In search of freedom and comfort

Often, I drink my morning tea sitting in the garden. The sounds of chirping birds and the cool morning breeze send my day off to a good start. Last week, one morning I noticed, two tiny little kittens were playing joyfully in one corner of the garden. They looked like two white angels, and were running up and down the red stairs, free and fearless. Their mother, an ash-colored cat was sitting on a chair. Seeing me approach, she jumped off to settle on a nearby cot. I was happily enjoying the activities of the cat family. Instantly I felt very close to them, and to bring them near, I offered a bowl of milk, which those two kittens licked joyfully, and the left over was polished off by my three legged dog Gujia in no time. I have enjoyed their company and decided to bring them back by offering milk to them every morning. Next few days they did not come and one morning while walking I noticed only one kitten was playing around chair. I gave her milk, which she drank, and after some time she also disappeared. Next morning, while I was waiting for them, my housemaid brought a very sad news. She said, one of the little kittens has lost her life by some insensitive driver. I was heartbroken. I enquired about her mother and her sibling, but no one could give me any information. I realized that mother cat must have migrated to some safer place with her other baby. Another week passed. One evening I noticed a little commotion behind a bush and I was thrilled to see my little friend came to give me a surprise visit. I was overjoyed, gave her milk which she finished in no time. She played hide and seek alone in the garden, with lot of curiosity watched on going activities of others, and then I did not notice when she disappeared, maybe she went back to her mother. I realized, they love their freedom, they are born free. And to have that, they are ready to face harshness of nature and human behavior. But they do not forget loving homes, where they are welcomed. So I keep a comfortable corner ready for such guests, in a corner of our garden, where food, water and a bed will be ready to welcome them back. Freedom inspires us to explore, and love brings us back to our nests. And by balancing these two poles may be why life becomes worth living.

Angels among us

Like a soothing moon light, often divine grace falls upon me. It has carried me through times of crisis, and also given me hope and strength to travel through the upheavals of life. We all can turn our old age into golden age with our wisdom, smiles and by extending our helping hands to needy souls. With reasonably good health, a comfortable home environment, and with the company of a few good friends, old age has turned into a truly golden age for me. Also, as my devoted son manages all my worldly problems by remote control from America, I get ample time to pursue my hobbies and play with my three legged dog Gujia. But life is unpredictable. One evening without any apparent reason, I felt uneasy, my head started reeling. I realized something was wrong. I brought my blood pressure measuring machine. My reading showed the reading in red. It was 220/130 – an alarmingly high reading. I called my son, and he was worried and gave me some instructions to follow. When I was thinking what to do next, my hand unknowingly touched the Whatsapp number of Jennifer, who is very dear to me. She has been a guardian angel, appearing in my life at times of crisis – the last one being when I was very ill with COVID) and has pulled me out of danger in the nick of time. My sincere gratitude to her cannot be expressed in words. We do not meet often, because she is a busy medical professional and a young mother of three and an efficient homemaker. But at this time of crisis, when I sent her a message, she immediately responded, and told me she was on her way to my home. Within ten minutes she reached, administered emergency medicine, and quickly stabilized me. She then called a nearby clinic and confirmed my appointment with a heart specialist next morning, and when everything that needed to be done was done, she paused - we enjoyed some lighter moments, laughed a lot, ate chocolates and took a selfie with a big smile. And then just like the wind, she was off going about changing the world one soul at a time. I admire her compassion, efficiency, and purpose. She is always calm, loving and effective – not an easy combination to pull off! And one we all can all aspire to have. I recognize Jennifer for what she is - a Godsend. I’m reminded of a few lines of a poem by Tagore - “You have let me know, what was hitherto obscure. Those who were far, you brought them near. A stranger you converted into brother “.

No such thing as coincidence

Long back, with an earnest request from our cousin sister and her husband, we went to Bombay to attend the marriage ceremony of their only son. We all celebrated the ceremony with gusto. It was short, simple and sweet. Soon after the ceremony was over, guests left, and the newly married couple also went for their honeymoon trip. We had only one day left in our hand before our scheduled departure. So we started thinking - how we could use that short time meaningfully. Nihar, our cousin’s husband, came up with a brilliant idea. He suggested that we all should visit the holy place of Shirdi, have Darshana of Sai temple, and be blessed with His divine spirit. We all welcomed his idea. Shirdi is a small place near Bombay. Hundred years ago, a great saint, known as Sai Baba, stayed there. In his lifetime and even after he left his body, people visit from every corner of the world to see this temple and to get His powerful blessings which infuses the air of the place. Without wasting much time, we started our journey through the only motorable road. We reached there by evening, went to a hotel and then went to Sai temple to attend the evening Arati. The experience was blissful. We did not miss the early morning Arati either. We happily donated generously in the donation box, and were also glad to know that Sai trust has a well-run hospital and a lot of good work happens with these donations. When we came out, to start our return journey, I found it was drizzling outside. I was surprised to see a long line was waiting to donate to feed people , ”Anna daan” – the direct donation of food for the needy– is a long-standing tradition. I was inspired, and joined the line to donate fifty one rupees, the amount left in my purse. My enthusiasm was disturbed however, by my husband who pointed out that we wouldn’t make the flight if I was to stand in the line of people waiting to donate. So grudgingly, I got into the car and headed for the airport in the heavy rain. Well it turned out that our departure was delayed due to heavy rain, and we reached Delhi after midnight, instead of eight in the evening. Reaching home went to sleep in no time. Early morning, I was awakened by our housekeeper who said, someone was standing near the gate and wanted to see me. Reluctantly I went and found a middle-aged man in the traditional robes of a renunciate standing there with a smiling face. He had a picture of Sai baba in his hand and said, “I am going to Shirdi temple for Anna Dan”, and wanted a donation from me to add to the contribution. When I asked him how much donation he wanted, he said, “fifty-one rupees only”. I happily handed him that exact sum still in my purse from the night before. The karma of the commitment of donation had found a different path to its fruition. Such incidences cannot be taken as co-incidence, nor can be explained by logic. They are like guideposts in our lives, pointing to a deeper, unseen force that drives and connects all of life. And when accepted, guides the traveler to cross the upheavals of life with confidence and courage, knowing that the divine spirit is always there as the foundation of our apparently disconnected life experiences.