Monday, December 03, 2007

Lady at dusk

I had been to my Mom’s place this time when I was in Kerala. It was a very old house with two ponds, one grove, and rice paddy fields. The left side is a huge courtyard where different kinds of mango tree are planted. There is an open space inside the house where various kinds of Ayurvedic medicinal plants are cultivated.

If you have been to such kind of environment you will really forget everything including yourself. Trust me, you don’t need cooler or fan inside the rooms made by teak woods. It was amazingly very cool!

The two ponds I mentioned above have two different purposes. One is used for water which is mainly for agricultural purposes. The other pond is used for taking bath. Its really green water with different kinds of fishes.

When dusk comes one senior lady member of the family will walk up to the grove with a lamp in hand. Wearing traditional Kerala set sari, jasmine flowers on her head and lighted lamp she slowly walks around one kms from the house to the grove in a blue dusk time. She will be walking with prayers in her lips. Prayers to protect the family and its members. Even God can’t avoid that. I think so.

There is a divine spirit in an around there. It becomes so evident only on dusk. Sometimes fear grips me thinking that being in Mumbai I must be severely punished by God for all the good habits I am having. Scenes like this you will experience only when you are in your native place. Sometimes I really think I am alive only because of their prayers.

I raised my hands and prayed. Prayed for all who are known to me and strangers to me.