~ That's Life...~

 A recent visit to the hospice came out to be an eyeopener for me. For many it is a place which no one wants to visit in a lifetime as the scene of despondency amongst the caretakers waiting outside of their dear ones make you feel nervous and helpless.

Suddenly your thoughts plunge to a degree of assumptions and lateral imagination about life – what goes out that we die and what are doctors struggling to rectify to keep the ‘Soul’ inside the body and not make it leave to another dimension. Just sitting in the calmness of situation, a sudden unfortunate panic struck the ambience and the aura turned frantic with nurses and doctors talking amongst themselves in hush-hush tones – seemingly, something urgent was warranted – the patient had posed a challenged to the medical science and doctors were trying their best to save a precious life.

I went inside the ICU where my near and dear one was admitted and I could see a flurry of doctors and nurses assembled near a bed, where laid an octogenarian who had almost giving up on his breath – he was being given experimented with all the latest scientific instruments to bring to life and set his parameters to normalcy. 

Just beside him was a child who was getting nervous whilst he saw all the scene first hand – there was no one trying to help him achieve the calmness – suddenly the nurse cajoled him and tried to divert his mind to other things – asking about his condition and that how he was feeling, but be whatever, the child was still reluctant as his mind and thoughts was still engrossed in the scene he had just witnessed.

The next bed was where my close relative was admitted, though of middle age, he was calm and composed and knew about what had happened – he said in all vivaciousness “ That’s Life, many of us would end here!” – the child noticed his statement and questioned both of us “ Uncle, we are born in a hospital and would die in a hospital” , now this line was unexpected from a young man who had just witnessed a live passing away of a life… We tried to cheer him up – “Lad, know that you have a limited time in life, enjoy your life to the fullest, be humble, be observant and live very moment with awareness of thought that you can be called back any time…”

He agreed amongst the calmness that had dawned upon the ICU, suddenly, the body of the old man was whisked away and a new bed was placed for the next patient to be admitted in ICU… that’s life reverted the young lad… no wonder, he had understood the deep meaning of our talk….

~ A Slippery Story...~

She sits in the middle of stack of slippers, many of them scattered all over a well-entrenched periphery – that is what she calls her ‘Shop’ – exuberating confidence and a knack to sell, she is talkative and a charming smile.

I happened to visit her place with an aim to buy bathroom slippers and suddenly the ‘Shopkeeper’ caught my eye out of confluence of people roaming around in our weekly flea mart. The zig-zag movement of people was causing a subtle hinderance in observing her from a distance – though I wanted to reach the little peddler – her comatose sitting stance and observing her customers and keeping a strict vigil on her sell was her key stroke – Apparently, she was well trained by her mother, who happened to be sitting next to another makeshift shop – selling artificial jewellery.

The only time she got up from shop was to give her earnings of her sell – which happened to be intermittent. It was my turn to select a set of slippers and I asked ‘him’ the price and which amongst the lot were best suited for me.

Her tomboyish looks gave her a cascading look of a ‘Boy’ – as I addressed him, she was quick to respond – “Uncle, I am Girl” – realizing my fault, I immediately corrected myself and said an apologetic ‘Sorry!”

I asked her name in all humility, she responded with a haughty laugh “ Uncle, Laxmi!” – a sheepish smile engulfed me to the point of a subtle embarrassment, I then started the conversation “ Beta, do you study?”, she responded “ Yes uncle, I study in class 4^th in a government school.” I can sense another coincidence, she was actually sitting in front of her school across the street to which she told me further “Uncle, that is my school!”

I was overtly impressed with her vividness , in between she was quick to respond to other customers queries – her multitasking skills were really impressive – How an almost toddler all about 8-10 years of age was single-handedly spearheading a small enterprise – dealing with biggies and answering their varied questions with an unequivocal confidence. She knew price list of every variety of chappas as if she had learnt it by rote, you ask her any set of slippers and the cost would come as a prompt reply!

Suddenly she looked at me and asked “Uncle, take these chappals, this would fit you and it is of good quality – the color green is good too!” I was rendered speechless, I checked the size and it exactly fit my foot – what a good Samaritan she was – almost perfect in her art and behavior, I could see a budding entrepreneur in a decade, who knows what she turns out to be, though many people will shun off my decree as of today – I know the journey would be tough but not at all unachievable!

She wasted no time to pack the slippers in a newspaper and a polythene bag and quick she was to hand over to me with one hand and taking a Rs 50 note on the other. Suddenly she lost interest in further conversation and focused her sight on other customers who happened to be a lady carrying along with her a girl child as equal age as my little salesgirl… The lady seems to be proudly telling her daughter “See such a confident girl, at your age she is singlehandedly running a shop!”

These words made me feel proud but as well as a little stoic to the current scenario, her family situation made her work at this tender age, but she had taken this in her stride and had taken the challenge upon herself to help her family to bring comfort to them whilst she worked part time along with her studies.

Looking at the confluence of people around me , I could see so many “Laxmi’s” who had donned the hat of a part time salesgirl and unknowingly taken the entrepreneurial part, this came as a blessing in disguise, the confidence and experience she showed is a sparkle in her aura of life… Well done Laxmi, keep the spirits high, your choice of slippers for me are of utmost importance, for when I wear them, deep in my heart I bless you for giving me this gift,... I wish one day your balancing act of studies with your entrepreneurship might lead you to a unicorn… who knows... time is the best answer….

~ When the Path Crossed~

Living in our mental silos, we often brand and limit ourselves to precedents which make a mockery of our living. What makes good use of our commonsense is hardly followed and all the pre-historic notions are driven in our minds.

Doing my evening walk, I came across an unusual precedence when I observed a gesture of a young lady in her mid-20’s. She was brisk walking in all comfort but suddenly she stopped and turned back and start walking in complete opposite direction. Seeing her doing this, my eye caught the reason of her behavior and it came out to be a ‘Black Cat’ which had suddenly crossed her path – the poor creature seems to be anonymously talking a stroll in her ambience, oblivious to the ‘humans’ who could mind her crossing the aisle and going to the other side of the park.

Suddenly a gush of imaginary thoughts came to my fore. Why did she behave the way she did? What was she taught of such a beautiful animal which is petted with so much care in many parts of India and the world? Her conduct was synonymous with her knowledge about the kitty and quite obviously the legend stories she might have heard from her grandpa which would have put a deep fear on her psychology about a Black Cat’s sudden spurt of crossing the path – which according to legend bestows an ominous sign of miss happening coming our way.

Quite amazingly, I started to grimace on the situation to which I was a cool witness, I was the next one to cross the path and suddenly I became the first as she had backtracked! I did it with quite an ease and more of pride and brought to rest the mental turmoil which the situation had put me to 😊 – Today, I did it with all my honour and removed the shackles of my mind towards such a unparalleled moment.

What is the use of education and commonality when we can’t give due credit and an explicit living to animals around us – we categorize them into gloomy signs of miss happenings that force us to believe in the power of malevolent. When in night the dog’s howl, our minds are retracted to something unpleasant and we start to believe in a soon to happen misfortune.

Are we really living in 21^st century with such dogmas of our mind and percepts? The cat must have felt pride for a moment that humans didn’t make her run out of danger that they showcase and her crossing the path in an untimely fashion had actually made them turn away!

She made her style statement with ease and went into the bushes undeterred by human presence – but not before making me think about many of us  and  our reaction to such an incident, had this happened to us, do you still have crossed the path with no thoughts or you had taken this as a smooth gesture with a ‘benefit of doubt’ moment about the kitty as she has an equal right to take a night stroll as many of us… the eternal debate continues…