'Sorrows can not be wished away in life; Grief and loss accumulate like possessions in a life fully lived..'
Have been thinking a lot about loss lately, perhaps coz have been witnessing a lot of it around.. Even when my personal grief threatens to engulf me, somehow m feeling more affected by the pain m seeing around me.. perhaps when u are in an emotionally sensitive condition urself, its easier to perceive others' pain and recognize their bravery in dealing with it..
What does the loss of a loved one mean; one who left you on the high road after swearing to be with you for eternity.. Is that loss greater than the loss of a firstborn child? Is it greater than the loss of your means of livelihood? Is it greater than the suffocating feeling of being trapped in a place from where you can never escape to fulfill ur destiny? I ask myself a lot of questions these days and my recent travels to the interiors of Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have helped clear my head remarkably!
The impossibly pink mango orchards and lush green paddy fields in Tamil Nadu and the hardy Jowar fields in Rajasthan cudn't have presented a more severe contrast to my eyes! But to my heart, they gave the same message, the message of hope and healing and I was amazed by the bravery of the people surviving in these lands..
From tribals with African features in the remotest parts of the south to exquisitely Aryan, green-eyed hardy farmers tanned in the Thar sun, one message that got delivered loud and clear was of man's resilience to whatever life throws at him..
Even with the lack of infrastructure, lack of basic amenities and lack of education they face, their spirits are still unfettered and free to go where life takes them.
The way these village women reacted when we taught them the use of mobile phones, the way children learnt it in two minutes and told their mothers they could learn from them, the way their husbands looked on with tears in their eyes; I felt as if i was a part of something much bigger than me.. From the Aapams and Paniyarams in Thirupathur to the Bajre ki roti and Nimbu Achaar in Bissau, I found only love in the hands and hearts that fed me..
From tribals with African features in the remotest parts of the south to exquisitely Aryan, green-eyed hardy farmers tanned in the Thar sun, one message that got delivered loud and clear was of man's resilience to whatever life throws at him..
The way these village women reacted when we taught them the use of mobile phones, the way children learnt it in two minutes and told their mothers they could learn from them, the way their husbands looked on with tears in their eyes; I felt as if i was a part of something much bigger than me.. From the Aapams and Paniyarams in Thirupathur to the Bajre ki roti and Nimbu Achaar in Bissau, I found only love in the hands and hearts that fed me..
There is hope in everything that we do.. whether it is the small act of giving alms to a beggar, or the experience of raising a child; whether its the satisfaction of saving for your future or initiating dialogue with the enemy country; whether its the beginning of someone's married life, or the rebuilding of the devastated Taj hotel..
All our acts, small or large are an effort to make things better, to improve someone's future, to improve Our own future..
The feeling of hope further intensified when my friend and his wife (who had lost their firstborn child the previous year), named their newborn baby 'Pratham'-The first one.. for them the past tragedy had ceased to exist and the months of grieving the loss of ur first child seemed to be from some other lifetime..
What a way to focus on what's present in life today and not brood over what could have been.. What a way to forget the nightmares of a previous night and look forward to greet a new morning..
What a way to focus on what's present in life today and not brood over what could have been.. What a way to forget the nightmares of a previous night and look forward to greet a new morning..
Let there be Peace in our Minds and Hearts and Souls
