The Meandering Road
There is this beautiful road
A broken down, beaten down road
A road so narrow that two oxcarts
Or two cars cannot pass it together.
When two cars approach each other
From opposite sides, it’s like a friendly
Battle of wits, of who would back off
At least a hundred meters to give way
So the other could pass you in triumph
There are potholes big enough to
Swallow a wheel ,
A road where you have to remember
When to take the car gently over
Huge gaping holes,
Where exactly to avoid a speed breaker
Carelessly erected by a villager.
Yet, a road so beautiful,
That none can equal its charm
Up gentle hills, down the dales
And then up again in its gentle pride
Crossing a dry stream here
And an angry river in rains.
Near the river,
By the side of the road,
Is the burning ghat
I see a tiny pyre
Peasants in white
Their women in black
Wrap arounds
With colourful backless blouses
With flowing dupattas
Covering their heads
They all sit around the pyre
Looking at that fire
Which is consuming a loved one
I always wonder,
Why always such a small pyre
Do only their young ones die
Or only the old shrunken ones die
These peasants are nice and sturdy
Maybe they live long and
Die only when shrunken and old.
I pass the pyre in thoughts deep
Till the road meanders again
It passes through coconut groves
Then come in sight the sugarcane fields
Bananas grow on one side
And peanuts on the other.
Millet and castor and fields of wheat
As far as my eyes can see
With greenery all around
And a road that can never be straight
It snakes through turning left or right
Rubbing its shoulders with acacia trees
There are lovely trees with firy flowers
Ah, the moon has come out
And I watch it as I go
It accompanies me like a friend
All through the meandering road
Now on my left and now on my right
From behind the clouds
It plays hide and seek
Sometimes I see a fox or two
Many a times a majestic
Leopard too can be seen
The cows and buffalos are returning home
Make room for them
For they have the first right of way
Here comes a lone shepherd
With his crook in hand
Minding his goats and sheep
They all have patience
No one is in a rush
Neither me nor the shepherd
There comes a bullock cart
Laden with sugarcane
Now we just cannot pass
For minutes we reverse the car
Till the cart passes us by.
Ah , here we are truly stuck
A tractor with a harvester in tow
All we can do now is to bow
We back again and with
Lots of maneuvers let it pass
Now I see the stone houses
My destination is not far
I see the pond on my right
With lotuses shining bright
My home is near
I say good bye to my
Meandering road with a sigh
I promise, I will come again
Dear road you had better remain.
Mired Mirage
Ghughuti Basuti
7/5/07
Post script : Alas, my meandering road has been almost fully washed away in this years heavy rains.
Now I can no longer go on my beautiful road.
Mired Mirage
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Rains play havoc with Saurashtra
Rains have been battering our area almost non stop for the last three days. We were forced to close the school , our buses got stranded and thankfully the passengers found refuge atop a goods laden truck and spent more than twelve hours in the lashing rain. The village houses have been inundated with the rain waters. We are trying to provide them relief to the best of our ability. Here are some pictures of the sorry state the roads have been reduced to.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Senior Citizens And Remarriage
Old people in India, particularly in Gujarat state, registering at marriage bureaus, have become a repeat news item in Times Of India. It does not surprise me .What surprises me is the fact that such news headlines are preceded by an exclamation mark. It’s the most logical thing to do for a thinking, life loving senior citizen. Another thing that I find a little disconcerting is the stress given to companionship in these news items. True, senior citizens marry mainly for companionship, but a little love and romance too would not be out of place. Perhaps, the children can accept the idea of companionship a little more readily. Be as it may, the trend is definitely heartening. Today’s article also talks about them also looking for live in relationships. I wonder, though, if at their stage of life it matters whether it is a legal marriage or any other arrangement. Perhaps, some people are looking at the option of live in relationship to avoid the property disputes, in future, in case of the termination of the relationship as a result of death, discord or incompatibility. There probably could be some legal solutions like a disclaimer, or some kind of mutual legal agreement about this.
The idea of senior citizens finding a partner is very beneficial to society as a whole and the persons concerned in particular. This is something very common in the west but a relatively new phenomenon in India. I would like to discuss the likely benefits and practicality of such an arrangement especially in the context of today’s reality.
Most of us in India are accustomed to the idea of young adults getting married. If someone stays single he/she is often advised, goaded, coerced into marriage. Most friends and relatives are happy to help them find an alliance. Marriage at middle age is also accepted. It is only when a person has crossed fifty and marries that we look a bit surprised and some of us may even find it a bit out of place or some may even find it ridiculous.
If we leave aside the child bearing and rearing aspect of a marriage, then these mature people are the ones who really need someone to share their lives with. Working people hardly find time to share their lives with their spouses. It is at this stage, say after sixty, of life that one finds the time and the patience to be with someone, talk, take walks, share little and big household duties, discuss the past, dream about the present and the future. One learns to appreciate companionship, sharing and caring. There are very few avenues left of spending time with people. Usually, the children are grown up, settled in their lives and there are no responsibilities towards them left. Loneliness grips the senior citizen like never before.
