Source of Joy

by Smt. Mandira Lahiri

 

In this piece, I will write about Mithu — the parrot, Sundae — my pet cat, Bharti — my immediate neighbor, and the autobiography of my Blue Wind Chime.

 

MITHU 

He is Pramila’s male pet parrot of 28 years. He is well behaved, and likes to eat pista, peanuts, grapes, guava, different types of grains and hot Chapattis. He could speak good Hindi earlier but now is a bit confused because English, Hindi and Malyalam are spoken at home by the family members. Still, at times he yells in his shrill voice --- Moti Roti de. If his food is not laid out properly on a sheet of paper, then he gets very annoyed and scolds everybody before turning the paper upside down with his sharp beak. When given a hot Roti, he does a small jig to show his joy. He roams freely in the house since it is bird proof. He uses his cage to sleep at night. If the guava given to him is not sweet then he throws it back at you. Even at this age Mithu is quite stunning to look at. He has a habit of yanking off his lovely plumes when angry. He is quite friendly with the helpers of the house. He talks to them very sweetly in his own style. The delivery boy of Amazon who was arguing with Pramila, got a bad scolding from Mithu. Mithu admonished him in his stern tone, so much so that the boy got flustered, quickly put an end to the conversation and vanished. He has a small basin which is filled with lukewarm water for his bath. The same basin has to be given everyday otherwise he turns the basin upside down with his beak. 

Pramila calls him ‘Chota Baccha’. He is very fond of Pramila’s daughter Puja and is a real stress-buster for them. When Puja is on a call, he maintains silence. Parrots are very smart and intelligent birds. If kept properly, they outlive their owners at times.

 

SUNDAE 

She is our pet cat of 10 years who was rescued by my daughter. She was named Sundae because of her pigmentation. She is a tortoise shell cat.  They are called so because of their coat which looks like a tortoise shell. They are often referred to as torties. Mostly they are females. They are very talkative and very intuitive. Our flat is also cat proof so she roams around freely in the house. She becomes sad when we go out. When we come back, she becomes very happy and expresses her joy by rolling on the ground. She has peculiar ways of displaying her affection. She purrs gently when combed or petted. The tone of her meowing will let us know whether she is experiencing pleasure or pain. She has a fetish for cleanliness, and always chooses a spot which is spick and span. Smell of clean linen attracts her like a magnet. She will sit there like a queen and groom herself for hours with eyes closed. Watching her at that time is like meditation. She wants her food bowl and water bowl to be absolutely clean. Her litter box also has to be kept properly.  She cannot stand other cats but is fond of humans. Going to a vet’s place is an ordeal for us. She was spayed by my daughter when she was 6 months old. She has put on a lot of weight now. At times she gets zoomies (runs from place to place with her tail upright). She has a basketful of toys but refuses to play with any of those. Any type of loud noise disturbs her. Her tail becomes like a bottle brush when she sees a stranger. I can only say that Sundae’s presence in my house which has long become an empty nest, is such a boon.

  

BHARTI 

Bharti, the 95-year-old lady, is my immediate neighbor who lives alone. She is an inspiration to all at Sobha Suncrest, the name of our condominium. She shifted to this place 14 years ago. Bharti’s only daughter and son-in-law are US citizens and they live there. Bharti prefers to stay alone as she is fiercely independent. She always keeps herself constructively occupied — doing crochet, painting, knitting, embroidery, stitching, cooking, working with terracotta — she is simply unstoppable. In the morning Bharti is engrossed in doing Sudoku, Loop the loop, Kakuro, Jumbled Words etc. She also cooks for herself. Very often I find her entertaining guests at home. She likes to go out and socialize. Bharti lives life with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm and enjoys every moment of it. Even at this age she has no apprehensions and lives fearlessly, uses her mind and makes her decisions wisely. She is a role model for many, is loved and revered by one and all. She can undoubtedly be called a woman of substance.

 

THE BLUE WIND-CHIME 

I am a beautiful wind-chime, blue in color and made of ceramics. I have bells hanging at different levels. There is a loop at the top which has to be hung from a hook. My maker is a Rajasthani who makes all terracotta items with great care— and why not, after all we all fetch him a good amount of moolah. My maker hung me and my other three siblings in the front part of his shop, so that the interested buyers could spot us easily. Slowly the days started passing by and all my siblings went to their new homes. I was the only one left behind. I felt sad and dejected as I had become the seller’s target of ire. Buyers would come, bargain but the deal would not go through. My maker’s wife also started hurling abuses at me after a few days. My silent prayers went unanswered. The barrage of expletives thrown at me would give me immense grief. A thick coat of dust covered me from top to bottom. Often a gust of wind tossed my body, like a pendulum from right to left and left to right. I was in total despair. That night I got completely drenched in a heavy downpour, and all the filth settled on me got washed away. The next day a miracle happened. A couple came in a maroon car and stopped in front of the shop. I could see from my place that the lady’s eyes were searching for something, then her eyes fell on me. The man in the car was quite disinterested and was overtly busy on his phone. After a little bit of bargaining, the deal was settled for Rs. 750. The seller ousted me quite unceremoniously from the shop by shoving me into the lady’s hand. I could also hear him mutter under his breath ‘good riddance’.  The lady nestled me in her big hands and took me home, gleefully. After reaching home she cleaned me thoroughly with a lot of care and warmth. Then she hung me lovingly in her favorite balcony — the one adjoining her bedroom. The lady often came to the balcony and threw admiring glances at me. Oh! What a turnaround for me! I felt at the top of the world! 

I heard her tell her husband that I (the blue wind-chime) had become the reason for her to come to the balcony more often to hear my chiming which generated that sense of calmness and peace that we all yearn for. She cleaned me every day, I could almost hear her say, “I love you!” 

Can somebody tell me how to tell my benefactor that I reciprocate her feelings? 

Mithu’s antics narrated by Pramila makes my evening walk very pleasant. Sundae’s lovely presence brings a smile to my face. Bharti’s unconditional love infuses new vigor and life in me. The soft and rhythmic music of the wind-chime makes me close my eyes and thank the Almighty for His grace and blessings that are showered on us at all times. 

So, we have to keep in mind that God resides in each and every being of this world, be it animate or inanimate. We should be grateful for all the beauty and love that we are provided with. Simple joys of life should be cherished and treasured. 

Sadguru Prajnanpurush SriSri Babathakur in his book ‘Nectar Of Wisdom’ explains:

‘All appearances of the world-drama of various names and forms are superimpositions experienced through ignorance of the same one Self, the Pure Consciousness, the fundamental Reality, the only Substratum, the abiding Reality in all beings and becomings.’

The golden advice from Prajnanpurush SriSri Babathakur:

‘Consider yourself as an operator in the Divine play of the world, for an operator has no possibility to create — his only duty is to make the instrument function.’

Prajnanpurush SriSri Babathakur gives us constant reminders that when looking at the different variations of the world, a relentless search of the source is essential.

He reiterates, ‘A true observer shall not miss the Source and will reach the state of his or her True Nature. This True Nature or Inner Nature is not only perfect, but also glorified by Its own richness, fullness, awareness, Oneness and Absoluteness. That is why it is said that the Absolute is the source of all demand and supply.’