I'd got up early in the morning as is my usual practice and after going through the ritual of grooming, was out of the house for my walk. A quick pan of the sky did not give me an inkling of impending rains and hence, I'd set off in right earnest into a crisp and fresh morning air that had a gentle breeze flowing after an early morning shower.
I must have barely covered a kilometer when I felt the raindrops and looking up at the sky, realised that it was overcast and dark with the prospect of an impending, immediate downpour. Resigning myself to the circumstances, I'd decided to walk through the rain hoping like mad that my hat would keep my head from getting thoroughly wet and that my walking stick would essentially thwart the stray dogs from launching any adventurous onslaught!
The gentleman, in a sleeveless vest and a colourful lungi, was standing at his porch and as I passed him had called out, "Sir, you seem to have forgotten your umbrella. Please come in while I fetch mine". It was just in time, as the downpour had begun, making it seem as though it was waiting for me to get into a shelter. On his orders, I saw his wife frantically making a search for the umbrella before realising that he'd forgotten both his umbrellas in his shop the previous day.
I was, however, glad that I was able to outdo the rains and had struck a conversation with the kindhearted and generous gentleman. He's Gopalan and he went on to say that he sees me passing by on my walks - by his house in the mornings and by his shop in the evenings - everyday. Moreover, he was a member of a group that had come to my house a couple of months ago to collect contributions for his party - the CPM - to fight the parliamentary elections. I'd to concede that I didn't quite remember his face though I remembered the group's visit....did I disappoint him? He didn't show it, though.
Through the conversation, I came to know that he'd a 20 year stint in the Gulf countries beginning in early '70 and had worked at Sharjah, Amman and finally, at Kuwait from where he'd returned when Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces had overrun the oil rich kingdom, in '90. One of his sons and the daughter, along with their families, were currently at Muscat earning their livelihood. The second son, with his family, was with him, his wife and his elderly father. He runs a xeroxing shop on the arterial road, that passes nearby, which doesn't fetch him much by way of business returns but gives him the satisfaction of coming across a lot many people.
He also narrated his 'brush' with the Indian Navy when the then INS Mysore had visited the Gulf region in the aftermath of the Indo-Pak conflict of '71 and he'd - he was working as a steward in a canteen that was servicing an RAF contingent that was stationed there - footed the bill for the Indian sailors(a few annas, according to him, as they did not have small denominations and shrugged it off as an insignificant episode!) who're being ferried ashore from their ship at anchorage, while proceeding on liberty. In gratitude, they'd shown him the ship and provided him with, quote, "an out-of-the-world lunch". Unquote.
I was glad that the IN had made an indelible impression in his mind by its winning ways, as always!
The rains had subsided by then and after taking leave of him, I'd resumed my walk and the prayer recital!!
Tailpiece.
The milk of human kindness overfloweth.....
I must have barely covered a kilometer when I felt the raindrops and looking up at the sky, realised that it was overcast and dark with the prospect of an impending, immediate downpour. Resigning myself to the circumstances, I'd decided to walk through the rain hoping like mad that my hat would keep my head from getting thoroughly wet and that my walking stick would essentially thwart the stray dogs from launching any adventurous onslaught!
The gentleman, in a sleeveless vest and a colourful lungi, was standing at his porch and as I passed him had called out, "Sir, you seem to have forgotten your umbrella. Please come in while I fetch mine". It was just in time, as the downpour had begun, making it seem as though it was waiting for me to get into a shelter. On his orders, I saw his wife frantically making a search for the umbrella before realising that he'd forgotten both his umbrellas in his shop the previous day.
I was, however, glad that I was able to outdo the rains and had struck a conversation with the kindhearted and generous gentleman. He's Gopalan and he went on to say that he sees me passing by on my walks - by his house in the mornings and by his shop in the evenings - everyday. Moreover, he was a member of a group that had come to my house a couple of months ago to collect contributions for his party - the CPM - to fight the parliamentary elections. I'd to concede that I didn't quite remember his face though I remembered the group's visit....did I disappoint him? He didn't show it, though.
Through the conversation, I came to know that he'd a 20 year stint in the Gulf countries beginning in early '70 and had worked at Sharjah, Amman and finally, at Kuwait from where he'd returned when Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces had overrun the oil rich kingdom, in '90. One of his sons and the daughter, along with their families, were currently at Muscat earning their livelihood. The second son, with his family, was with him, his wife and his elderly father. He runs a xeroxing shop on the arterial road, that passes nearby, which doesn't fetch him much by way of business returns but gives him the satisfaction of coming across a lot many people.
He also narrated his 'brush' with the Indian Navy when the then INS Mysore had visited the Gulf region in the aftermath of the Indo-Pak conflict of '71 and he'd - he was working as a steward in a canteen that was servicing an RAF contingent that was stationed there - footed the bill for the Indian sailors(a few annas, according to him, as they did not have small denominations and shrugged it off as an insignificant episode!) who're being ferried ashore from their ship at anchorage, while proceeding on liberty. In gratitude, they'd shown him the ship and provided him with, quote, "an out-of-the-world lunch". Unquote.
I was glad that the IN had made an indelible impression in his mind by its winning ways, as always!
The rains had subsided by then and after taking leave of him, I'd resumed my walk and the prayer recital!!
Tailpiece.
The milk of human kindness overfloweth.....
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