Chart of Life: Part 14.
Author: | Posted on: May 24, 2012
India; it was a magestic place. It was a kingdom of its own, with sand strewn mounds and large expanses of jewel like fields. It was a place which the girl and her family, they had only just found and it was a place which was full of intrigue.
Having been shuffled on and then off a busy bus and thrown straight into a bustling active street; the girl found herself stroon amongst the many individuals who had all come to see Sai Baba. It was an activity, a hive of planning and inspired wonder which had brought them this far.
The journey had been one that had seen them take a leap into a country of which they had not set foot in before. Standing at the gates of the plush hotel; it had to be said though, that the girl felt a huge sense of relief. The hotel was like a haven, and after so much, pushing and the frenzy of landing in this new country to walk into the calm and opulent surrounding was like taking a breath of fresh air. The marble on the floor was stunning and yet all the girl could contemplate was the fact; that soon she would be able to rest the pushchair and put her daughter and elderly mother in the safety of the room. Her husband quickly took on the arrangements of the accomodation, which albeit temporary, was something to consider as a gap in which to take a break. It was still so new, the land and the environment had been meerly a scene which the girl and her family had not had time to view. The tour group had dropped them off at this hotel, with instructions that they would be told where Sai Baba was at that time, and then the group would be ready to set off again and settle in that particular region.
The plan was all very well; yet with a child and an elderly grandmother it was not so easy to put into practice. The first stop after having arrived in India and whirling past all the streets had been this hotel, it was their time to breath and take stock, and to look for the first time at what surrounded them. What and exactly where they were. It was an exotic and intricate pattern which decorated the halls, the gold only giving way to the sheer beauty of the white marble. The girl helped her daughter and mother to their room and for the time they were allowed to rest and adjust.
The environment was humid and dry, senses rose up and wherever you chose to set your vision upon would spring up new and varied activity. The monkeys who would be cheekily playing in the trees to the rustle and sway of the lush trees just outside the hotel grounds. There were smells, sights and feelings which rushed around the girl all battling for a moment to show and depict what was taking place. The family had come to visit Sai Baba, to experience a little of what they had been told about and yet walking and being in India was a mystical and marvellous experience all of its own…
Wishing they could stay in the hotel, the girl, with her daughter, mother and husband had a moment to place themselves and look round the hotel. Tired from travel and yet still eager to look about the child was an active member of the tour group. Having formed a little diversion, the family set about, watching and taking a part in their surroundings. The actual hotel was a visual display of sounds and colours. Their own clothes seemed somehow odd and unusual when put up against the soft flowing robes/trousers. The silk dresses and trouser suits were something to show; to address the stunning fashion. As the girl, and her family were just getting used to this place, the news came from the tour leader regarding Sai Baba and which town he would be settling in. With baited expression, the girl felt her heart sink, what if they had to leave again, having only just settled after the travel she was not sure if she could face another long trip aboard coach or taxi and to travel once more in the crowds to another place. Her heart, still clutched in her hands, she spoke within herself once more to the one person she felt could do something. She asked Sai Baba to please assist… the next word to come out of the tour guide’s lips were to confirm that Sai Baba was not actually in the town where they had thought he was going, and that instead he was very close in the next town which was only a quater of an hour away.
No words could convey how pleased the girl was. The girl was left with her family to be safe in the knowledge that no more extensive travel would be necessary, this was it, they had finally made it to the league of the journey which held the visit of Sai Baba.
When situations and times in life are at there simplest; we rarely stop and contemplate how much we have and yet when things go wrong it is the first and most simple reaction to come to hand to look at what we don’t have. So far, the trip to this far off land, it was smooth and with a few hurdles the management had not been too much of a task. No ordeal and yet when you looked around this place with such little resourses and so many people to nurture, the true miracle unfolded.
The girl and her family; they were able to spend a few nights in the one place and then the group had to move to the town where Sai Baba would be. The move to another town, brought its own secrets out. The streets were full to bursting point with animals and people alike. The girl who had her daughter and mother safely tucked in beside her watched with gaping astoundment as the mode of vehicle, a Rickshaw, hurtled past at the speed of light; ignoring passing trains and taxis, flitting them away like flies and instead with one hand pressed to the steering wheel battled on like some valient Soldgier and with no real concept of the people who were seated within, made its way to a destination; the girl however who thus far was clutching at her daughter who was falling out one side of the vehicle and struggling to keep hold of a elderly mother who was toppling off from the other was starting to break her nerve… the hurting churtling mode of movement was flying no doors free and dangerously near to loosing all its passengers. The experience was one that the girl was sure her mother would nearly never forget and with a daughter who had enjoyed the ride, the girl was left to contemplate with her husband how that short period of their lives had been one of the most trecherous.
The streets were a picture, a snap shot of life. From the children who had to carry vast water crates on their heads, to the men and women who set up grocery stalls. It was like walking through a diverse and epic fragment of classless and equal society. The level was not set to bridge or stave off anyone, no exclusion present and yet it was the most content and smile enducing place to be. Because people lived to be and just that; there were no children left to cry or want and instead the children, though not materially rich, were active and integrated in their joy. The animals too seemed complacent and relaxed.
There were stalls with fresh flowers, and having one man bestow one on the little girl, the family were quick to set about finding a place to stay. Yet this is where; the girl found herself at her closest to the person she had come to visit. During the next few days just how close was set to come to the surface.
“It is hard to know what is coming around the corner, more taxing just to be, because sometimes true happiness is learning how to be free.”
“Allow that light from within to brighten your life, as you will never be forced to walk in the dark. You will never face a problem as one, and it is only in the internal light that you can see the glow which will allow you to see how you are truly not bearing circumstance on your own; when you see there is only one set of footsteps in your wake that is the period when you have been lifted and held close to someone who watches over.”
Read more next Thursday.