Forgive me if I am Ungrateful

This is the English version of
நன்றிகெட்டு நான் நின்ற நேரங்களை மன்னித்துவிடும்

A message in the Facebook got into me and stuck inside me like the mask of Jim Carry in the film MASK..

It was a beautiful message by Auxilia, one of my dear nieces, friends with me in FB.

There was a picture of two African girls, may be sisters and the elder one carrying a dirty plastic can  was trying to quench the younger sister’s  thirst and we know there was not much water in there and the caption was “ Forgive me Lord if I am ungrateful”

 My inner most thought at that moment was on very many occasions I could have been more grateful.

There is a small school near my house. As I returned from the morning walk I was happily surprised to see a stunning rangoli (Kolam) in varied colours in front of the school. The lotuses were literally laughing as in a village pond. I stood there for some time to enjoy and absorb it’s beauty. 

“Amma what are you looking at?” came a voice from behind me.

I turned and saw a middle aged lady smiling at me.

 “Did you do this beautiful piece?” I queried her.

“I like drawing rangolis and kolams ma” she said  “Today I got up early in the morning, prepared the front yard and loved doing this rangloi since today is the parents’ day in the school” she smiled again.  I congratulated her and  extended my hand and she shook it lightly like most  people  who are new to  this exercise.

 The other day as I was sweeping my front yard which was filled with dry leaves from the neem and vilvam trees, she was coming  from her shopping with a heavy bag and enquired why my servant was not there. I told her that she was on leave for the day.

“ Can I do it for you?”

“It’s ok..... part of my exercise today.” I looked up and smiled

She stood there watching me.

 “My hand is paining, amma “she continued “too many items to carry!.”

“You can change hands ” I suggested

Laughing out she pulled up her sari on her left side and I was  perplexed to see a stump of a hand!

“ I fell in love with this man (the present watch man in the  school) when I was in my native village and when the news spread, my father’s prestige was at stake and before I could wink my eyes  he  pulled out his big sickle and cut off my left hand off and here I am, a single handed woman” She laughed. “Usually my husband does the shopping  but he is busy today”

After this personal encounter I used to watch her whenever I crossed the school.

She was a wonder to me as she sprinkled water to clean the school courtyard gripping the bucket with her half hand.

She was a wonder when she drew a perfect kolam shifting the kolam powder around with the same hand.

Most of all I wondered at the smiling face she presented not just to me but to the parents too who came to pick up their children.

Her smiling face with kind words put many those people at ease who were not highly educated.

The lady too is not highly qualified!

She had not done a course in HR management

But she is playing the role of a HR person to the school without ever being conscious about it!  She is a miracle who can forget her short comings and give out from her happy heart! She loves to pay attention to the emotions of the parents thus making them follow the trend she had set.

What a blessing that she is to her family and to the school!

She is human capital, par excellence, which I think should be invested by each one of us in a  larger measure with a heart filled with  gratefulness!