Exemplars & Opulence
Nagaraju
& Suma live in their typically rural tiled home at Doora, a scenic village,
about 22 Kms from Mysore off HD Kote Road. Now, the couple can
easily be classified as “Adarsha Dampathigalu”. They strongly believe in the concept of
Sustainable Living and practice it sincerely. Nagaraju owns four acres of land.
His other possessions include three native breed milch cows, two buffaloes, a
pair of strong bullocks, a large brood of cocks,hens & chicken which strut
all around the house in gay abandon as if it is their own, a pair of goats
permanently tied to one pillar of the courtyard .The couple works from 5.00 in
the morning to 4.30 in the evening taking care of their precious possessions
and tilling land .Both are graduates in commerce.
Their only
son was born born and brought up in these surroundings.
Public
transport being notoriously fickle, he travelled 45 Kms everyday to college in Goods trucks, in trucks carrying
Sheep & chicken, in goods auto and in every conceivable mode of transport.
With the family discipline deeply ingrained in him, he completed M.BA and landed
a job in Bangalore. The parents found a suitable bride for him. In
course of time he clinched a lucrative job at Qatar. Initially Nagaraju held reservations about his Son “Going away to a strange World” .But,Suma
was thrilled. The couple continued to
toil.
The Son’s
family frequently stayed in touch with the parents. They invited them to Qatar to spend time with them . Suma
broached the topic several times. Nagaraju worried about his voiceless “Children” & his beloved farm
wouldn’t relent.Suma’s brother living in the city promised to manage the
household in their absence.Suma’s persistence ultimately paid off.
The
travelled to Qatar.
Their son lived on a tenth floor apartment in a residential complex in a
busy part of Doha. Their Grand
daughter was a year and a half old then and was just
learning to talk. Suma doted over her, teaching her rhymes in Kannada.
In a casual conversation, Suma’s son talked about a lady who held a luctative job and had been living there for the past fifteen years.whom he had met. He learned that she studied in the same college as Suma. She even vaguely remembered Suma. He invited her home to meet his mother. Suma and the lady recognized each other instantly. They met frequently.
The friend invited Suma to spend a weekend at her house.
She lived
in a quieter area. She had rented the front portion of a Mansion owned by an
Arab lady, a widow who lived with her grown up daughter and was a high ranking official
in a petrochemical company.
Most Mansions owned by Arabs have a large separate parlour in the front. It is where the visitors, usually the men folk, are entertained she explained to Suma.
The landlady had converted the parlour into a one bedroom living quarters. Suma’s friend lived there, while the lady of the house occupied the large portion behind it. The landlady and her daughter lived, with a number of maids in attendance
Seeing the
huge portion at the back Suma pleaded with her friend to take her to visit the
landlady, so that she could admire her house. Her friend had described it as palatial.
Friendly & Affable Suma and the
gracious landlady established an
instant rapport with each other..
The
pleasant Arabian lady, showed her around her house; the ladies parlor, the sitting area , the dining room. Suma was awestruck by the beautiful decor. She was stunned by the
richness of the embellishments & furnishings.
Beyond the
dining room was a large bedroom furnished with queen sized cot, dressing table,
cabinets and a writing-table painted sparkling white. There were drapes on the windows There was also an air conditioner and a large television.
It was the most gorgeous room that Suma had ever seen seen. .
Wide eyed
in amazement, Suma exclaimed “Wow! your bedroom is so glamorous !”
And then
she said “
Epilogue: When I was serving
as managing committee member of KSCA, I had utilized the services of my
photographer friend Mahesh
frequently to cover events. We had also done a few Wildlife tours together. He
was aware of my fondness for forests and countryside and narrated stories about
a village named Doora, not far from
the city . Surrounded by lush greenery and a large lake at the outskirts it was
an ideal birding hotspot. Upon request Mahesh assured to take me there. He said
his Sister lived in the village.
Armed with camera, we arrived at his sister’s
home early one morning. We were accorded
a very warm welcome and Mahesh’s sister treated us to a tall brass tumbler of
coffee prepared with fresh cow milk and sweetened with Jaggery.
Coffee never tasted better. After visiting their farm and spending time
on the shores of the lake we returned to the city late evening.
The
heart craved for more visits. About two year later Mahesh & I made the
second trip.His Sister and Brother-in-law had just returned from Qatar after
visiting their son. Even as we were entering the house, I saw Changes. Doors and
windows were curtained. An artificial
leather sofa had replaced the long
wooden bench in the courtyard. No sign
of Poultry pottering around or the goats. Even as I was eagerly waiting for the
tumbler of Fresh cow’s milk Jaggery Coffee, it arrived……not in that
shining Brass tumbler but in ceramic Cup
and Saucer. The sister proudly informed Mahesh that she now had a granite
kitchen top and induction stove We went
to the farm to meet the Brother-in law. He was busy tilling his land with a
mechanized Diesel hand tiller. But, the bullocks were still there, tied to a
tree, obviously enjoying their retirement.
However the lake was the same. With recent
heavy rains it was brimming .We managed to get
many beautiful clicks. As we drove back, thoughts rankled the mind: Are
the last vestiges of unspoiled nature and sustainable living being eroded? The
obvious answer is a painful one to digest.
I am left wondering: Is there something very
wrong with mother earth that we are abandoning her?
What will awaken all humans on the planet to
the fact that we are living on Mother Earth
P.S: All my attempts & methods to brew the”Doora” brand of coffee have failed.
2 comments:
Intervention in Natural order of things started with discovery of fire and formation of settled societies . The pace has accelerated now and hence seems scary
. But lament not for Mother Earth . She has survived Ice Ages, Continental Shifts , Floods and Meteor hits. She can survive Human bad behaviour too . Only , Mankind will be wiped out like a load of trash. Good.
The comforts of technology, innovations and progress have indeed
spoilt us. Finally nature will deal with us just like a mother who would teach a lesson to her spoilt brats.
Post a Comment