Touch Elder's Feet

The poem takes on and discusses the blind following of old traditions being considered as good and the belief that youth is spoiled.

Touch Elder’s Feet

 

Beta, take the tea to the drawing room

First comb your hair and make a respectful smile

Serve the tea and touch their feet

Respect your elders, that is Indian style.

 

Heard my mother, as I always heed

Did the task, but it was a task indeed.

But a question had got stuck amiss

And it wouldn’t get off, until I wrote this.

Is the respect in the union of our hand and their feet,

Or is it in the sincere, honest and heartfelt greet?

 

“Youth is spoilt,” elders always complain,

“This isn’t modernity,” I don’t refrain.

Touching elder’s feet does no harm

It has been our culture since the time of Lord Ram.

But what is the meaning of the culture

If there is no respect in the heart,

We need to have the feeling

And not the idol on the cart!

Author's Note

Though the poem is about an Indian culture, but it has just been taken as a symbol for many other cultures in many other regions and religions which are blindly considered by their followers as being 'good' without reflecting about it. The lack of acceptance of new ideas have also been dealt with.

GLOSSARY -
Beta (Hindi) = son
spoilt = spoiled
Lord Ram = A Hindu God.

Reviews

[Kristin Lee]

Very interesting poem. I personally believe in respecting elders - if they deserve it, however, I also believe in understanding traditions and making sure they suite the times. There's no need to stand on ceremony, especially if it's out dated. And I personally can't stand feet. I won't even touch my husbands feet. There's no way in hell I'm touching some body else's feet. It doesn't matter if it's Lord Ram, the Dali Lama, or Jesus. It isn't happening. I'd gladly give them the shirt off my back or go to the ends of the earth to get them a glass of water...anything else to show them respect. But I am not touching someone's feet. Like I said...updated traditions.

[Shivam Murari]

I was waiting for this! This is so much of what I had in my head while I was writing this poem!Though, I do appreciate that there is no BIG DEAL for the believers to follow the tradition, what is the most important thing is are we really intending respect behind the actions?!
Thanks a lot great poet and thinker! :)

[Sugar Plum ♥]

Very deeply true! Your poem shows the aspects in "traditions" which didn`t change since centuries, and how the real feeling and respect is much more than "artificial" prescriptions and rules, specially for a child. I noticed that there is unbalance in many societies - either they give too "high respect" to elder - which also is not deserved at all - and that turns to be near to humiliation for others, Or they give respect to the "children" - as in my society - which turns them to be spoiled and not normal. The situations in both cases are abnormal. We have to realize where is the limit of what we want to do "from the heart", and limits of obligations and fake smiles...Very nice!

-nour-
July-013

[Shivam Murari]

Wow Sugar, you said it all in your detailed expression! Thank you so much! :)

[Gaurav Walia]

Nice concept which holds a very good message.. Perhaps should i say, a very important one...

[Shivam Murari]

Thanks a lot Gaurav! :)

[Ency Bearis]

Interesting verses and you did it well with regards to respecting the elders. We do the same manner and we kiss the hands for blessing or sign of respect to our elders, but seldom followed nowadays by some.

[Shivam Murari]

Thanks a lot Ency for reading and expressing :)

[B-poet]

Loved the last stanza. It's a shame nowadays that culture and respect are becoming somewhat obsolete commodities in a world of declining traditionalism. Great work. A fine write and read. :)

[Shivam Murari]

Thanks a million Bpoet :)

[SHEEMA HUQ]

Oh I found this poem most endearing, I think that you have captured the essence of traditional Indian parenting profoundly, you have expressed the depth of everyone's expectations of one another very insightfully of course, well done to you!

[Shivam Murari]

Thanks a LOT Sheema! :-)

[Dayran]

There's a difference between an act of respect and a ritualized practice that simply caters to the habituation of the body. Unless that difference is made clear it would be too little an exercise to assess the practice for genuineness and true feeling.

[Shivam Murari]

Totally agreed, sir! Unless the difference between written actions and internal feelings is made clear, the genuineness is endangered. Thank you so much, Daryan, for coming, reading and reflecting! :-)

[Coyote Poetry]

Old wise saying I read somewhere in my travel on a statue. "A wise man will lower himself to the poor and the suffering. He who lowered himself with kindness and willingness to help another. Will know a blessed life." Old customs are needed. We have forget to cherish our elders. Old Native American saying. " Grandparent are the builders of our future. Their teaching and example teaches the future wealth of a country. The children." I still open door for people and hold great respect for our elders. Thank you for the poetry and artwork. They were outstanding
Coyote

[Shivam Murari]

Thank you so much Coyote for coming and reading and reviewing. :)

[Divyanshu Kachhap]

should have told more about our culture ... but good one to read :)

[Shivam Murari]

Thanks for coming and reading, Divyanshu. I appreciate your view, but through this poem I do not attempt to publicize Indian cultures, rather share a more grave meaning that actions do not determine the kind of person, rather his true internal feelings!