The joint family is no more and even when it is there, the form of the joint family has changed drastically. At the most, it consists of parents and their married children. In such a case if the senior person loses his /her spouse, there is no other person of his/her age group in the family. All the other members are busy with their lives. It is only this person who finds time hanging heavy and even if he/she has work or hobbies, sharing, talking, and togetherness are still missing. It is not practical to expect the younger generation to spend and enjoy the limited time they have with the older generation. Supposing they do so, even then the comradeship is missing. One need people of ones own age to share one’s life with. It is often seen that when a parent is single and old the children often feel a sense of obligation to spend time with him/ her. Sometimes, this leads to resentment and heart burn. Often the young couple feels compelled to return home early from a party while the other friends are still enjoying. This may be acceptable a few times but when done over long years it leads to resentment. The parent can no longer be the most important person in the children’s lives. One needs a spouse to get the attention the most important person in our lives gets.
Looking from the perspective of the senior citizen, he / she has spent life earning and working hard. Now is the time when he /she can relax, visit places, enjoying the fruits of labour. But one needs someone to enjoy life with. It is very logical that there is a spouse around. So if unfortunately, the spouse is lost there is no harm in finding a new one to share life with. Old age is also not an easy time to make new friends. The avenues of meeting people are very limited. The life expectancy has increased so much that it no longer is a question of a few lone years, it can become decades of lonely life accompanied by sickness when a loving and caring person is most valuable.
If it is not possible to find a partner on ones own then where is the harm in making use of specialized services to meet with perspective life partners? The best and the happiest scenario would be one where the children, friends and relatives encourage the lonely person to look for someone special in life. It would make the decision so much easier, especially in the context of traditional Indian society and family. This gift of ‘I care for you’ attitude is the best gift children can give their lonely parent.
Old people in India, particularly in Gujarat state, registering at marriage bureaus, have become a repeat news item in Times Of India. It does not surprise me .What surprises me is the fact that such news headlines are preceded by an exclamation mark. It’s the most logical thing to do for a thinking, life loving senior citizen. Another thing that I find a little disconcerting is the stress given to companionship in these news items. True, senior citizens marry mainly for companionship, but a little love and romance too would not be out of place. Perhaps, the children can accept the idea of companionship a little more readily. Be as it may, the trend is definitely heartening. Today’s article also talks about them also looking for live in relationships. I wonder, though, if at their stage of life it matters whether it is a legal marriage or any other arrangement. Perhaps, some people are looking at the option of live in relationship to avoid the property disputes, in future, in case of the termination of the relationship as a result of death, discord or incompatibility. There probably could be some legal solutions like a disclaimer, or some kind of mutual legal agreement about this.
The idea of senior citizens finding a partner is very beneficial to society as a whole and the persons concerned in particular. This is something very common in the west but a relatively new phenomenon in India. I would like to discuss the likely benefits and practicality of such an arrangement especially in the context of today’s reality.
Most of us in India are accustomed to the idea of young adults getting married. If someone stays single he/she is often advised, goaded, coerced into marriage. Most friends and relatives are happy to help them find an alliance. Marriage at middle age is also accepted. It is only when a person has crossed fifty and marries that we look a bit surprised and some of us may even find it a bit out of place or some may even find it ridiculous.
If we leave aside the child bearing and rearing aspect of a marriage, then these mature people are the ones who really need someone to share their lives with. Working people hardly find time to share their lives with their spouses. It is at this stage, say after sixty, of life that one finds the time and the patience to be with someone, talk, take walks, share little and big household duties, discuss the past, dream about the present and the future. One learns to appreciate companionship, sharing and caring. There are very few avenues left of spending time with people. Usually, the children are grown up, settled in their lives and there are no responsibilities towards them left. Loneliness grips the senior citizen like never before.
The joint family is no more and even when it is there, the form of the joint family has changed drastically. At the most, it consists of parents and their married children. In such a case if the senior person loses his /her spouse, there is no other person of his/her age group in the family. All the other members are busy with their lives. It is only this person who finds time hanging heavy and even if he/she has work or hobbies, sharing, talking, and togetherness are still missing. It is not practical to expect the younger generation to spend and enjoy the limited time they have with the older generation. Supposing they do so, even then the comradeship is missing. One need people of ones own age to share one’s life with. It is often seen that when a parent is single and old the children often feel a sense of obligation to spend time with him/ her. Sometimes, this leads to resentment and heart burn. Often the young couple feels compelled to return home early from a party while the other friends are still enjoying. This may be acceptable a few times but when done over long years it leads to resentment. The parent can no longer be the most important person in the children’s lives. One needs a spouse to get the attention the most important person in our lives gets.
Looking from the perspective of the senior citizen, he / she has spent life earning and working hard. Now is the time when he /she can relax, visit places, enjoying the fruits of labour. But one needs someone to enjoy life with. It is very logical that there is a spouse around. So if unfortunately, the spouse is lost there is no harm in finding a new one to share life with. Old age is also not an easy time to make new friends. The avenues of meeting people are very limited. The life expectancy has increased so much that it no longer is a question of a few lone years, it can become decades of lonely life accompanied by sickness when a loving and caring person is most valuable.
If it is not possible to find a partner on ones own then where is the harm in making use of specialized services to meet with perspective life partners? The best and the happiest scenario would be one where the children, friends and relatives encourage the lonely person to look for someone special in life. It would make the decision so much easier, especially in the context of traditional Indian society and family. This gift of ‘I care for you’ attitude is the best gift children can give their lonely parent.
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