The world is good

The world is good

The world is good. The world is as I imagine it to be.

How can a day’s ordinary experiences make me believe so?

I took the day off on Thursday the 30th of December because I still had two days of CL left before the year closes. When on Dec. 21st, I posted in my facebook – “I have 3 days of CL to be used up before it elapses at the end of the year. I am faced with a dilemma – do I take the leave or let it elapse?” – my son Rajan said, “ hard for me to understand what the dilemma is”. (That needs lot of explanation. I will answer that another time.)

I had two reasons for visiting Madras. My friend Ramraj invited me for dinner on New Year’s Eve. I wanted to visit Sarala, a cousin of mine. I negotiated with Ramraj to have breakfast with him at his house instead of the dinner out on New Year’s Eve. (This is a reflection on the strength of our relationship.)

Within a day I decided on what I wanted to do and how. I went to Madras with my cousin Sampath on his weekly return on Wednesday evening and then for the next day I planned my programme in Madras independently. I wanted to be free to do whatever I wanted and not be tied up to anybody else’s schedule. I also planned to return to Ranipet by bus because I wanted to find out whether ‘I have what it takes’. This adventure is not like doing the ‘base-walk’ in Ayer’s Rock or walking up the ‘Padavedu hill’. But then I am older by 5 more years since then.

I asked for a taxi to pick me up at 7.30 am. He was late to announce his arrival by about 10 minutes, but when I saw him I couldn’t complain. He was a young man in his late 20s or early 30s, small built, wearing a yellow dhothi and a shirt and a thin streak of viboothi on his forhead. He had a lovely smile on his face, that was kind and gentle and a voice that was soft. His name was Saravanan.

I told him where I wanted to go. I was late by about 15 minutes at Ramraj’s place. I had a wonderful time with him and his family. It was so comfortable sitting at the dinning table, talking to all of them (this time including his daughter) and having the special item prepared by his wife Sita for the breakfast. The dish (a simple pan-fried rice cake) and the way Ramraj and his brother Ravi described the process of its preparation and how they ate accoding to the ritual / habit cultivated in the family, is a subject for another blog.

After an hour and half spent with Ramraj’s family I left to visit my cousin Sarala. It is a cousin with whom I haven’t had much interaction over the years and it is just two weeks since she has lost her husband. I have visited her ones in that house may be 5 – 6 years ago for her younger son’s upanayanam. I have met her couple of years ago at her father’s 80th birthday celebration. Last March she was also at the Garudothsavam festival her father (my uncle) performed at Mannargudi. But I have always felt I could relate with her.

Consoling her came naturally to me, as I could empathise with her and her own strength at accepting and handling the difficult situation made it easy too. Her mother and her sister were also there with her. I spent two hours with them talking about various things and even laughing at times. I had my lunch in their house. I felt close to her more than ever before.

By 1 p.m. I left Sarala’s house on my return journey. I asked Saravanan to take me to the bus stop and put me in the bus to Ranipet. He took me to the main ‘Koimbedu’ bus stop, parked the car and came with me inside the bus stop, identified the right bus, made sure with the conductor that it is going to Ranipet, before I boarded the bus. I just took the first available seat, but he suggested a better seat at the front, near the window. I felt so safe, protected and being taken care of. Added to all his great qualities that were visible at the first sight of him, this made him a personification of goodness.

A young girl came and sat next to me. I asked her where she is going and what she does. It was a very interesting conversation. Her name was Kavitha. I introduced my self. It was obvious that this meeting was meant to be part of my trip.

It was a 2 ½ hour journey. It was hard for me to be sitting for that long without shifting much. But I felt relaxed looking out the window at passing landscape, and immersed in my own thoughts and plans – some very remote, some about the immediate environment. The bus music system played songs from Tamil movies of the early 60s I am familiar with.

The last ½ hour was the most difficult but I endured it knowing this too would pass. The bus stopped at ‘Muthukadai’. Before getting off the bus, I thanked the driver for his steady, safe, excellent driving. It is another 2 km. to where I live. The driver suggested I can take a local bus. I could have taken an auto. But I decided to walk as I felt I needed to strech my legs and loosen the stiff joints. It was only 4.30 p.m.

I walked and reached home before 5. I was tired, thirsty, and hungry and felt in need of a hot shower. I turned on the hot water heater in the bathroom, had a drink of water and thanked God for the successful completion of my mission. Then I fixed myself a plate of snacks – an apple, an orange, a slice of Nilgiri’s plum cake, a few pieces of cheese and 6 almonds. I also made a mug of hot Ovaltine from a mix I got from my sister Kala while I was in Singapore. I turned the fan on and sat down to have my snack, with a great sense of satisfaction.

Then I remembered even though I felt Saravanan was so good, and thanked him when I got into the bus, I never told him so. I called him and told him I have arrived safely and appreciated all his good qualities. He said he was worried and that he is happy to know I have reached home safely.

I feel going through all these activities with open mind in a focused manner without any expectations is what enabled me to be aware of what is happening around me and in my mind.

Of course if I had to write everything that happened, every conversation we had, every thought that went through my mind it would definitely run into over 10 pages.

But I need to add that the coffee break Sampath and I had at Coffee Day near Sriperumbuthur on the way in to Madras; just being able to listen to the lively conversation Sarathy, Ramya and Arvind had that evening and laugh with them; the excellent dinner of thin, soft phulka chapatti and very tasty Kovaikkai koottu Suja had prepared for dinner; the unplanned stop to test out poli at a sweet shop I have seen pass by many times - all added to my pleasant experience. I was at peace with myself.

And at the end of it all I felt I do accept the world as it is and the world is good.