This evening, around 5, we'd a guest who'd dropped by unannounced. In fact, as usual, I'd bungled about her name - a routine that's getting quite frequent these days - much to her unhappiness! She was Sudha, who'd dropped by on her first field assignment - about six months back or was it a year? -trying to sell her company's wares, as part of the BTech curriculum that she was following and had gotten to be our friend ever after.
A chit of a girl - hailing from the tribal belt of Idukki with her education being funded by her mother working in one of the stone quarries out there, innocence writ large on her face and the genuine surprise that she had when we'd invited her inside to show us the goods that she'd on offer - who'd the quest of knowledge in her eyes and the fire in her belly to be an achiever as she grew up, endeared herself to us instantaneously.
After establishing contact, she'd come about four more times as part of her field assignments and we did encourage her by buying a few articles, though there wasn't any hard pressed need for the same. I would hasten to add that she never pestered us to buy things from her either! It was a covenant between us. Period!
This evening's was her farewell visit and she'd got us a packet of sweets. Her training was coming to an end by 31 May, when she takes over as an Assistant Manager in the semi-governmental firm at Adimali, near her hometown. She seemed to be sad at the prospect of never having to do field work in her professional life again which had given her 'the privilege of meeting people like us'! She looked more confident of herself, had taken care to dress up tastefully with her watch strap matching the colour of her dress and just about the right amount of makeup. She's indeed grown over the last few months and we're sure that her mom would be proud of her.
I saw a tinge of sadness in her eyes when I told her that my mom was away at Palakkad to tide over the period of Lekha's impending hospitalisation. As she was sipping tea - something that she never did on her previous visits except for having a glass of water - she told us of a tragedy that had overtaken her in the recent past. Shivaram, her fiance, who was working in a private firm at Madras had a tragic end in a road mishap when his bike was hit by a speeding tipper lorry.
Lekha and me tried our best to ease her melancholy but we knew that only time would erase her pain. She took down our contact numbers and address and insisted on helping me put on the bandage around Lekha's foot.
Here's us wishing you the very best in life, young lady and we shall pray that you get whatever you wish for in the coming years. And never ever lose your simplicity!
Tailpiece.
She got out of 'The Quarterdeck', accompanying me on my walk till the bus stop nearby to wait for her bus that would eventually take her to her hostel at Mannoothy.
A chit of a girl - hailing from the tribal belt of Idukki with her education being funded by her mother working in one of the stone quarries out there, innocence writ large on her face and the genuine surprise that she had when we'd invited her inside to show us the goods that she'd on offer - who'd the quest of knowledge in her eyes and the fire in her belly to be an achiever as she grew up, endeared herself to us instantaneously.
After establishing contact, she'd come about four more times as part of her field assignments and we did encourage her by buying a few articles, though there wasn't any hard pressed need for the same. I would hasten to add that she never pestered us to buy things from her either! It was a covenant between us. Period!
This evening's was her farewell visit and she'd got us a packet of sweets. Her training was coming to an end by 31 May, when she takes over as an Assistant Manager in the semi-governmental firm at Adimali, near her hometown. She seemed to be sad at the prospect of never having to do field work in her professional life again which had given her 'the privilege of meeting people like us'! She looked more confident of herself, had taken care to dress up tastefully with her watch strap matching the colour of her dress and just about the right amount of makeup. She's indeed grown over the last few months and we're sure that her mom would be proud of her.
I saw a tinge of sadness in her eyes when I told her that my mom was away at Palakkad to tide over the period of Lekha's impending hospitalisation. As she was sipping tea - something that she never did on her previous visits except for having a glass of water - she told us of a tragedy that had overtaken her in the recent past. Shivaram, her fiance, who was working in a private firm at Madras had a tragic end in a road mishap when his bike was hit by a speeding tipper lorry.
Lekha and me tried our best to ease her melancholy but we knew that only time would erase her pain. She took down our contact numbers and address and insisted on helping me put on the bandage around Lekha's foot.
Here's us wishing you the very best in life, young lady and we shall pray that you get whatever you wish for in the coming years. And never ever lose your simplicity!
Tailpiece.
She got out of 'The Quarterdeck', accompanying me on my walk till the bus stop nearby to wait for her bus that would eventually take her to her hostel at Mannoothy.
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