I was driving into Delhi the other day to go shopping and have lunch with some girl friends when I heard my driver honk the horn. Now this is obviously a very Indian act as anyone who has ever traveled in India would tell you. Drivers here honk as if to say, 'Hey I am here. Don't hit me.' They really don't (well at least not usually) honk their horn to be rude. You do get used to it.
So, my driver honks the car horn on our vehicle and then presses his palms together and brings them close to his forehead and slightly bows towards the right hand side of the road. The motion was obviously vexing to me so I glanced to the right and there beside the road was a massive, and I mean massive, red stone statue of Lord Shiva. The statue was beautiful to say the least and towered proudly into the air with the usual snake adorning his shoulders. We continue moving at about 60 miles an hour along the highway in the car.
I was awe struck. How long had my driver been doing this motion? Why had I never noticed this before? Why had I never seen this statue beside the road in the past? I knew from its size and location it wasn't new. I remained quiet in the car as it was not my place to comment on such a personal and religious action, and I didn't want to offend Sushil by asking about it.
So, I watched him the next few times we drove by that spot over the next several weeks and every time he did the same honk, pressed palm raise, and bow of the head. It was really lovely to see. It was personal. A quiet moment for a driver to give his respect to a god in which he believes.
So, my driver honks the car horn on our vehicle and then presses his palms together and brings them close to his forehead and slightly bows towards the right hand side of the road. The motion was obviously vexing to me so I glanced to the right and there beside the road was a massive, and I mean massive, red stone statue of Lord Shiva. The statue was beautiful to say the least and towered proudly into the air with the usual snake adorning his shoulders. We continue moving at about 60 miles an hour along the highway in the car.
I was awe struck. How long had my driver been doing this motion? Why had I never noticed this before? Why had I never seen this statue beside the road in the past? I knew from its size and location it wasn't new. I remained quiet in the car as it was not my place to comment on such a personal and religious action, and I didn't want to offend Sushil by asking about it.
So, I watched him the next few times we drove by that spot over the next several weeks and every time he did the same honk, pressed palm raise, and bow of the head. It was really lovely to see. It was personal. A quiet moment for a driver to give his respect to a god in which he believes.
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