Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Grandmother’s communication technique in a new land

Imagine you are in a new place where language, cultures and people are different. How to deal with that situation? Here is my grandmother’s way of S-S communication!


Nearly 21 years passed when I got my first employment in a public research and development institution, stationed in the foothills of Himalayas called Palampur in Himachal Pradesh, India. Palampur is 2000 kilometers away from my native place and situated in cold region at 2000 meters above mean sea level. I was hesitant to go there from south but my grandmother (nearly 65 years at that time) stood up my side and came forward to accompany me.


The place, climate, culture, traditions, language and people were all new. Nothing bothered her at all. She managed to communicate with this new group in a new environment with her own S-S communication technique and soon became favorite grandmother for all.


The communication technique she adopted was “Smile and Sign”; I named it “S-S communication”. It is quite simple. In a friendly gesture, she used to affectionately smile at the new person and instantly communicate with him/her in self-styled signs and intermittent laughs. Though she had no formal higher education, soon she became popular among youngsters, children and even intellectuals of the society. Education and generation gaps did not bother her much. Her next step was to help people with her extraordinary skill of preparing tasty south Indian foods and share among her friends. Among those, egg omelet was famous. Often, our family and friends used to mention that grandmother must patent her formulation. Her caring skills were outstanding.


Time passed, we left the place. Recently when I visited the place after long years, every one enquired about my grandmother. They were sad knowing that my grandmother is no more. But she is alive in every ones heart through her S-S communication and caring skills. She was successful in establishing ‘bondage’ with new people through S-S communication and caring skills.


When I visited Germany, China, Ecuador where languages and cultures are new to me, I tried my grandmother’s S-S communication technique. It worked very well. Don’t hesitate trying this when you are in a new place. It is lot more enjoyment too! No wonder, if this technique works well when you encounter an alien!


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1 comment:

Krishna said...

It is really very good and interesting.One should learn from the older generations.
From
Ramesh