"Athithi Devo Bhawa"

Television viewers in India would have often seen famous Bollywood film star Aamir Khan in a Government of India’s ad campaign with the above tagline. Simply put, the Sanskrit mantra from the ancient Hindu scripture Taittiriya Upanishad, Sikshavalli 1.20 says ‘‘‘Guest is God’’’. It is part of a poem that lays down the Hindu code of conduct putting one’s parents, teacher and guest on the same pedestal as God.

Further, a guest (‘Athithi’) is not one who comes with a prior appointment or after
intimating her date and time of arrival. The word ‘tithi’ means date; and ‘Atithi’ means
one who comes without announcing her date of arrival. In ancient times, it was not possible for a person visiting someone to anticipate her date and time of arrival nor was it possible to communicate her travel details in advance. Therefore, rather than get caught by surprise or get inconvenienced, our culture taught us to welcome ‘atithis’ and treat them well, welcome them and host them as one would host God.

This culture prevails even today in rural India. As a child growing up in Bihar, I have seen people getting offended if someone sought appointment or their convenience before coming to their place. Observing such formalities is considered a sign of unfamiliarity and lack of proximity in relationships. Friends and family are expected to just arrive with the confidence that they would be welcomed and treated well.

Alas, this tradition—given the demands of modern life and exposure to western culture—has not only decayed into discouraging and shunning people, who arrive at someone’s doorstep without prior appointment, but often ill-treating them. But, this is not a story of ordinary guests being subject to maltreatment but a sordid account of the fate that might befall foreign visitors at some of the most sought after tourist destinations of our country like Jaipur, Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Udaipur, Khajuraho etc.

To be continued...