IT TAKES FAITH

Every year multitudes of warkaris undertake the holy trek to Pandharpur to meet their Lord; Lord Vitthal. They brave rain and shine and travel on foot in groups called Dindis. On Ashadhi Ekadashi, these warkaris and other devotees gather at Pandharpur and immerse themselves in the sea of devotion and Love of their beloved Vithoba.

The sandals of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram are also carried to Pandharpur from Pune. The chariot carrying the sandals is preceeded and followed by warkaris who have assembled in Pune to make the trek to Pandharpur. Some devotees esp. those residing in cities take up only a part of the trek. Others like my uncle, contribute by providing food or some other essential item to the warkaris.

I was drawn at the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the wari this year around. The experience was beyond words - Emotional, philosophical and energizing. We were stationed at a spot before Saswad and for the 4-5 hrs that we were there, the flow of the warkaris seemed to never end. Their walk had a rhythm. Most of them sang bhajans as they made their way ahead while the rest just kept moving to an internal soulful rhythm. Amongst the traditionally clad men and women, I spotted the jeans clad youth and also noticed the occasional urban warkaris; sneakers-backpacks-sunglasses et.al!

While I had discounted this sect so far, the experience led me to see them in a new light. Here were men and women with an undying faith and a sole mission; to meet their Vithoba. Every true warkari abstains from meat, liquor and other vices. Moreover, in this world of insatiable wants, restlessness and insecurity...they came across as happy people, totally at peace with life...

I fall short of words to express my feelings for the day..and I am only too glad to have taken time off for experiencing the wari atmosphere..I think the warkaris rubbed off some of their faith, belief and peace into me...

Here are some snapshots taken during the day..

The chariot carrying St. Dnyaneshwar's paduka (sandals)

A Dindi making its way

Catch 'em early...catch them young!

Everyone wanted to be in my picture frame!

This Warkari sure likes to stay connected

BLUR

After some initial slow rotations, the merry-go-round gradually gained speed and very soon was at its peak. Trusha, impatient and restless as she was, hated the sluggish start and end phases of the ride. She loved to see the world buzz past when the ride was in full swing. Everything; people, places and even seemingly inert objects seemed to have a heady momentum then. Her life these days was just like the ride in full swing. She regretted it at times….no it didn’t feel like the merry-go-round, instead, it felt like being on a roller coaster that was ready to take a nose-dive. Her days were a blur…how she had yearned for them to be like that! But now, she wanted time to pause, just briefly, so she could collect herself and smell the roses one last time…before her life was launched into a different orbit….

NEW BEGINNINGS

WAH TAJ

Think the Taj deserves to be among the wonders of our world? Vote here.

MOOD SWING

A wave of sadness swept across her mind; like the high tide that only leaves rubble in its wake. The day had started like any other and then out of the blue she started feeling like a dump. Uninvited guests always irked her and this one was no exception. Sarah felt something tugging at her heart; something that she couldn’t dismiss or ignore. A heavy weight seemed to press on her and there wasn’t much she could do about it. She wanted to cry but not a tear trickled. She tried to force a smile, as she looked at herself in the mirror in the loo, but her smile gave away her mood. Work was slower than usual at the supermarket where she worked, and that only made it worse. The thought of calling Hugh did cross her mind, but she knew they would end up fighting on a day like this.

The evening was cold and glum as she drove home from work. Even the perky RJ on the radio and the peppy tracks that were played refused to lift her blues. Sarah threw herself on the couch and lay there for a while. She hated this feeling….And then suddenly she knew what to do. She sat at her desk by the window and started writing. Words oozed and she felt liberated. The sun was peeping through the clouds just as a rainbow formed in her heart. She swirled and giggled; for the first time today she was happpppppy!

ROSE

“Wow California …isn’t the weather there just like India?...and you get almost everything(Indian) there these days…so not much you will miss huh!?”

“I heard everybody in the States has a car…nobody every walks.”

“Oooo away from the big Indian family…nice…I’d live better if I too met w/ the family once a year!”

Her move to the States was generally greeted with such and similar responses that exuded awe, excitement, and happiness…sometimes even a tinge of jealousy would show up. It was as if her move was regarded as an escape to a paradise, where things were picture perfect. And life in such a place had to be good – no? As if just the place guaranteed that life, relationships and everything around and beyond that would be shipshape. But ask people who lived in this paradise, they thought of it as otherwise and claimed that the greenery was all there (in their motherlands). They hastily replied with a reason or two and made it sound as if they were in the so-called Paradise by chance and not choice.

She answered both parties patiently, because, she thought she knew how to savor the roses and how to make sure the thorns don’t get to you…

PERCEPTIONS

They sat across each other in the most happening lounge in town – La Bouche. He had made a good first impression (didn’t he always?) and she was glad she had agreed to meet him. He was wearing a black corduroy shirt with faded blue jeans and had a shock of silky black hair that was neither too long nor too short. A dimple formed across his right cheek every time his mouth broke into that infectious smile and one could see the perfect set of pearly whites. The cologne scent that he exuded, the prominent Adam’s apple and the slight stubble….she was beginning to fall for him already and only hoped that his thoughts and character matched up w/ his looks…As they sipped their margaritas she noticed the thread (the sacred thread worn across the shoulder after the thread ceremony) as it peeked into view from under his shirt. “Still holds on to his roots after 7 years in Australia”, she made a mental note. Although she tried hard to focus on their talk and him as a person, she caught herself drifting….

I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me

The song played in the background…She looked at him and thought that his eyes mirrored her feelings…Little did she know that his thoughts were w/ Julia and the summer evening that they had spent together at the Copacabana beach in Rio…