy to let you photograph them.  (We told you about that Indian trait last week in the blog.)  They were very friendly, tried to be very helpful and smiled all the way through our visit.  We had a wonderful time just being there and seeing how the blacksmith worked.  

     They travel from town to town staying for a few weeks to a few months wherever they go.  They're very nomadic and so their children grow up rarely going to schools and most live under a tarp or tent, rain or shine.  It's pretty amazing that we see them here in our part considering that we're over 1,100 miles from Rajasthan!

     Finally, I got back in the car with my Pastor friend and we started once more on the road.  That's when I realized it:  The only intelligible word we had spoken between us was, "Hardware!"  I was asking where I could find a blower like theirs.  They were fumbling with their Rajasthani language to try and communicate with me and I was trying in English to communicate with them.  Twenty million people in Rajasthan speak Rajasthani, but I don't.  But through it all, we communicated and we understood each other.  That was not because we spoke the same language, but because I wanted badly to communicate with them and they wanted just as badly to communicate with me.  

Mother and two children happy to pose 
for a photo.

     I know it's better if we both speak the same language.  I'm sure it would be easier if we were from the same background  and culture.  But in spite of those clear limitations and barriers, we communicated because we were both intent on trying.  Some subjects are more difficult to tackle without some language skills to be sure.  But it normally doesn't keep us from trying when we really want to do so.

     All of this reminds me of the Gospel.  It's so easy to think, "We don't know how to talk to them...", "We don't know what to say...", or, "They might misunderstand us..."  But the fact of the matter is, if you really were intent upon communicating the Gospel, you could find a way to do so.  90% of ANYONE that you will meet in the course of your daily lives doesn't even have a language barrier.  You "speak their language", you "talk their talk".  And you know the subject matter well enough.  If you are born again, if you have been set free from sin and if you know the joy of serving God, then you know everything necessary to tell those around you.  

    I wanted a hand cranked blower.  So we talked.  Like I said, I didn't even realize that they didn't speak English or Telugu until after the whole event was over!  But I found what I wanted to know and they found out about what they were so curious - me! My translator was busy at the time talking to others, so I just launched into communicating even though we didn't speak the same language.  

     If a little iron tool is worth the effort, how much more the message of Eternal Life that this world needs so badly!  Don't let "shyness" and hesitancy hinder you from sharing what you have with those who need it.  All you need to do is tell them the miracle of your sins being forgiven, the relief at having your burdens rolled away.  This whole world is longing to hear.  So, take every opportunity to share the good news.  Don't wait for everything to be "just right".  You have it.  They need it.  If you don't share it, who will?

Beyond Frontiers