My senior students recently went on a study tour. One of the students shared an excellent photograph of these girl students standing near a cliff and looking ahead towards the future on Women’s Day. Their hands were cupped to form a symbol of love. I fell in love with the photograph as it brought alive every young girl’s dream. Youth provides the opportunity to be productive and develop skills. There is an innate strength of fearlessness in it. When I asked them whether I could use their picture in my blog post, they nodded in affirmation and thereafter they kept asking me when it would be published. I decided that I would write this post celebrating womanhood. After losing a lot of observational skills lately, I decided to compliment the women around me. My girl students have been very special to me and everyone in the college community.
My day begins with a walk at 530am. I have been following a vow of silence for the first hour of my day for the past several years. It isn’t just about keeping quiet, it’s about quietening the many thoughts that keep me engaged from the start of the day. I love nature, and the silence and mindfulness in the morning are a sort of meditation for me.
Today morning when I returned back, I found the delivery boy delivering milk. I was seeing him for the first time. He looked and me and gestured with his hands. I hadn’t broken my silence and felt pleased that he did not talk to me. He picked up his phone and browsed our delivery, then cut his hand halfway to show that he was delivering half the quantity. I nodded and came in and got involved in my routine. After a while, my husband returned and said, ‘the delivery boy doesn’t speak’. Then, I felt we needed to celebrate the presence of numerous people in our lives…so I felt I would write about celebrating humanity.
When I was leaving for work, I saw numerous schoolchildren waiting for their school bus. I start a few minutes early as the school bus blocks the way for a few minutes. There’s a long queue of students waiting to enter orderly into the bus to secure their choicest seats. The little girls often ask me, ‘Kaku do you see me when you leave for work’, I smile and say, ‘Yes, every one of you’ but the fact is that I am more engrossed in my driving to not hurting anyone. Today, I stood and waved to every one of them. Their mothers stood by giving instructions. They had managed to stand long till the school bus left with the cheerful students.
When I reached my workplace, I saw the security guards working hard, waving hands and managing to send us safely. The sun’s heat had charred them but their zest seemed unfettered.
Further, I saw our gardener boy dragging the large pipe with the hose to water the plants. He was patient and stood aside when the vehicles passed by. He wears black trousers and a black shirt most days. He stands aside and watches the students go to their classes. His disappointment is momentary as you see him enjoying his gardening job despite the disappointment of not studying at a university.
At the college, the day was special for women with numerous expert talks, tips on grooming and others. The young girl kept greeting all the female faculty members gleefully. There was a friendly atmosphere among all the men and women. They taught the boys and greeted all the women with joy.
When I reached home, Pruthika was washing the basement. She was simultaneously mopping the stairs. I smiled and asked her, ‘Can I go or will I be leaving footprints?’, she smiled back and said, ‘I am yet to mop the floor, you can go’. As I began walking, she followed me. I waited for her and she said, ‘My daughter has finished her exams and is preparing for the Competitive exams. Will you help her with her admission to your college after her common entrance test’? I enquired about all the exams and she had faired extremely well without any support. I looked at Prutika and said, ‘ She won’t need my help. She has done well and could get admission to a better university. Pruthika smiled heartily and we parted.
As I glanced at the plants in the garden, I saw a small girl, no more than 4 years old, playing with her grandmother. The summer heat was intense, but the warmth made me wonder whether they felt it. The grandmother appeared to be coaxing the little girl to try out the playing bars while the little girl tried coaxing her grandmother. However, I later saw the grandmother hanging on the bars while the little girl sat by her feet and started playing in the sand.
My walk that evening led me to a crossroads in the interior lanes where an old man sold eggs. He sat close to the coconut vendor’s cart. Due to the hot evening, the coconut vendor did brisk business while the old man sat calmly watching the crowd. Evenings are busy, with many people catching up on their regular purchases. There was a far-off echo in the still, ‘Bhau, Bhau, Bhau, Bhau, bye, Bhau Bye… A scooter with a father and a five-year-old rushed past and slowed a little near the coconut vendor. The boy shouted once again, ‘‘Bhau, Bhau, Bhau, Bhau, bye, Bhau Bye… The old man selling eggs raised his head and smiled at the little boy and shouted back, ‘Bhau, Bye… Bhau in Marathi means brother, we were amazed looking at the cheer the vendor and the little boy had spread. The whole place broke into smiles.
Each day, I see numerous people, each one having a set of worries and states of happiness. Some touch me deeply like the other day when I was waiting at the traffic signal I saw a Gay dressed beautifully in a chiffon sari with danglers on his ears running helter-skelter between the cars halted at the traffic lights. In India, it’s a common sight. Many give them money but many keep their car windows closed. He was running in the hot sun knocking at every car window as he knew they would give him money. It has always been frightening to see them, as a few of them have been aggressive by clapping their hands and making loud noises. My husband would often say, “Don’t look aside and ignore them, they aren’t doing right by begging but that’s something personal. Smile at them and gesture with your hand that you will be giving them something next time”. After the first time, I often found them smiling back and never asking for anything. By the time he reached me, the traffic lights were turning green and I had a fifty rupee note that I slipped out of the window. After a while, he touched the note to his forehead and blessed me. We smiled and parted. In life, there have been difficult times, but if they are considered with love, then they are celebrations of life.
“Take the time to celebrate stillness and silence and see the joy that the world can bring, simply.”― Tony Curl,
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