A Reflection of the Contemporary World

I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavour-Henry David Thoreau

It was late in the evening. Me and my husband were rushing back home after a customary visit to the kocchu Guruvayur temple at Nigdi which is a miniature Guruvayur temple at Trissur in Kerala. We had parked our car in the by lanes of Pradhikaran which is a well planned locale at Nigdi and walked to the Temple.  In reality we find these walks irresistible as we are able to meet people and we rejoice looking at the far off starry skies, the exquisitely lit monuments and the demanding market. Nigdi is known for Bhakti Shakti square where Emperor Shivaji’s and Saint Tukaram’s huge statues have been mounted at a height depicting Shivaji’s undying faith in his teacher. It is surrounded by green vegetation and curved paths leading to the figurine. As we entered the open area we met Mrs.Varghese who has been a good friend of ours for the past eleven years. Our friendship dates back to the year 2002 when we had begun living at Siddhivinayak Nagar connected to Durga Tekdi, a man made forest on a terrain of more than 3 km expanse. The forest is normally used by people for morning walks. There are many courses to reach the summit. People change their routes according to the time they are able to spare.  I met Mrs.Varghese for the first time at this place when I was introduced to her through a mutual friend. Mrs Varghese lives in Pradhikaran in an apartment close to the road leading to Appughar and Durga Tekdi. A few years ago she had lost a chain with a pendant when some chain snatchers had assaulted her at the crack of dawn during her walk. One of them had gagged her to muffle her voice and the others snatched her chain. Later they had jumped off into the adjoining area called transport Nagari which is a depot to park huge transport vehicles. After the incident Mrs. Varghese had stopped coming for walks in the wee hours and wouldn’t sport a chain. She was aggrieved by the offenders who were juvenile like her own son. She had worked as a teacher for a long time and of late had resorted to educating a few kids taking private tuitions at home. As she noticed us she smiled affectionately and told us that she had been praying God for a companion to walk back home. We treaded along with her as we could converse a little longer. The picturesque long lane from Hotel Vrindavan at  Bhakti Shakti  to her home was nearly a ten minute walk. She was clutching a few things. We shared the load and began enjoying the stroll and the chatter. As we crossed the beautiful huge mansions in the dimly lit street, she stated that the place had become notoriously insecure. She had lost another chain and lately while she was returning home from a friend’s house at eight in the evening, two adolescent boys had grabbed her handbag containing money and all indispensable documents. She felt hurt at the loss but more than that she was distressed at the attitude of those young boys who had learnt to acquire riches through the impairment of the physically weak. She said that she felt awful having lost the hard earned money. It pained us all the more as we both have sons round about the same age. Her son is an Engineer and employed yet teaches in an institution to establish himself and here were these youngsters who desired to grow wealthier in a jiffy with no second thoughts for the victims in this state of affairs. Does technological advancement and growth of a nation mean a lax in values? Honesty is a conviction, an integrity which must have been fostered in all individuals and spruced in adults. The soreness on Mrs Varghese’s face in actuality revealed an agonizing contemporary world as we bid goodnight to each other.