As I saw it

Those who know me up close, know that I am not much of a religious person and that I usually avoid going to religious places of worship even as I love listening to bhajans, sufiana kalaams, Christian hymns, prayers and the like along with listening to Kabir amritvanis and other nirgun bhakti songs and spiritual music and that I have a good collection of both religious prayers and spiritual music. And yet, something interesting happened today. I was to meet someone whose story I wanted to listen for the next book I am writing. None of the restaurants had opened by that time for us to sit and discuss. And so he offered to meet at a temple and by that time the build-up inside me regarding why I wanted to write that book and share the stories of those people with the wider world out there had become such that as I stepped out of his car and had begun walking towards the temple, I found myself praying to the formless, sect-less, denomination-less, name-less, reli...

“My response to such people is that even if you give beggars a golden bowl, they’ll still beg.” As I started guffawing my daughter immediately clenched my hand and cautioned me not to get into a laugh attack in the auto that we were in a little while ago. But when something simple & profound hits you, one does have reactions like these. I had waited for some time for an auto to take my daughter to her paediatrician in Mayur Vihar Phase 2 and was already resigned to bargaining with the auto driver and my negotiation range was to be between 40 - 50 rupees even though I was prepared for some asking even for 70-80 rupees for a short 3 km ride. And yet as Babu stopped and heard of the landmark Neelam Mata Mandir, he said that he didn’t know of the place and that he’d still take us there if I directed him to the location. And even before I could say anything he started the meter. As soon as we reached the clinic I paid him a little more than the meter reading ...