April 24th, 2016. Hirehalli, Karnataka.
Life in hinterlands is slow-paced. Its beautiful and wise. Nobody seems to mind whatever may happen. Like a babbling brook, everyone flows effortlessly.. meandering, dripping, crashing and sometimes just being still. All the while producing a music that reverberates through one’s being. Their grief is short-lived, their gratitude profound. Their love is magnetic and contagious, rippling out in geometric progression. Their harmony with nature assumes a flawless rhythm. It’s impossible to extract the sine and cosine of the sacred and the profane out of this symphony.
Just when one surrenders to scorching heat, hunger pangs, dust, infrastructural constraints, linguistic handicaps and maddening banking business, one discovers just how deep empathy goes. Financial inclusion is a much-needed ambrosia. As for “changing the world”, streams of tears, grateful sigh of relief and folded hands tell me that all each of us has to do is to be diligent, sincere, and compassionate in whatever we do.
Numbers may tell an official story, some true and others mere utilitarian; it is, however, a privilege to play a part in real life stories that can only be narrated through happy wrinkles, new bangles, a healthy crop, skilled feminine hands finding empowerment and respect, abundant dairy, fresh coconuts, and withered palms raised in blessing.
Anhad/अनहद 