अतिथि देवो भवः

With every milestone that India is achieving, Indians seem to be leaving an ounce of their wisdom behind. We have forgotten what an अतिथि is, and certainly, we don’t consider anyone देव.

The moment the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stepped on the Indian land, the critics got their work diaries ready. They are like:

“How could the Royal couple plan a two-country tour without their two adorable kids?”

However, the majority of them had plans to write research papers on Princess Kate Middleton.

“OMG, that dress that Kate is wearing is not fashionable at all! And, it costs just $71. So not royal.”

“She should wear Indian designers when in India. Like us, she must take ‘Make in India’ seriously.”

“She should try wearing a saree, instead, and not these fancy gowns. When in Rome, do the Roman.”

Renowned Indian Writer, Shobhaa De wrote:

“Take the much-photographed Jenny Packham royal blue gown, with beadwork – of course, she looked gorgeous. Because she is seriously gorgeous. Kate would look gorgeous in a sack. Does that make the dress gorgeous? Nah. Honestly, there is a busy gali right behind the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel (where the royal couple stayed in a modest 700-pounds-a-night suite), which is crammed with beaded, chaka chak outfits much like this one. It has always catered to Arab tourists and used local embroidery-walas to create glam abayas that made sure the ladies stayed appropriately covered up. Perhaps Kate’s stylist mixed up the destination. Honey, the Duchess was in Mumbai, not Abu Dhabi.”

Shobhaa, you are sounding exactly like Donald Trump.

But she didn’t stop there.

“Earlier, she had shown off her “patli kamar” to advantage in a weather-appropriate, hand-block-printed summery dress….Kate has skipped wearing a saree. Her waist is perfect for crinoline ball gowns from “Gone with the Wind”. But a saree needs curves. A saree demands a derriere. Kate has none. Thank God, some misguided fashion guru has spared her and us so far.”

And if her dress-sense wasn’t hot a topic; her feet were made the next target. Yes, feet.

Daily Mail reported – “Corns, clawed toes, bunions AND fallen arches: How the Duchess has ruined her feet by wearing high heels and pointy shoes as she goes bare feet at the Gandhi museum. She slipped off her shoes…revealing her unpolished toes. It’s perhaps no surprise that she left her toes natural as the Duchess is known to favour an understated look and only wears neutral shades on her fingernails, however, an expert has revealed that the royal’s feet reveal a few podiatric problems caused by wearing high, pointed heels.”

Dear media peeps, leave her alone, maybe?

She is a guest, let’s treat her with love and help her build memories. Let her go back to her kids with beautiful stories from India, not the abhorrence.

Even during Queen Elizabeth’s 90^th birthday celebration in Delhi, Kate was garnered with extraordinaire questions. But the Princess is smart AF, and knows when to open her mouth to shut others’.

“How do you lose all the weight after having two kids?”

“I am running after my kids!”

“Aren’t you tired of smiling?”

“I’m just reciprocating. Everyone is so warm.”

Answer us, why aren’t we focusing on what Prince William wore? Or, what color his underpants were? Or, if his feet smelled bad when he took off his shoes while offering prayers at Delhi’s Amar Jawaan Jyoti?

Stop making Kate’s flowing dress and un-pedicured feet the talk of the town. Talk sense.