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University Grants Commission, New Delhi Recognized Journal No University Grants Commission, New Delhi Recognized Journal No. 41311 ISSN: Print: 2347-5021 www.research-chronicler.com ISSN: Online: 2347-503X Study of Cultural Shock in Radhanath Swami’s The Journey Home Sharad Kumar Tiwari Assistant Professor, Rizvi College of Engineering, Bandra (W), Mumbai, (M.S.) India Abstract The culture, social issues, customs, geography and history of a nation differs from other nations. When a foreign national enters another country, he encounters these differences which make him shocked and uneasy. It is common to experience culture shock when you're transplanted into a foreign setting. This is a normal reaction to a new environment where you are no longer in control as you have been at home. You may experience a range of emotions when adapting to a foreign culture, from excitement and interest to frustration, depression and fear of the unknown. Culture shock is a term used to describe what happens to people when they encounter unfamiliar surroundings and conditions. This research paper attempts to explore the cultural encounters of Radhanath Swami in The Journey Home. He starts a journey to India inland. On his way to India, he passes through Asia and the Middle East countries. He is shocked to encounter the culture, geography, religious practices in these countries. He spends almost two years in India before he return to America. So, most of his encounters are confined to India. Key Words: cultural shock, encounter, strange Radhanath Swami, the author of The cultures in The Journey Home and also Journey Home, spends his childhood at reveals how these encounters enable him Highland Park, Chicago, USA under the to understand spirituality and to believe in protection of his loving parents. When he God. becomes adult, he sets on a journey to In Heret, Afganistan, the narrator explores Europe as a hippie and becomes member the life of ordinary citizens. He is shocked of counter culture. He visits England, to see the simplicity of life there. He France, Poland and Italy. During his discovers that the citizens of Heret do not journey to Europe, he realizes that he does possess riches, but their life is peaceful and not fit among the people adhering to the they are complacent in their life. These life of a hippie. citizens wear simple clothes and are quite In Italy, he did meditation and had a friendly to their neighbours. The narrator calling from God that instructed him to who has never exposed to this simplicity in move India to have a spiritual experience America is shocked to have a glimpse of it of life. He responds to this calling and in Afganistan. He reveals: decides to go to India. At the outset of his Looking around, I was transported journey, he goes to turkey and from there into a realm of timeless simplicity. he manages to reach Iran. On his My heart pounded. Camel after destination to India, he meanders through camel sauntered by. There were no many Asian countries, he encounters sounds of horns or modern vehicles cultures which are weird and uncommon only camel hooves clacking on an and he was utterly dismayed to experience earthen road. Families were crowded them. He has recorded those strange into tiny one-story houses made of Volume VII Issue V: May 2019 (120) Author: Dr. Sharad Kumar Tiwari University Grants Commission, New Delhi Recognized Journal No. 41311 ISSN: Print: 2347-5021 www.research-chronicler.com ISSN: Online: 2347-503X dried mud. A pungent taste of arid carefree people I‘d ever seen. This dust dried my mouth and the smell of surreal combination of poverty and camel excrement and burning wood happiness short-circuited my assaulted my nose. People chatted intellect. (TJH, 68) while squatting on the roadside, The narrator continues his journey and dressed in their traditional Afghani boards a bus to Kandahar. Aboard the bus, clothing. Their loosely fitting he is surprised to see the fellow garments were elegant though faded passengers. He encountered an uncommon and tattered with wear. Men wrapped spectacle inside the bus. He was amazed to long sheets of cloth around their see the animals among the passengers. He heads as turbans and many had faces relates: riddled with deep blotches, scars In the centre aisle were sacks of made by small pox. Like aged produce, a half dozen chickens two leather, their skin was dried and sheep, and a goat. The straining toughened by the elements, and unmuffled motor, the laughter of huge, spontaneous smiles revealed men and women, and wailing of rotting or missing teeth. Baggy shirts babies provided the soundtrack for extended below their knees as they this amazing show. (TJH, 70) performed their chores apparently Radhanath Swami was also surprised to