Ramadan Kareem Everyone

Festivals are for everyone. They are a time to celebrate, to get together, to forge fellowship.

There was a time when I used to do website maintenance for a Middle East not-for-profit organization. Every Ramadan, they would make a poster and ask me to send it out to their mailing list. The posters invariably contained the words, Ramadan Kareem! For some reason, I found this greeting very soulful, very heart-touching.

It has been a long time since then, but every Ramadan, I wanted to wish all my friends Ramadan Kareem, but I was not sure if it was the appropriate greeting, so I held back. Until last year when I saw this beautiful video by Tata Motors.

The video shows a group of children, who ride on the same school bus, doing good deeds at their respective homes, and saving what they earn. Against the backdrop of a heartfelt number that exhorts everyone to earn goodwill and gratitude through collecting good deeds; because a blessing that fulfills wishes is better than all the gifts in the world. The video then talks about how one blessing becomes many; and how those many blessings combine to create a respectful world (at 1:00 mark). From there, the video embarks towards its climax, which showcases each child having saved money for their bus driver, who takes them to school, and from school to home, and who can now go home using the money they collected for him.

This may be an ad, but the video showcases the attitude of gratitude, which in my opinion is the very essence of Ramadan Kareem. That was my learning as to what Ramadan Kareem is all about.

Whether you celebrate Ramadan or not, you can always celebrate the spirit of giving, the attitude of gratitude, and the gift of humanity.

On that note, Ramadan Kareem, everyone!

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