1. The Prosperity Within
Xahej Bajipura
Unanimous Winner of the 2014 TheTravellersMarket.com Int’l 200-word Travel Tale Contest
I've been blessed to cross paths with some of the most prosperous people in the world, living in
India’s “slums” and “jungles.” These beautiful beings barely had enough for themselves, but
always had enough for others, especially foreign strangers.
In the cleansing monsoon season of 2011, I embarked on a five-week humanitarian service
journey coined the “Indian Birthright.” I was assigned a little sister the day I arrived at the
Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad. Without knowing Payal, I was welcomed into her home. I was
fed, provided for, and pressed by her father to sleep in their only cot—unusual in this patriarchal
society. They asked where I bought my clothing and luggage. I replied America but everything
was made in India. They were not fazed. The magnetism of America was that fantastical.
I felt like the Queen of England as villagers handed me their babies, hoping I would carry their
children to America. In their innocent glistening eyes, I witnessed a yearning for a brighter future
for their precious ones. In me, they saw their dream. In America, they saw a wonderland of
material prosperity equating to happiness. Through their joyful offerings, I learned that
prosperity resides within us.
Below photos taken in India:
2. Payal (first girl on the left) and Xahej (in the red scarf around head) posing with other Gandhi ashram girls and
InSPIRE participant.
