Ask and you shall receive!

 ASK and YOU SHALL RECEIVE!

  This phrase was a recurring theme during my upbringing. I grew up in a closed catholic community in a tiny rural community outside of Mumbai. As a 3–4-year-old little girl, I was merely repeating what the adults were saying, asking for some sort of forgiveness for our sins, not knowing its implications. Little did I know that this phrase would be my lifeline, the biggest tool in my tool belt later in my life.

  The then little girl in me had taken this phrase for its literal meaning. I had started asking, mostly for a bigger share of food, a bigger portion of a single candy bar which my grandmother had to divide into four. 

But when I started going to school at the age of 4, my father, the smartest and the wisest person I knew at that time, an enormous source of wisdom, guidance not only for me  or my family but for my entire village, emphasized on this belief, “ask and you shall receive.” He then went on explaining what it meant and what I was supposed to do with it.

 I grew up in the seventy’s, eighty’s, in rural India. Back then, forget the internet or Google; we were lucky to get even the basic education we got. And hence, he explained, unless you ask, you are not going to get anything and here he meant, asking to acquire information, to gain knowledge, the best education. And then he emphasized, when you approach someone (then it was only meeting someone face to face), they might say “no” but at least you would have made an effort on your part, you would have overcome your shyness, you would have expressed your opinion or you would have objected to things you didn’t like. 

Wow! How profound was that!! I grew up with this notion of being fearless ever since I was five years old. I became an avid reader just like my father, I kept on asking and I kept on receiving and of course; I do not mean material things; I mean an education, more books to read, opportunities, physical help, financial help when needed. 

Later in my life when I was raising my children almost as a single parent, it was this belief that came to my rescue. I unashamedly asked for help from neighbors, friends, colleagues. I had to or else I wouldn't have survived motherhood. 

 However, I assumed that everyone grew up with this belief. In my world, asking for help was not a sign of weakness. in fact, it was an act to open doors, make new connections. I did not know that there were some who were hesitant, shy, afraid to ask for the help when needed. Sometimes, it was the patriarchy, sometimes it was the culture, personal shyness, which was holding them down. They did not have this "TOOL" at their disposal. 

  This blog post is about my personal journey. I am not a celebrity, I am just a mom of 3, my only accomplishment. I had to sit back and write it all down today because someone I love and deeply care about is shy, they have a personal barrier. I am sharing my story in the hope that it helps some of you as well, that you too will be empowered by this tool, the one that will open many doors. This is the story of how I made it here this far with the help of my personal mantra, “ask and you shall receive” which shaped my identity, which empowered me to seek knowledge, overcome societal inhibitions and helped me make lifelong connections.

My ramblings for this Thursday. What about you? Do you have any such personal stories, beliefs that have helped you, either empowered you or held you back? Please do let me know in comments.