Suchintan

21 September 2012

As sun went down in Bangkok, weather started cooling down and I set out for a brisk walk after dinner. Being closer to the Democracy Square, I walked through temporary shelters housing thousands of protesters, people seeking better Thailand who want to change in the way Thailand is governed. This has become my favourite place to visit, as a life in those shelters is an ecosystem in itself. The place is clean, small tents are placed systematically on the mat covered floor. Facilities like food, drinking water, mobile toilets and baths are of optimal standard. Thousands of middle class people have left their homes for months and stay in these temporary shelters. Often it is said that these people stay here just because they get free food, pocket money, free entertainment etc. No… these are not enough reasons to motivate people to live away from their loved ones, in temporary shelters, in scorching heat of Bangkok. More I knew them, more I understood them.

While they slog in these tents to strive for better Thailand, they try to be creative. Often they engage themselves in various activities such as cleaning, watching political speeches on TV, making crafts, stitching clothes, repairing shoes and bags, and so on.

There was a specific reason why I walked through the protest area today evening. I was looking for someone who would fix handle of my favourite Samsonite backpack that holds laptop & documents during my travel. There I saw a mid-age man sitting on floor repairing shoes.

‘Would you mind fixing handle of my bag?’ I asked him politely.

‘My pleasure, please sit down. Let me get my tools’ He replied.

He got onto the task. I was impressed with his workmanship, as he weaved nylon string through the handle. He was well focussed, peaceful and seems not troubled by any of the circumstances around him. My curiosity led to our further conversation.

‘Where is your home? In Bangkok itself?’

‘No, it’s about 30 km on outskirts of Bangkok; I work as a Hydrologist in Irrigation Department of Thai Government’

‘Wow!!! How come you stay here?’ I realised he is well educated person.

‘I am here because I believe, being part of the fight against corruption, we can change Thailand. When I visited this place first time, I saw inconvenience people faced as they didn’t have access to basic services such as repairing their shoes or bags. You know what it meant when your bag or shoe is broken. I have learned shoe repairing skills during my school days. I decided to use it to serve people and reduce their suffering. I just purchased few tools and put up here to serve my fellow people’.

‘Amazing!!!, does your family allow you to stay away from home and be with these protesters?’

‘Yes, I have a normal family life, but I lead a bit different life style’ He pointed at his stylish bike. ‘I use this bicycle to go to the office in the morning. I straight come back to my tent in the evening and start repairing shoes/bags till I get tired and sleep’.

‘What motivates you?’ I really wanted to know more about his personality.

‘I am associated with Santi Asoka group dedicated to serve people and save environment. Our philosophy is to ‘act through actions’. We do eco-farming. Excess harvest, the ‘bio-products’, are sold in market. We run education camps for children to teach moral values of life to make them sensible citizen of the World’. His eyes were still focussed on reinforcing nylon thread to fix handle of my bag.

I glanced through a magazine he handed over to me and learned a lot about Santi Asoka group, a wonderful ‘value based’ institution thriving in Thailand, making proud of Thai culture and Buddhist values.

‘Do you meditate?

‘I don’t meditate in these  tents where I  stay with  thousands others.  My work and  service to people is my meditation. This section of a shelter is peculiar. Smoking and alcohol consumption is  not  permitted  here.  We  eat  pure vegetarian  food.  All  people  around  me serve  others  with  whatever  skills  they have’.

He   pointed   his   finger   to    other   end, ‘Look there, this group offers free training on basket weaving or making flower pots and other artifacts’.

He placed a beautiful handmade basket in front of me as a sample.

After he completed his work, I politely asked him if he would accept some money for the favour he offered to me. He denied by putting both hands together with typical Thai gesture.

‘There is no money business here. Services are free and voluntary’

It took him about 40 minutes of focussed work, and not only had he fixed the handle, but also reinforced nylon thread in all joints so that bag remains sturdy for a long time. This was beyond my expectation. His dedication to the service was amazing.

I bowed to him with respect. That was my respect to his personality, humility and greatness hidden behind his simplicity. I admired a social worker in him, who otherwise is a government official. He bowed back to me and smiled with no expectation.

Next evening I again walked to him. He was busy repairing shoes while most of the people around him were relaxing. This time I carried a precious gift for him. It was a beautiful Indonesian Batik shirt I purchased for myself during my recent visit to Yogyakarta. I wanted to gift something to him that I really liked and loved. I respectfully offered him this gift, which he gladly accepted, although he never expected me to visit him again. This time he bowed to me to express his appreciation to my gesture.

