It is time to raise our awareness

As Indians we believe in and practice the concept of ‘Athithi devo bhava’, may the guest be treated like Angels or Gods. It is in our cultural DNA to welcome any guest with little or no doubts, and to take their word at face value and accept them. We extend our warmth by catering to them at times the cost of our own discomfort, while often neglecting or undermining our own family members, friends, relatives and colleagues and even doubting the familiar people we know.

This attitude of quasi servitude impairs us with a longer response time to awaken if the guest reciprocates hospitality with tyranny, with aggression which reaches zero tolerance in the Indian context. One only must refer to history, for evidence of this.