Lalit Shastri

This is the soul of Bharat.

Picture this: an elderly couple on a sacred pilgrimage to Pandharpur in the Maharashtra State of Bharat . Weathered by time, but hearts tender with devotion, they pause at a modest jewellery shop. The husband wishes to gift his wife a gold mangalsutra—not for luxury or vanity, but as a symbol of enduring love and tradition. The wife, with the innocence only faith can give, offers the few rupees they have gathered, unaware of the true cost. The shopkeeper, moved by their purity, gently pushes the money back. His voice soft, his eyes kind, he says:

“Please keep your money. Just bless me, and may Lord Pandurang bless us all.“

No price tags, no business calculations—just an unspoken bond of humanity, an exchange of blessings over gold.

Where else in the world does commerce bow to compassion, and wealth pale before the wealth of the spirit?

This is Bharat—difficult to define, impossible to understand through statistics or modern metrics, yet this is the very essence that makes India worth living in, worth loving, and worth hoping for. Even as one’s eyes moisten watching such moments, the heart silently prays that this Bharat always endures.

And then, the contrast that time and place can sometimes offer.

Once, during my time in London, I was carrying fruits in a brown paper bag when it tore from the bottom, scattering my humble purchase onto the pavement. I spotted a fruit vendor, an elderly lady, and approached her with the most ordinary of requests.

Could I please have a paper bag? Mine tore, and I just need one to carry these fruits.

She looked at me, handed over the bag, and as I expressed my gratitude, ready to walk away, her words came sharp:

“What thank you? That’ll be 5 pence, please.”

No malice, no wrongdoing—just the way of that world, where help too often has a price, and kindness is measured out in coin.

The difference stung—not the money, but the cold transaction in a moment of simple human need.

The Message We Carry

In the face of such contrasts, we are reminded that Bharat’s soul is not merely geography or history—it is this spirit of selflessness, of seeing God in guests, strangers, and fellow beings. It is this innate compassion that binds us, that makes our land unique, and that the world struggles to understand.

May we cherish and protect this spirit. May we teach our children that the greatest wealth is not in gold, nor in coins, but in the ability to give without counting, and to help without waiting for reward.

This is Bharat—ancient, enduring, and still capable of touching hearts with its quiet, unmatched grace.