Trip 2009 ...
Phew, at last I gave a chance for my body to take rest. Right from the time my flight took off from Boston, I was on the move all the time and day before yesterday I came back to Chennai and I am doing nothing other than taking rest. I could manage to go to my usual pilgrimage tour with my dad and as usually I was fascinated and excited to be in some remote villages in south tamil nadu. My love to get settled in such remote villages is increasing day by day and to lay the first stone to that, I have decided to buy a property somewhere down south and maintain it. Every time I go to these temples, I will be learning some new lesson for life and even this time I have learnt another important lesson for life and that is "Just be who you are ...."
As you all know, the only way for me to fill my tummy is by having food at various hotels. One thing I always do whenever I go to a hotel is, I used to observe the eyes of the folks who are cleaning our plates and table, believe me, and their eyes will have 100s of stories to tell. I have been doing this as practice and I used to give tip to those cleaning folks, than the server who served me the food. This time too, I happen to meet a young boy who was working as a table cleaner in a hotel in Tirunelveli, he seemed to be a very quite fellow who was meticulous in doing his job, when he came to clean my table, I gave him a smile and he returned with equal flare. Surprisingly he asked me my name and he told his name to me, and said, I look like his elder brother who he lost few weeks back due to Swine Flu. I don't know how to react, I gave a reply back to him with another smile. I noticed him standing right opposite to me and then constantly staring at me, I never feel comfortable when someone stares at me. I had my tiffin and then when I was about to walk out of the hotel, that little boy came running and then shook my hands and said "I wish I could come with you ...."
The statement was made with intense love and affection towards his brother and these types of situations would always make me feel embarrassed and tensed. It also gives me a feel that I am being loved by someone unconditionally. The next incident happened when I saw a very old granny who would be in her late 80s and is begging inside the temple, I felt really pity on seeing her condition and hence I gave her a big buck, on seeing that she was all in tears and I forgot to count the number of times she blessed me, she also narrated her story to me of how she came to that temple and how her life changed in just one minute and why she has been forced to begging and all, it was a good 20 minute discussion, I would say, a good 20 minute lesson for my life, the way fate twisted her story is something really scary and it may happen to me as well anytime, so I thanked GOD once again for the kind of royal life he has given me to lead and I should utilize this to help others as well.
How can I miss mentioning about me attending a 1st standard class in a remote village. Oh yaa, believe me it was fun. The auto by which we went, got repaired right in front of a school and the auto wala has to go to somewhere to get that repaired, so in the mean time he asked us to wait inside the school. I being a very notorious student during my school days, I wanted to see how it will be to attend a period in school NOW. I walked straight into the principal room and then requested her if I can attend a class, and she be a very generous female was more than happy to let me in and she took me straight in to a class room where all 1st standard kids were sitting on the floor and listening to an English poem. The moment I walked inside, there was pin drop silence and some giggles as well. The teacher ordered the class to wish this "uncle" a good morning and all kids stood up and wished me a "good morning" and I reciprocated the same to them.
I chose to sit next to a girl who was terribly shy and gave me ample space to sit. She was having a slate and a chalk stick on her hand and the slate had big big letters of "O", "P", "Q" and "R" and I have to ask her 10 times to make her say her name. I bet you guys, at this age, sitting quite and paying attention to a class is very difficult, the teacher of that class requested me to be silent and be "attentive", she was teaching a English rhyme and the entire class has to repeat that, oh yaa, me as well. I was observing the kids and noticed that most of them were not interested, some were busy catching the ants from the floor and dissecting it with their nails and some were busy seeing outside, and one kid was dozing off, but the teacher did not bother to any of these, she was busy in her own world. Whenever a kid turns his head towards my side the teacher used to shout at that boy or girl and ask them to be attentive, at one stage she said "Dei, pinnaala enna korangaa irukku, thirumbi thirumbi paarkara?" (Hey was that a monkey which is sitting in the back and you are turning your head?) I am not sure it that was a statement made with some intent, but still the entire class laughed and I too enjoyed that. At the end of the class I shook hands with every future scientist, sports person and engineers and then thanked the school principal for giving me that opportunity to attend such a wonderful class.
Had nice dharshans at all the temples and prayed for world's peace and harmony to prevail. Of course my personal side of life is always taken care by the all mighty, so I did not have anything special to place as a request. Whatever happens is for good and whatever that will happen will also happen for good isn't it ?
