Reciprocal Gratitude

This is the English version of
காலத்தினாற் செய்த உதவி 

Our newly rented house at Chennai had a big front veranda where a room can be be easily constructed by today’s standards. All our readings and other day to day activities usually took place here. Included in those activities consisted of an entertainment too i.e watching the road!!

He was a heavy built man with a dark complexion wearing a sola(r) hat. Whenever he rode a bicycle boys used to shout “circus elephant, circus elephant” From my veranda I used to watch with amazement at the rider and the ride. It was as if the man is riding a baby’s cycle. Every day morning his cycle took this tortuous journey.

I was new to the city of Madras and wanted to familiarize myself with all the shops in the neighbourhood. One day I decided to walk to the vegetable market. We were in those days when the super markets were non-existent. At one of the  fruit stall in that open  market, there was a big crowd and I could hear a man shouting at the top of his voice. “May be there is a big discount” I thought. But as I peeped through the crowd  I saw our big man  standing in the middle helplessly and the fruit seller abusing him. “You have come to my fruit stall and picked up the best fruits and when I wanted you to pay, you have the audacity to tell me that you have forgotten your purse and do you know that this is my first business for the day? With your empty handed dealing you have spoiled my day’s business.” He would not stop. He was adding plenty of Tamil expletives which can  humiliate any one. He would not allow him to give back the fruits too. The crowd was enjoying free show at the expense of that poor man. I could not tolerate it. I went near him and told him “Uncle I would pay the cash for you.” But he would not accept it. He said that he did not know me. I told him that I was new to this place and that I am living in the same street, just a house away from him and that this money was no  gratis and I would collect the money from him later. He accepted my offer, profusely thanking me.

It was the starting point of our friendship with Dr. B.W.X. Ponnaiya, the emeritus scientist (horticulture) which was indeed a blessing at  every crucial period of our life.

It was raining heavily one evening. The electricity went off as usual. We were having a a cosy time sitting around the lighted candle with our children  in the  days of no power backup! And in the process we didn’t hear our gate being knocked. When we realized that someone was at the gate, my husband rushed with the candle to find out that uncle Ponnaiya was waiting there with his umbrella in one hand and a bunch of flowers on the other. In spite of his  umbrella he was fully drenched in his safari suit. “I wanted you to enjoy this fragrance” he said with joy “this Jerusalem lily blooms only when it rains.” Our entire hall was filled with fragrance by the bunch of yellow beauties!! We did not know how to thank him.  He need not have come in the rainy darkness at his age. “I want to share with you what I enjoy like you shared my agony the other day” he said gleefully. When we said that we would take a snap of him with the flowers he pointed to our daughter Anne and said  “My granddaughter would be right person to pose with these beauties.”

The tiniest help rendered to him at the most crucial juncture was beautifully remembered by this great man!!

We will share more about this person with much more interesting anecdotes.

Man and Tree

This is also part of my real life experience.

In a society where no one bothers much about cutting the trees, I came across one person my life who had will and large heart to say no to it even when there would be a loss of space for his venture  and might involve a high cost!!

Please read this

Our factory team was not a big one and hence taking the family with children every year for a night stay in a place was not a big problem for us. One year  the outing was at Silver Sands in ECR, Chennai and the next year we went to the TTDC camp site at Mahabalipuram. The bonfire and the dancing and the team games indeed exceeded the previous year’s celebrations. After some years  we again  thought of booking the same place for the annual outing. But to our dismay we were told that it was no more a camp site and in it’s place a private party is planning to construct a hotel.

I was sad. For one thing we cannot go camping again to such a wonderful sprawling place and the other most important thing was that the hotel construction by a private party would imply felling of the 900 odd trees of the camp site. Private parties would tend to maximize utilization of the space and thus their profit. What will happen to the breezy place? To birds living among those trees? That day was indeed a sad day for me.

After some years I happened to go to that hotel to meet a friend staying there and  thought about the fate of those trees but my astonishment knew no bound when the 900 odd trees of the camp site welcomed me with varied birds chirping and hopping around them!

And the wonder of all wonders was awaiting me  in the 24 hour coffee shop!

The restaurant had been built around a huge pongamia tree (punga maram) and it seemed to rule the place with pride!! To give me an added bonus the hotel owner had pasted an article at the entrance of the restaurant titled the ‘Karna of trees- the pongamia’, (punga maram)   eulogizing the tree. Wonder struck I read that sheet in which he had listed the medicinal use of each part of that miracle tree!!  This strange man had gone a step ahead to make the the tree lover in me jump with joy!!

After this experience, I had the opportunity to stay in his heritage  hotel in Swamimalai, a small temple village near Kumbakonam where I read  a mini book written by him I The book titled ‘Man and Tree’ is in a diary form on the  construction of the Mahabalipuram hotel. I loved that part of the book where a mother bird and it’s little one converse expressing their worries and sadness  as people come in increasing numbers to start the construction work and were not sure about their fate once the trees were felled to make way for the buildings and their boundless delight when their big tree became the centre of the show on the inaugural day!!

By his actions Steve Borgia, the tree lover and Heritage Hotel chain owner,  made a right statement  that  “this is the place of trees and we are just living in there.” For his part he had added more trees to the place!

My worries about the TTDC camp site at last  were put to rest and Steve indeed had enhanced my joy by great measure by his ‘tree loving’ actions!!!

Thank you Steve!!