Shivani Desai (26), a Hindu from Mumbai shares this picture of a Japanese Kadomatsu - a sacred object from the Shinto religion with #pluralismforpeace. She says, "When I was about 10, we had moved to Japan- a country filled with kind people and hearts oozing with love. Fortunately, no one spoke English- which meant living there would need an education of Japanese language and culture. Yes, it was a struggle in the beginning, but being a child fascinated by cultures made things easier (I must thank my mother for that). I will never forget the first time we met our landlady and her family. It was the first week of being in Japan, it was freezing cold right after Christmas and she brought me this Kadomatsu (decor)- a Japanese (Shinto) symbol for welcoming peace and prosperity into new homes. Stories are fodder for my brain, so I remember digging up the story behind Kadomatsu.. it’s a fascinating one, but I found it spectacularly similar to the stories that my mom used to tell me about Gudi Padwa (one of the most important days for us Maharashtrian families). Harvest festival, bamboo sticks, a God/ ancestors/ king who visits and blesses families who open their homes and hearts to gratitude. The building blocks were the same- yet it created 2 different, yet equally beautiful pictures 🙂 That was probably the first time I realised that most religions probably stem from the same seed of humanity, but just live on as separate branches of labelled faith. Till date, this remains one of the first things that you’ll see when you enter my home. It’s a beautiful memory to step inside with."