Bhubaneswar: A two-month long arduous trip from New Delhi to London by road by four Indian mothers traversing through 22 countries a year ago has triggered keen interest among women from seven different nations about the Indian culture, society and family life.
Thirty-two women from diverse countries, all mothers, are currently on a visit to India for a fortnight to have a close look at the country’s much valued culture and structured family life.
“We travelled 23,657 km between September and November last year and met women of different nations at 30 places. The interactions hinged around our cultural ethos and family life,” Madhuri Sahasrabudhe, who was at the forefront of the ‘Mothers on Wheels’ trip to spread the message of love and focus on mother’s role in imparting positive values in children across the world, said.
Sahasrabudhe, a schoolteacher and social worker, was one of the two ladies who drove the car all the way, her compatriots during the unbelievable trip being Sheetal Vaidya, Urmila Joshi and Madhavi Singh.
“At many places, people inquired about the Indian joint family system and were surprised about the value system ingrained in the institution of marriage in our country,” she said, adding that the women on a discovery of India were visiting New Delhi, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru and Pune.
The team of mothers from other countries, who arrived in India on November 15, would spend four days in Bhubaneswar from November 21 to 24.
The trip will conclude on November 30.
The visiting women, she said, would be split into teams of two and they will spend time in Indian joint families during the trip. Drawn from Germany, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Bulgaria, Iran and Nepal, they would spend time with the local families, savour the local food and study the prevalent family values.
“We learnt during our 60-day trip that men and women in those countries were looking for answers to their problems. We wanted to know the role of mothers and the value system in those nations, but returned with the conviction that India was better placed in these areas,” Sahasrabudhe said.
The SOA Deemed to be University and C.V. Raman Institute of Engineering in Bhubaneswar would be facilitating the visit of the foreign delegates.
A visit through India and exposure to our ancient culture would help them rectify their system in their own countries, she said.
The visitors were being taken to four different cities in India in four directions to help them study the diverse manifestation in culture though the philosophy and ethos remained the same, she added.
On arrival in India, they attended a two-day international conference held at New Delhi on November 15 and 16 which set the tone for their visit, Sahasrabudhe said adding that the world should know the value system still prevalent in India.
The whole programme, christened ‘Vashudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family), iss being coordinated by Foundation for Holistic Development in Academic Field (FHDAF) run by Sahasrabudhe herself. The programme is being organised in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Art (IGNCA), Bharatiya Sikhyam Mandal and Viswa Gram.