For being a great person, one need not always be a famous, well known, glamorous or a person ‘larger than life’. Greatness is in simplicity, in small acts that care for humanity and serve for good purpose without any expectations.

Now my backpack is even more favourite, rather precious, to me. Whenever I carry my backpack repaired by Mr. Tanasakda, my new Hydrologist friend, his goodness touches me.

Let this goodness flow through your hearts too ☺.

This is a story about a young man, who was born to an Indian farmer, pursued his studies and earned great fortune through his intelligence and diligence graced with respectful and friendly attitude. At young age he climbed ladder of success and became a millionaire in United State. As he settled down, he persuaded his father to visit US and stay with him. A father who has never seen even a big city in his life, reluctantly agreed to visit him and to see fortune earned by his Child.

Finally, old man landed in US. Dressed in a Indian village clad ‘Dhoti’ (like Gandhi), he was a strange object to city people. One evening, a son, delighted in the company of his father, took him to one of the most prestigious restaurant of the town.

His presence in the restaurant was weird to many as people saw a man with tanned skin in a village clad. A father and son enjoyed their dinner. At the end, they received a big bowl of beautiful red cherries on the table. A father liked those tender cherries so much that he could not resist grabbing bulk of cherries, unnoticed by his son. He wrapped those cherries in one corner of his Dhoti…. this is how he used to carry vegetables and fruits from his farm to home every day. It was an Obvious way for him to take away cherries.

As he got up from the chair….. his grip on cherries loosened unknowingly and all cherries were scattered on the expensive carpet. Father was ashamed of his act and trembled with a fear, helplessly awaited his son to blast at him for bringing such an embarrassment. As he saw other people and restaurant staff strangely looking at him, his eyes were filled with tears. He pleaded and apologised to his son.

However, son smiled and told his father.. “Wait…. let us pack some cherries for us, they are really delicious”. He called a restaurant staff and ordered another bowl of cherries. As they walked out with cherries packed in a box, a miracle happened… the customers and staff, who were initially looking low at them, stood up and gave applause full of respect. Everyone noticed childlike happiness in the eyes of old father.

While in a car, father thanked his son about his kindness.

A son replied…..

“Father, why should I feel embarrassed? Who are these people to me who gave strange looks at us, who are these well dressed waiters to me who winked at us when cherries scattered on the floor? I am only one of the customers to them.”

“…..But you are the most valuable person in my life, you are the one who tanned your skin to work in the farm and bring me up, you are the one who lived hard life to pay for my education, you are the one who stayed awake for nights whenever I was sick.

You didn’t embarrass me at all, rather all others were ashamed of their own feelings after they realised how we value bond of love than ‘so called’ mannerism that makes people ‘act’ than being ‘themselves’. Be yourself my Father and enjoy the fortune God has blessed upon us. Nothing matters me more than a person I value in my life”

————

Long ago I heart something similar from someone. I have just put it in my own upon request of my friend who wanted to share it with her students as a part of her morale teachings.

Shirish Ravan (shirishravan@gmail.com)

A Question for Discourse :

UNITY AND PLURALITY IN INDIAN HISTORY: A RETROSPECTIVE LOOK   

– Ranjit Sen   

The University of Calcutta and Aliah University, Kolkata

At the core of Indian diversity there had always been some kind of a unity which was even accepted by the British Government in India. In independent India when we forged our democracy we became acquainted with the expression plurality in Indian life.  Diversity became an obsolete concept so much so that in all social and political commentaries India was referred to as a plural society. From diversity to plurality was a transition which marked our journey to a nation. What retards our becoming a true nation? Is it simply diversity or plurality or some innate shortcomings that had always obscured our national destiny? Many years ago Surendranath Banerjee wrote his autobiography A Nation in Making. Has that process of making been complete? This is the question that requires to be resolved. The entire twentieth century spanned in a space of Hindu-Muslim divide. Standing in the twenty-first century can we be sure that our catastrophic legacy of the past is over? If we look at our electoral politics do we not confront with a picture of all the more pluralism in place of a simple stereotype Hindu-Muslim communal divide of the past? This question is raised to introduce a discourse in the subject.