Woman and her dogs - Oneness Witnessed

It was my first trip to Rajasthan in after I joined my present office Sharyans Resources Limited. Under this banner I was also supposed to look after the Jaipur Foot NGO called Bhagawan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti. Our head office is in Jaipur and I was very eager to go there and see the work and meet my colleagues there. I went to Bidasar first and was very glad to see the interiors of Rajasthan. I was and still get amazed every time I see the camel cart. Like our bullock carts people have camel carts and I would every time get down and click pictures. Women in ghunghats, peacocks, and black bucks everything excited me initially. From Bidasar I came to Jaipur and got ready to visit our BMVSS center at Sawai Mansingh Hospital.  

I took a cycle rickshaw and was in a very happy mood. It was winter season and Rajasthan was really cold. Suddenly I shouted at the rickshawala, “Ruko, ruko”! I had seen a woman in a yellow coloured tricycle which is given by my NGO and looking at her made me alight. She had a white puppy with her who had worn a sweater. Her tricycle was full of cans, clothes, plastic bottles hanging from handles and what not. I must tell you all that a tricycle is given by us only to a handicap person who is unable to walk and to whom we cannot fit the Jaipur Foot.

I couldn't get over the sight where a woman who is handicapped, who has nothing of her own was taking care of a dog from that severe cold. I asked, “Kya mein aapki tasveer khinch sakti hoon?” The moment I asked her permission to click the picture she said, “Ruko” (wait) and took the dog up near her. As I got ready to click she again said, “Ruko”. Then she opened the curtain she had made in her tricycle in the backside area and oh, what do I see???

One more black dog wearing a sweater peeped out of that curtain and then she said, “ab lo” (now take). She wanted her complete family to be clicked by me. I took the pictures and haven’t yet got over that image which is permanently made an impact and has got embossed on my heart.

We, who with our entire whole strong body with all the limbs intact would never share space with even our closest ones. And here was a woman who being unable to even walk herself had a heart large enough to share her tricycle space with these pups. What a loving smile she had when I took pictures of all of them.

We keep talking of Vedanta but cannot practice it as it needs us to see the self in all and it means us to practice the oneness with the universe. What more do we need to see the oneness reflecting in this woman and dogs relationship.  

Mantarleli Kupi - Enchanted Vial - Collections of Immemorable Events

I am starting my new blog named 'Mantarleli Kupi' which means 'Enchanted Vial' in which i wish to share the extraordinary memories which are unbelievable. Simple yet scented memories which will remain forever...typing in Marathi becomes difficult sometimes so to start with here is one of my sweet memory.

 

I started with मला हे सांगितलंच पाहिजे - काही काही घटना आठवणीत कोरल्या जातात त्यापैकी हि एक and landed up writing in English which was faster.

 

I must tell this-

Since last 2 years I have been attending the Kala Ghoda festival at Colaba. It’s an awesome festival to visit, to see the novel and ancient art, culture, drama all brought together. Two years ago I happened to visit it with my colleague and his family. He has 2 daughters who call me Attu i.e. Paternal aunt. We watched everything from start to finish - at the entry there was a platform on which many artificial crows were kept surrounding a huge crow and the slogan read – “Mumbaichi maanasa, Mumbaiche kavle, ekach ki vegvegale?” which means “people of Mumbai, Crows of Mumbai, are they same or separate?” then there was a huge fish in the net showing all the garbage and dirt in its stomach which people throw in the sea.

 

We were almost dumbfounded to see the acrobatic rope act of the simple village folks. An ordinary looking young girl was performing an extraordinary feat on rope. While watching all the displays we clicked pictures everywhere and meanwhile I and Rishita, the 5 year old moved away to a certain place. We saw 3 huge pots near which some paper chits were kept. There were boards placed in front of each POT which read- ‘Put Your Anxieties’, ‘Put Your Fears’ and ‘Put Your Sorrows.’ We were supposed to write our problem on the chit and put it into the pots. Rishita asked me what it was. Looking at her age I said, “Before your exams or your Gita chanting competition do you get anxious or scared?” She made a sound with her mouth – ‘Chuck’ meaning ‘No’. Then I asked her looking at the Put your Fears pot, “Do you get afraid going into the dark etc.?” Again she said, ‘Chuck’. Then looking at the ‘Put your sorrows pot’, I said to her, “This is of no use for you, you can’t be having any sorrow.”

As I started moving ahead Rishita pulled my hand and said, “Aattu, malaa dukh hota.” I feel some sorrow. She commanded, “Take a chit and write down what I tell you and put it into this pot.” I was surprised yet I said to her, “Why write on a chit, just go near that pot and say aloud what you want to say.” I took her lightly. But she pulled my hand again and made me pick up a paper and asked me to write –“when Ira beats me I feel sorrow at heart.” Ira was her 3 year old sister and always hit her hard which everyone took lightly. I wrote it and put the chit in the pot and started moving away from that place. She again pulled me by hand and gave me the one more chit of paper to write. She said, “When my friend Deepa fights with me and takes katti(doesn’t talk) I feel sad.” In Marathi she told me – “Malaa dukhh hota!”

I obliged her command quietly thinking over what she had said and tried to walk ahead. She pulled my hand again and said, “Attu, now you put your chit.” “But I don’t have any sorrow” I tried to convince her but to no avail. Then I actually took a piece of paper and wrote about the memories which hurt me most. As I was sincerely  & honestly writing, she kept looking at me eagerly.  Then she made me show it to her and as though she understood what I wrote made me drop the chit in the pot of sorrows.

A small girl of age five taught me a lot that day. Her parents were surprised to know about our interaction. I was not just surprised but I became ‘antarmukh’, an inward and kept wondering about the entire episode. We take our children so lightly but they too have their emotions and a heart where we hardly can reach.

I had told this incidence to some of my friends but now I feel I must share it with all of you.