Chance encounters and deliberate actions (5/3/2022)

Many hooks came to mind when I was contemplating chronicling today’s events. Our trip was meticulously planned by Manisha and Sunita but the experience turned out to be far more enjoyable and memorable than we had ever imagined.

A little about the title of this write-up is in order. We had a chance encounter with Mr. Bhoir when we reached our destination of the Kondhana caves. I found something very peculiar about this man. His entire demeanor suggested that this man was different. I couldn’t resist striking up a conversation with him. When I proffered an apology to him for disturbing his peace, he presciently said that “everything happens for a reason”. Our going there as a group wasn’t a chance encounter for him. He further said that there is nothing random about the way this world functions and that everything is interconnected. I found this profound. Mr. Bhoir is an MBA and had worked earlier with a large company and also been an entrepreneur before some events in his life made him think about our purpose in life. Most of us never get to this question as we keep doing the same old things day after day (à la Groundhog Day). This person was knowledgeable in fields as diverse as Indian philosophy, Sanskrit, astronomy, Gautam Buddha, and physics. Our meeting with him was very fleeting but it left a distinct impression. So I decided to start this essay with this brief encounter. Meeting him was a chance encounter but initiating a conversation with him was a deliberate action on my part.

To cut a long story short, losing our way initially and ending at the caves much later than planned, gave us an opportunity to meet this man. This delay also was refreshing in retrospect as we got the opportunity to test our nerves and our spirits. Both passed with flying colours. Everything happens for a reason. Rajesh was splendid today by the way he helped Usha manoeuvre the steep inclines both ways. Rajesh’s presence with Usha was perhaps preordained or maybe we have to acknowledge that he is just a very good person. Some of us had puncture injuries on our hands and legs but no one was in a mood to give up. Deena, who is still nursing her leg injury, and Tasneem, who I believe is a lot younger mentally, showed tremendous resolve. Manisha, Mangala, Pushpa, Chachaji, Sharad, the young Dwiti, Isha, all did well. Manisha’s search for the right path by looking for ‘Balaji’ was both hilarious and meaningful. These signs of civilization which were strewn upon the landscape by people led us to the right path. There is no randomness, everything happens for a reason. Unbelievably, and a bit grudgingly we have to accept that today trash served a purpose for us. :) We can now only imagine how the magnificent caves would have been in their heyday. What now remains is lamentable.

Now a little about our visit to Preeti’s house. Lyrics of the following lullaby from the movie Zubieda come to mind:

दूर कहीं एक आम की बगिया

बगिया में है ठंडी छाव

छाओं में एक कच्चा रास्ता

रस्ते में प्यारा सा गाँव

गाँव में एक छोटा सा घर

घर में एक उजला सा आँगन

आँगन में चन्दन का पलना

पलने में चन्दा सा मुन्ना

मुन्ने की आँखों में निंदिया

This labour of love of Shri Sukumar Desai is a lot more than a आम की बगिया. I now understand why our friend Preeti rushes to this place at every available opportunity. This house has been very thoughtfully constructed by Mr. Desai over a few years and opens our eyes to how much we city dwellers are missing. Pranav summed it up nicely when he said, ‘kitni shanti hai yahan!’. This quiet and peace do not come easily. The Desai’s have surrounded themselves with various trees and have formed close bonds with nature. We have trees of mangoes, papayas, pineapples, jackfruit, various types of flowers, vegetables, and many other saplings. All three of them have a connection with the earth we inhabit. Mr. Sukumar very poignantly said that we have to reduce our needs to make life peaceful. This is easier said than done but the Desai’s are living examples of this adage. They haven’t fallen prey to gadgets like refrigerators or air conditioners. 

The lunch organised by Mr. Desai was hosted at the bungalow of the town’s Sarpanch. This local leader very humbly served us food. We experienced the same warmth being displayed by this sarpanch that we had at the Desai’s. No words of appreciation would suffice to really explain what we felt at the Desai household and later at lunch. We also got an opportunity to see a picture of Mrs. Desai and were awestruck to see the resemblance, both Preeti and Swati share with their mother.

We had to forgo our plans of dunking ourselves in the local river because of the paucity of time. But we did get to swim! And boy, what a time we had at Satish Sathe’s farmhouse. This property spread over a one-acre plot is Mr. Sathe’s life’s work. He has painstakingly built this farmhouse, brick by brick, over the past 8-10 years. It has a swimming pool and seven well-appointed rooms. We have places to sit and eat or just walk about on this property. What he has achieved so far is astonishing. Some were shy and were content to just dip their feet in the water while some, like Deena, Tasneem, guruji, and Nihal danced with gay abandon. Needless to say, Deena was the best!

I am sure going forward we would be making several trips to both these properties in the near future.

What can I say about the food? All of us gave our diets and mindful eating a break and just charged at the delicious food on offer. Vada Pao and kanda Bhaji in the morning. Pithla Bhakri for lunch. Shevayachi kheer for dessert. Misal Pao and Gulab Jamuns for evening snacks…. What a spread!

This was one day when we managed to leave behind our worries as we got disconnected, albeit for short intervals, from the world. In the morning Nitin regaled us with songs and for us backbenchers, we had lessons in international politics (read Russia-Ukraine) from Guruji and Nihal. We also spoke about cricket. Pant and Jadeja’s batting and Shane Warne’s death. These are not exactly topics discussed during a regular picnic. But, everything happens for a reason. Maybe a few of us found some entertainment or some new tidbit or some learning in these topics. 

The day is well documented through the excellent photographs shared by everyone in the group.

I will leave you with this thought. Try to find meaning in our everyday interactions. We usually just react to what goes on around us. This will help us in understanding people better and also help us in realising our purpose in life. True peace can be found only if we are able to decipher this riddle.

Good night.