The Korea-India connection

It has long been noted that India and Korea have a rich historical relationship. The connections are countless, be they the direct and/or indirect variety. The indirect connections of course being Martial Arts, and Buddhism, both reached the Korean peninsula via China from India (it should be added that both were also directly given to Koreans via Korean pilgrimages to Buddhist sites. The famous "Record of a Journey to the Five Indian Kingdoms" is a great example of this). Moreover, India and Korea both share the same Independence Day: August 15th.

Then there is, what was until recently thought to be a bit more "mythical", connection. If one goes to Seoul, the capital of South Korea, one will realize that there is a famous statue of two fish kissing. The old statue is a tribute to an ancient Korean legend. The legend of Queen Huh.

It is said that in the 1st century AD, a young princess from the holy Indian town of Ayodhya traveled to Korea and married the prince. It is this union that the statue is supposed to commemorate. Why fishes? Well, the symbol of ancient Ayodhya's kindom was two kissing fish.

The union between the Indian princess and the Korean prince is considered very important to Koreans, first as a historical importance, and second, because many of the most important families of Korea are descendents from Queen Huh. There is a surprisingly large percentage of Koreans who supposedly are of this lineage. This includes a recent President and Prime Minister of South Korea. In 2000, Korea decided to make Ayodhya a "sister city" to Kimhae, Korea.

That being said, I find a couple of things quite ironic. First and foremost, that the two most recent American immigrants have been Indians and Koreans. They are forever connected by the insanely-great movie "Harold and Kumar...", as well as many other factors including economics (both are fairly affluent, which is counter to the usual "historical trend-line" of immigrants in America).

But what I find the most ironic is that both Korea and India share their Independence Day today, August 15th. Both people are fractured, in that there is a North and South Korea, just like there is an India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The difference of course is that Koreans want their nation to be unified someday, and I believe it will be. Whereas, multi-cultured, multi-sub-ethnic, noisy, argumentative Indians seem hell-bent to forever be a fractured family. The fact that Pakistan would not share August 15th with India (and with Koreans for that matter) is one of the most telling examples of what I mean.

On this Independence Day, I would beg my Indian brothers, whereever they are, and whatever "nationality" they claim to be, PLEASE understand that it is our differences that make us great, and that if we were to unify, we would be 1.5 BILLION PEOPLE STRONG. United, the rest of the World would no longer be able to keep us subjugated, and History would have to remind itself, that just like in ancient times, the greatest nation on earth was Maha-Bharat.

And if that day ever comes again, let us not forget our great Korean friends, who have shown that they too long for a time when it was Peace, and Love that united, instead of divided.