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.