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Respond To Local Aspirations
Then there is the important aspect of cultivating the right attitude and pattern of behaviour towards the local population.
The first thing that our brothers abroad have to bear in mind is, that while carrying on a profession or an employment there, earning and amassing money should bot be sole aim. They should understand and appreciate the problems of the local people and sympathise with their aspirations. Some portion of their earnings should be kept apart for promoting their welfare and enlightening them on the great principles and values of Hinduism. At the same time, they should, by their personal example and living, demonstrate that they are coming from the land of a great and hoary culture and thus set a personal example to others.
An Eye-Opener
If these essential points of conduct are ignored it might very well cause disrepute and often misery and hardship to themselves. Probably, this is one of the main reasons why our Hindus in East African countries are put to a lot of trouble these days. In the past our people there, for the most part, did not actively sympathise with the aspirations of the native African people while they were struggling against the White colonialists. They also did not spend out of their earnings for promoting the welfare of the local population, for their education or for enlightening them in the tenets of Hinduism. The religious vacuum prevalent there was filled in by the Christian and Islamic missionaries. The upshot of all these lapses on our part was that when the Africans became free, they were dominated by Christian and Islamic propaganda which soon made them lose sympathy for Hinduism or for Hindus in general. They therefore set about to displace the Hindus form their positions of strength and resources. The Hindus have had to leave those countries in large numbers and suffer the loss of their properties and lifelong earnings. This experience should therefore serve as an eye-opener to all Hindus living abroad.
Be World Missionaries
In a nutshell, our brethren abroad will have to bring about a total transformation in their thoughts and life-styles if they have to lead a happier, richer and more honoured life abroad and also make the image of Bharat shine brighter in those countries. And in order to do this the one supreme conviction that we are a great people charged with a World Mission, should ever be vibrant in our breasts; that a sacred duty and trust is cast upon us of bringing home to the entire humanity the sublime truths embedded in our Dharma and that the various ills and challenges being faced by it could be met successfully on the basis of the all-comprehensive, scientific yet spiritual outlook of Hinduism. If this ultimate vision is kept constantly is view then everything else will become clear as crystal.
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