“The monsoon in Kerala evokes no feeling whatsoever in the locals’ hearts. For the people of Kerala the monsoons are as much a part of their lives as the overgrowing, at times even overbearing, greens. The only difference is that the umbrellas which had to deal with the heat of summer get to quench their thirst as the first raindrops pour in…” So went the letter from Ajoy, a really good friend who had relocated to Kerala on a corporate assignment.
That makes me muse. Rajasthan is a land of valor. It is represented not only in the countless fortresses and legends that run through the pages of history, but the mere existence of people there. Take a walk through any village of the state and the ever-smiling, welcoming faces of the people of Rajasthan would not so much as give you a hint of their daily stories. That old woman there yeah, the one with that funny nose piercing, she walks 15 miles, sometimes with no footwear, everyday to gather that priceless one pitcher-full of water. Only so she could feed her family of twelve and half-satiate the thirsty husband who’s toiling through the boorish earth which refuses to respond. Her walk, the husband’s efforts to derive respect out of a dead land, the child’s silent even peaceful wait, everything justifies the proud Turban (Safa) the eldest member of the family adorns on his head. His generation is fighting…true to the spirit of Rajasthan. I wonder why the world is so full of differences. What could possibly bother a land of such amazing greenery? Life comes easy for some people.
“...you know Avish (that’s me) it is amazing to see how much the smiling faces of funny young men and their half raised lungees conceal about their real lives. Every morning the Fishermen would venture out into the open ocean, their families praying not for their lives but for a good catch, that would feed the whole community after all. Death is a part of their lives, an accepted truth which may or may not happen; life is what they are concerned with. Some day when one of the boats would go missing, the families don’t stop they carry on. The boats would again venture out into oblivion…
The urgent brisk walk, that look of perpetual purposefulness, that slight rhythmic nod of the head to show gratitude, everything in return of the hardships they get. They get life easily there in Rajasthan mate…
With Love
Ajoy”
That makes me muse. Rajasthan is a land of valor. It is represented not only in the countless fortresses and legends that run through the pages of history, but the mere existence of people there. Take a walk through any village of the state and the ever-smiling, welcoming faces of the people of Rajasthan would not so much as give you a hint of their daily stories. That old woman there yeah, the one with that funny nose piercing, she walks 15 miles, sometimes with no footwear, everyday to gather that priceless one pitcher-full of water. Only so she could feed her family of twelve and half-satiate the thirsty husband who’s toiling through the boorish earth which refuses to respond. Her walk, the husband’s efforts to derive respect out of a dead land, the child’s silent even peaceful wait, everything justifies the proud Turban (Safa) the eldest member of the family adorns on his head. His generation is fighting…true to the spirit of Rajasthan. I wonder why the world is so full of differences. What could possibly bother a land of such amazing greenery? Life comes easy for some people.
“...you know Avish (that’s me) it is amazing to see how much the smiling faces of funny young men and their half raised lungees conceal about their real lives. Every morning the Fishermen would venture out into the open ocean, their families praying not for their lives but for a good catch, that would feed the whole community after all. Death is a part of their lives, an accepted truth which may or may not happen; life is what they are concerned with. Some day when one of the boats would go missing, the families don’t stop they carry on. The boats would again venture out into oblivion…
The urgent brisk walk, that look of perpetual purposefulness, that slight rhythmic nod of the head to show gratitude, everything in return of the hardships they get. They get life easily there in Rajasthan mate…
With Love
Ajoy”
No comments:
Post a Comment