By Albert Celoza, Ph.D., Executive Director, Arizona Interfaith Movement
Special to The Republic
Anita and Mahdav Rangaswami and their family hail from India, but they have experienced Golden Rule Moments in different parts of the world. Now based in Chandler, they continue to have fond memories of living in another Asian country known for its technological advances but not for its diversity.
Back in the 1990s Mahdav was offered a job in a small city outside of Nagoya. This work prospect came through because of the Japanese company’s partnership with an Arizona corporation. Mahdav hit the ground running in a workplace where he was the only non-Japanese. His co-workers welcomed him, and his daily routine was shaped by his many hours of busy work. His co-workers sought him out to practice English. He became the go-to person to comprehend fully communications and contracts coming from the US all written in English.
What would his wife do in his absence? After Anita completed the semester for a cohort master’s program at Arizona State University, she joined her husband in Japan with their three-year-old son.
The Rangaswai family was reunited during the weekend of their arrival in Japan. But came the first workday after their big move, Mahdav had to leave Anita and their son all by themselves. As they were waving their goodbyes, a Japanese woman from the neighborhood approached Anita. They exchanged smiles and gestures. The Japanese woman did not speak a word of English. Anita did not speak a word of Japanese. She then rushed back into the house to get the Japanese-English dictionary. This might help them in their interaction. For two and half hours, one woman from India and a non-English-speaking Japanese woman communicated in sign language, gestures, and the help of a dictionary. During their interaction, Anita was invited to go shopping in a Japanese market and got to visit the neighborhood.
Upon the end of the workday, Mahdav was surprised not to find anybody at home. Where could Anita and their son have gone? The mother and son later arrived back excited about sharing their day with the neighbors. While Mahdav was busy at work, Anita had the pleasure of being welcomed and shown around. Japan can be an isolating place for a foreigner especially outside of the big cities. Even their television shows and their entire lives were all conducted in Japanese.
The Rangaswamis were the only non-Japanese in this village, but they were welcomed with open arms. Their son eventually joined other children. Although they did not understand each other’s language, their boy started playing well with the neighborhood children.
After the first encounter, the Rangaswamis started to get to know Japan. Of particular concern was the Rangaswamis food — ‘yasai dake’ — only vegetables. Beyond food and shopping, they visited various places during the weekend and got together with other families beyond Mahdav’s work. They were always assured that they were welcome in other co-workers’ homes. While not understanding each other’s language, everyone extended their love, care and respect. Most importantly everyone treated each other with mutual trust.
Truly, the experience of the Rangaswamis’ Golden Rule moment was worth cherishing. They continue to share the lessons they learned from Japan with all the other places they have lived and worked, especially with the Arizona Interfaith Movement and their Arizona community.
