Home Diaries – 9th May 2020

I love people! In fact, like a true extrovert, I get my energy from being around people. What has changed over the years is my understanding of people. That has been a result of very deliberate and conscious effort over the years. In order to understand the Why, I have to take you through my growing up years.

I grew up in a middle class family in India – one of the oldest societies in the world. It is made up of class, hierarchy and expectations. There is a way of living and everyone is expected to follow it. I grew up in a culture where you as an individual came last – it was always about others. “What will people think” is the baseline for how you live your life.

I have always been a bit of a rebel and while I abided by most of the expectations (mostly out of respect for my parents), I was forever pushing the boundaries. I was curious about everything especially about relationships and people and the stories behind it. But I was growing in a society that was built on pre conceptions around caste, creed and communities. And that became my truth!

Soon, I got married to man who had seen more of the world than I had. He had travelled with his dad in the airforce and seen a whole lot of diversity. He taught me to look out for stories – become a listener more than a speaker. That helped!

And then we moved to Australia – the multicultural pot of the world. The diversity blew me away. I loved being around different people, I loved listening to the stories – cultural stories, experiences, pain, love – what helped shape a personality. I attended training sessions that helped me hone my skills. I became a sponge!

As I learnt more, I realised my heart was opening up! I developed empathy, I became less judgemental and more empathetic. I started loving myself more – I understood me better. I became more attuned to people and their stories. I became more tolerant as I learnt that everyone has a story to tell!

This is one of the biggest reason for me starting my blog – I want to write people’s stories – what shaped you, made you unique and the person you are coz as they say there is only one of YOU in this world!