skin of earth were blended into a single act of knowing.
- Alfred Kazin, The Open Street
- Alfred Kazin, The Open Street
The sun was yet to
show its glaring countenance. It was a sparkling dawn. The sky was
cloudless and clean except for a little shining star
looking like a stray lamb looking for its mother and siblings . On the
road side factory workers were awaiting their buses . One of them
who happened to know me greeted me saying “ Good morning , have a
nice day”. I thanked him and put my hands on his shoulders . When I speak to
such workers I love to put my right on their shoulders as a gesture
of my appreciation of their toil to feed their families and
my solidarity with them.
Once a doorman in
Harrods greeted me saying “ Have a very beautiful day
 |
| The doorman who greeted me in Harrods |
Sir” His
smiling face, still in my mental screen, conceive
a multitude of unspoken utterances .Sincere behaviours create an
indelible imprint in our minds .Time can never erase such
impressions . Though money matters , it seems to me that there are
certain areas where money fears
to tread, sincerity being one of them as it is not a
commodity traded in stock markets.
 |
| A Traditional Tea Shop in Kerala |
Though it was too
early, a teashop was open to serve tea and light refreshments to those workers
to prepare them to start a new day in their career . It reminded me
of the traditional teashops in Kerala where villagers used to meet to
read local news papers, discuss politics and even engage themselves in hot
arguments.
On my way , it was
indeed exhilarating to hear cock crowing which is a rare phenomenon
in Qatar where I now live . The rooster , though caged , does not
refrain from performing its duty. Back in India these birds
are let loose and are free to move wherever they want .
There it is their crowing accompanied by song of cuckoos that
herald the birth of a new day and when we wake up to look at the greenery around our
houses we have crystal like dew drops on fresh and green plant leaves
to refresh our minds.
Three cats were playing on the roadside as if they were fighting one
another. Their bodies were untidy being soiled
by dust particles. I tried to touch one
of them but it ran away lest I should harm it. These cats
reminded me of a beautiful cat
that befriend me two decades ago when I was living in Doha in a single room as a bachelor. Some times when the
cat rubbed its body against my leg to
show its affinity I trampled its arms or legs accidently It
just cried and never growled or
scratched or bit me as other cats usually do . It was strange that
when it found the door of my room
closed it used to jump to door lock
handle which was pressed down under its weight whereby the door was let open and its entered my room . I remember that my eldest son,
who contributes to this blog, had
visited me in those days when he was
around 11 years old and had enjoyed
its company. I can never forget it
A few yards away an old and
frail mother cat was walking very slowly carrying
its babies in its belly. It may give birth to its beautiful multicolored babies
at any time. Animals about to give birth is always a source of hope ,
expectation and tension at the same time. The pregnant cat was reminiscent of
the cows and goats my father used to rear . When these animals showed signs of labour , the whole family used to share their pain and when they
deliver their babies we used to share
its joys.
I
remember how we watched with curiosity cow washed its baby by licking its body until it is
completely clean, how the baby was trying to stand up, how we helped
it drink its mother's milk . The
domestic animals' udder full of fresh milk was symbol
of prosperity and abundance . I do miss those days.
The father
Images :Courtesy to Google
