For the last few days, I am in NYC with my beloved parents to support my dad as he heals from a minor surgical procedure. I feel honored and blessed to support my dad’s healing with my love, presence and the benefits of my medical background. At the same time, I feel so supported and nurtured each time I visit – by my parents’ love, gratitude, and of course, their wonderful home-cooked Indian meals. ?
A movie about honoring self and honoring family
In the Indian culture, there is a lot of value placed on respecting and honoring elders- which always resonated for me. At the same time, I struggled to balance this with the Western ideal of following one’s heart and pursuing one’s dreams. I am blessed that Coaching for Inner Peace is a family-inspired enterprise that allows me to be the physician I imagined becoming- and also honors the dreams of my first-generation immigrant parents. Perhaps because I have struggled for most of my life to strike this balance between honoring oneself and honoring one’s elders, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (English: The Big-Hearted Will Take Away the Bride), is a movie that is so close to my heart. Also known as DDLJ, this movie is also the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day- in Indian Bollywood style, of course. ?
DDLJ centers around Simran and Raj, a young couple that meet and fall in love on a summer European holiday. Both have been raised in London but are still deeply connected to their Indian roots yet the form of their upbringing is very different. Simran is raised by traditional parents who have arranged her marriage to which she agrees- even though she has never met the groom. Raj has been raised in a very liberal way. His father relies less in outer forms and more in the content of the heart. He trusts in his son’s goodness and in his ability to make his own decisions. When he learns that his son is in love- the son who never thought he would ever be happy with just one woman- he is elated. He immediately supports Raj and Simran’s love. But Simran knows that her father will never agree to the marriage and so she wants to elope. Raj insists that he will only marry Simran with her father’s blessings- that their love cannot truly prosper and grow if it is a source of pain, hurt and suffering for other family members.
To love is to trust
The movie depicts the beautiful arc of growth that is central to the pursuit of any dream. It is not enough to find and then pursue one’s love and passion by giving it everything we have. Ultimately, if love is true, it needs to be set free and we need to let go. Eventually, both Raj and Simran must trust in Love to safely deliver their love story to its perfect conclusion.
To watch a trailer, click here.
The movie is available on YouTube, Amazon video, Google play and iTunes.
I hope you will enjoy this movie as much as I have!
Image source: http://www.asiansunday.co.uk/bradfords-first-famil…