with no concern for the time. see the devotions of the passengers to Women covered their faces with a Allah. These passengers offer namaz to fine mesh and wore blue or black Allah many times a day irrespective of gowns that reached from the top of the place and circumstances in which their heads down to the ground, they are. These passengers were not leaving no trace of their bodies religious fanatics but they were ordinary visible. (TJH, 68) people. Radhanath Swami delves into The narrator was not able to identify with the complete devotion of these the surrounding and was shocked to passengers: discover the incongruity of poverty and Suddenly, the bus stopped in the hilarious life of people in Herat. He midst of a vast desert. In a moment becomes completely disoriented and everyone got off. Was this an questions his own existence. He remarks: emergency? No, not at all. The All at once, I found it impossible to passengers carefully unrolled their identify with anything my five prayer rugs on the sand and faced the senses perceived. Utterly alienated, direction of the holy city of Mecca, my ego succumbed to a painful performing their namaz, or offering breakdown. On my knees, sweating of prostrations and salutations to with emotion, I struggled to connect Allah and his Prophet Mohammed. something to the world I knew. I Every few hours this ritual was failed. I felt totally disconnected. repeated with no consideration of Although the dire poverty was where we were. The religion of these disheartening, the people of Herat tribal people was their life. They appeared to be happiest, most were not mullahs, priests, yogis, or Volume VII Issue V: May 2019 (121) Author: Dr. Sharad Kumar Tiwari University Grants Commission, New Delhi Recognized Journal No. 41311 ISSN: Print: 2347-5021 www.research-chronicler.com ISSN: Online: 2347-503X monks, but ordinary family people. Firozepur, he discovers that this railway Yet in all situations and places it station is completely different that he had impressed me how their devotion to seen in his own country. Hundreds of Allah took priority. (TJH, 70) people were sleeping on the ground band In Kandahar, Radhanath Swami some of the families were conversing befriends Hariz who takes him to his noisily. The most shocking experience home one evening. They sit at the terrace was the way passengers board the train. of the home and get busy to have Radhanath Swami narrates this horrifying philosophical discussions. Suddenly encounter: Hariz moves to the edge of the terrace As the locomotive approached the and howls. He drops a rope and pulls up platform, hundreds of people began a mangoose that shelter at the head of the to running full speed alongside the Swami all night. The mangoose wanders moving train. My host also ran as in the street by the day time and seeks fast as he could. “Follow me,” shelter at Hariz’s home at night. This yelled. All at once, when the train incident shocks Swami tremendously. He slowed to a reasonable speed, delineates the incident: everyone began diving in the Suddenly, he jumped up from his windows. My friend, while sprinting, chair. , cocked his head to the moon tossed his bag in through a window and began to howl like a wolf, and leaped in behind it. I was “Aaawwwuuu, aaawwwuuu, running as fast as I could. He aaawwwuuu.” What was going on? screamed at me from inside the train, Had this distinguished gentleman “Jump now, before it is too late.” gone mad? He grabbed a long rope Diving into a window of a moving with a loop at the end, raced to the train looked incredibly dangerous, edge of his rooftop and hurled it but everyone was doing it. (TJH, 89) down to the road. What in the world Radhanath Swami attends the world was he doing? With rapt attention, he Yoga conference in old Delhi. On the slowly reeled the rope in. To my final day of the conference, he decides to amazement he had fished up a roam around Connought Place, Delhi. He wriggling rodent the size and shape happens to see a shopkeeper who was of a ferret. (TJH, 70) selling the printed images of Indian gods Further, when Radhanath Swami reaches and goddesses. He finds these printed India, he again encounters situations, images of gods and goddesses very customs and traditions that are unusual and fascinating, and becomes uncommon and unheard of for him. He enchanted to them. He reveals his shock becomes disoriented to encounter the to see the physical appearance of Indian diverse and weird practices in India. gods and goddesses: Radhanath Swami hitchhikes in the car of Among the pictures was a beautiful a stranger to Firozepur, Punjab and from woman with eight arms holding there he travel by train to Old Delhi swords, choppers, and spears and under the guidance of the same stranger.
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