As you all know, the only way for me to fill my tummy is by having food at various hotels. One thing I always do whenever I go to a hotel is, I used to observe the eyes of the folks who are cleaning our plates and table, believe me, and their eyes will have 100s of stories to tell. I have been doing this as practice and I used to give tip to those cleaning folks, than the server who served me the food. This time too, I happen to meet a young boy who was working as a table cleaner in a hotel in Tirunelveli, he seemed to be a very quite fellow who was meticulous in doing his job, when he came to clean my table, I gave him a smile and he returned with equal flare. Surprisingly he asked me my name and he told his name to me, and said, I look like his elder brother who he lost few weeks back due to Swine Flu. I don't know how to react, I gave a reply back to him with another smile. I noticed him standing right opposite to me and then constantly staring at me, I never feel comfortable when someone stares at me. I had my tiffin and then when I was about to walk out of the hotel, that little boy came running and then shook my hands and said "I wish I could come with you ...."
The statement was made with intense love and affection towards his brother and these types of situations would always make me feel embarrassed and tensed. It also gives me a feel that I am being loved by someone unconditionally. The next incident happened when I saw a very old granny who would be in her late 80s and is begging inside the temple, I felt really pity on seeing her condition and hence I gave her a big buck, on seeing that she was all in tears and I forgot to count the number of times she blessed me, she also narrated her story to me of how she came to that temple and how her life changed in just one minute and why she has been forced to begging and all, it was a good 20 minute discussion, I would say, a good 20 minute lesson for my life, the way fate twisted her story is something really scary and it may happen to me as well anytime, so I thanked GOD once again for the kind of royal life he has given me to lead and I should utilize this to help others as well.
How can I miss mentioning about me attending a 1st standard class in a remote village. Oh yaa, believe me it was fun. The auto by which we went, got repaired right in front of a school and the auto wala has to go to somewhere to get that repaired, so in the mean time he asked us to wait inside the school. I being a very notorious student during my school days, I wanted to see how it will be to attend a period in school NOW. I walked straight into the principal room and then requested her if I can attend a class, and she be a very generous female was more than happy to let me in and she took me straight in to a class room where all 1st standard kids were sitting on the floor and listening to an English poem. The moment I walked inside, there was pin drop silence and some giggles as well. The teacher ordered the class to wish this "uncle" a good morning and all kids stood up and wished me a "good morning" and I reciprocated the same to them.
I chose to sit next to a girl who was terribly shy and gave me ample space to sit. She was having a slate and a chalk stick on her hand and the slate had big big letters of "O", "P", "Q" and "R" and I have to ask her 10 times to make her say her name. I bet you guys, at this age, sitting quite and paying attention to a class is very difficult, the teacher of that class requested me to be silent and be "attentive", she was teaching a English rhyme and the entire class has to repeat that, oh yaa, me as well. I was observing the kids and noticed that most of them were not interested, some were busy catching the ants from the floor and dissecting it with their nails and some were busy seeing outside, and one kid was dozing off, but the teacher did not bother to any of these, she was busy in her own world. Whenever a kid turns his head towards my side the teacher used to shout at that boy or girl and ask them to be attentive, at one stage she said "Dei, pinnaala enna korangaa irukku, thirumbi thirumbi paarkara?" (Hey was that a monkey which is sitting in the back and you are turning your head?) I am not sure it that was a statement made with some intent, but still the entire class laughed and I too enjoyed that. At the end of the class I shook hands with every future scientist, sports person and engineers and then thanked the school principal for giving me that opportunity to attend such a wonderful class.
Had nice dharshans at all the temples and prayed for world's peace and harmony to prevail. Of course my personal side of life is always taken care by the all mighty, so I did not have anything special to place as a request. Whatever happens is for good and whatever that will happen will also happen for good isn't it ?
So, atlast trip poittu vanthachaaa.
ReplyDeleteHope u had a nice time with ur dad.
Apparam eppo engaloda club la serratha uththesam.
Ada adhukkena kazhudha serndhukalaam. Ipop thaane 32, innum konja naal potume :)
ReplyDeleteI really cant imagine how u dealt with that cleaner boy.... its very difficult to handle such situations. And the teacher n her comments was the best part :D
ReplyDeleteHey good to have u back :D Take care and god bless!
ReplyDeletehey, glad you are back. Looks like you had a good time :). Yeah, me too wonder how you dealt with the cleaner boy.. paavam yaa
ReplyDeleteivar thaan ulagam sutrum valibar...
ReplyDeleteok the valibar part is debatable though :-P
Sitting in a 1st standard class is something i too would love to do!!
ReplyDelete"Dei, pinnaala enna korangaa irukku, thirumbi thirumbi paarkara?"
was good!!!
He he :-)