Sun always gives me hope

 

Sudden rain brings excitement and joy amongst the kids who will go into the rain and play, although I don’t see too many kids floating paper boats nowadays or maybe I don’t see them in the right place.

They may be looking for some rainy songs on their mobile / pad or they may have been censured by their parents so that they don’t catch cold - with COVID still not a distant memory. For me a prolong rainy season makes me feel depressed and low, I believe it’s called the SAD (seasonal associated depression) It has been a rainy 2 weeks - First in Goa & now in Bangalore. With the 2nd innings not very far the 1st innings is dragging its feet thanks to the T&C & with heaps of unwashed clothes which we brought from Goa, the drawing room where I WFH and sleep becomes a place where semi dry clothes occupy most surfaces. So while I try to read up & make plans for 2nd Innings and connect with people - I am under a cloud of hopelessness and unclear vision.

3 things gave me hope in last 2 weeks 

Sun: A bright sun even if it’s for an hour gives me and I think many of us who stay in a humid and cold area. It also in a way proves the cyclical nature of most things in life. Just like the sun has to come out at some point, the bad days will end and good days will come back & so whenever I see sun I see hope written in big and golden letters. This too shall pass. 

Harry Potter: Having seen the series multiple times with the kids as they grew up, I always wanted to read the series & GOT when I got the time. I borrowed 3 from the kids group of friends and took them to Goa knowing very well that with the rain lashing the Goan coast. Having finished the 2nd book a few days after we reached Bangalore I was reading letters written by 8 year olds in their unruly handwritten notes & here I was at 53 reading this book and was keen to start on the 3rd - What is the one thing which bound all of us across the globe & ages. And the answer was hope - the key ingredient for magic to happen. Of course there is friendship, growing up, the thrill of solving a mystery but the magic ingredient is hope / trust and loyalty. The outcome is known (Potter vs Voldermot - which Potter will win) but it is the journey which the readers are excited about the unknown mysteries which unravels in every book

Isn’t our life too like that? Death is a certainty - there are chapters as we go through life, some good and some are so bad you want to shut the chapter and move on to the next. There is always a Voldermot moment / phase you just need to believe that the magic wand is there & It will appear.

Morning & Night Routine:: Whether in rain drenched Goa or an overcast condition in Bangalore my morning routine always gives hope for a better day. From making my own morning cuppa and savouring it with the cold wind or rains from the window then either roll out the mat or put on my shoes & then end with thanks & gratitude to my parents. Even worst days this gives me the hope to push forward with hope that the day will be better as it progresses.

Postscript: OnFound this, has the key takeaways from some of the best books. On the topic of hope ‘Man’s Search for Meaning - By Viktor Frankl is one of the game changer. https://lifeselfmastery.com/category/reading-list/ 

Day 16: 200 words/day challenge (628 words)

Floods - 1

 

This year 2022, the rains came early and like always there were reports of flooded basement,

overflowing of lake water into the roads leading to deaths. This is across India with Assam being one of the worst affected areas. My cousin had to wade through chest deep water to reach Silchar station and catch a train to reach Karimganj. I had seen floods in Assam as a child & in Mumbai as an adult.

Assam (70’s)

My earliest memory of floods was when we used to travel in July to Karimganj in Assam, which is the nearest station to my village Aylabari. The whole city & village will be under muddy water - because of all the mud flowing along with the river water.

We would get down from the train with all our luggage and start hunting for a boat. These are small boats which will then ferry us from the station to our home. These rides were fraught with tension, there were dead animals floating in the river, electric  wire dangling from the poles,  which might have got damaged due to rain.

Due to frequent floods our houses are made on top of a tilla (an artificial hill created). Each tilla houses 8 families - all our relatives, uncles & aunts, nephews & nieces would be staying. Almost like a joint family but each of them are also an independent unit. As a 10 year old I will eat breakfast somewhere, lunch somewhere else, climb the jackfruit tree and break open the jackfruit and have it write under the tree along with my cousins, swim in a pond - I had free access to everyone's’ house and kitchen.

During floods, the boat would reach just at the bottom of the tilla and we would climb up and finally reach home. Most houses prepare themselves for the floods by storing the basics groceries & dry fish and other herbs and spices so that they can manage for a few days. For longer duration of floods people passing by on boats are requested to get some other essentials like medicine or kerosene. Being a small village of 50 families - most of them migrated from Bangladesh - everyone knew everyone else. 

As kids the necessities were our parents' departments, we kids were more excited about fishing, which for someone like me who is visiting from a town was a unique experience. Baba was adept in cutting bamboo trees & making whatever you demand. He would make fishing rods out of the bamboo and we kids would carry these like a gun on our shoulder and head for the flooded areas which are near the village pond with the assumption that fishes from ponds would have flown out. 

The first task was to get hold of a basket full of earthworms, which we will dig into the mud and scoop them out. Then we will put them in our hook, throw the wire into water  and wait for the tugs by the fish. We will all spread out so that our lines don’t get jumbled up. The magical moment is when you feel the tug and jerk the wire out fast so that the fish is hooked. Most of the time the fish would nibble at the bait and go away but the magical moment was when you pull the string and see a fish dangling at the end. A separate basket is kept with water where the fish is transferred so that fish is alive till we take it back home. 

Muddy & drenched when the group reached home - we did a victory lap on the courtyard and display of wares which would then be consumed for dinner. In villages nothing goes wasted. We had the bilai (cat) to finish off the bones and sleep peacefully next to the earthen stove and we in the next room.

Day 15: 200 words/day challenge; 634 words (Back after a 14 hiatus)