It takes great effort and great courage to lead a life of
truth. That is one of the invaluable things that I learnt from the old lady in the picture. And it is all her optimistic state of
being that has given hope and strength to her family. Even when there were hurdles and pain of all sorts all around her, she has led
the life of a perfect wife, a noble mother [bless the kids], a humble relative and the mother of many hungry workers and the motherless.
For those of us who knew her, she is an icon.
She takes great pride in being the president of all the homely proceedings, be it any auspicious day or a festival or a marriage in
her family tree. Never is it a festival if she does not wake up with all those sacred creatures of the Hindus. And when you open your
eyes, there is eternity everywhere, first with a cup of fresh coffee followed by a humble command to all to take a shower in the snowless
freezing early morning with the water warm enough to stretch your nerves and your chest against the cold cold morning.
You should see her prayer room and for a tiniest of the unit
of time, you will wink your eyes to check if it is really the Lord amidst those pious oil/ghee lamps she had decorated or is it just
the idol. She is very devotional, very proud and stubborn of the customs, rituals and rites. After having the divine conversation
with God, she then distributes the edible blessings so piously as if she got that from God Himself. For the whole of the scene, I
keep smiling watching her and wonder that this uneducated innocent woman unknowningly is contributing to save the identity of the
Hindu and his land.
Even at this ripened age, she thinks energetic. I wonder if she draws her energy from the Sun. And when you call her up anytime and
chat with her - "What is special ?". She says "Nothing but everything is special". Well, i do not know if you believe that words do
magic. Well, they have done and do when she says that. My strength and happiness doubles on hearing those words. For any other person,
they may be just fake words made up for consoling, but to me they are the words of an honest bold old woman who carries a load of
experience of the experiments that Truth has tried on her and a woman who has never failed. And so i have great concern for those
words.
That old woman is my granny, the Godmother of our family tree. After almost an year of hunt in search of knowledge and wealth far
far away from home, this young man is going to shake hands with her. I believe she will understand from the hand shake that neither
the wealth nor the knowledge I hunted will ever equal her wealth of virtues and her love for me. I am awaiting to feel the bliss of
seeing her empty mouth open wide with a big smile, bigger than the crescent of the quarter moon, on seeing me.
At times, she makes me feel like a child - helpless, and I curse God for Mortality.
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