The Servant of God - Through Padma Shri Muthukannammal's Eyes

Every story has two sides to it. But sometimes, one voice gets lost in the clamour for change. 

Change is inevitable. Change can be good. But for some, the change means losing their very livelihood.

Srikant and I with Muthukannammal

This can be the story of any individual, industry, or profession.

Today, I write about the Devadasis.

I am not the first to write about it, but this may be the first time you hear of it. So, I write. 

Not the whole story, for who can know what the whole story was? But I write of one woman, and only as she narrated it to me.

The View

Sundar unpacked his bags and looked out the window of the modest accommodation he had been allotted in the village. The fields spread out for miles around, intersected by roads carrying speeding cars. Very few commuters turned into the village itself but played touch-and-go with the cafe on the main road. A branch of a popular chain, this particular outlet was not very profitable but was sustainable and surviving because of some travelers who preferred its hygienic interiors to some of the more seedy messes nearby. But those messes, in fact, made more money because the local populace thronged there.

Tiger = Maya

From the moment we head towards the forests begins the excitement of seeking an elusive pleasure, seeing the predator, the king of that particular jungle. There could be a myriad of other animals, easy to spot, but it is that shy tiger, leopard, or lion that has our whole heart. Always, our heart seeks that which is not easily available. We run after money, jewels, fancy cars, or other luxury items, seeking validation for our existence in these material things. Similarly, as a visitor to the jungles, our heart seeks only a glimpse of the tiger to make us feel the trip was a success.

The Stoic Hills

The mighty mountains
Silent and still
Unwavering in the
Temperamental wind

Between the Rock and a Soft Place

During my Kanchipuram trip with my cousins, I heard the two ladies discussing a trip to Coimbatore and Pollachi. They talked about when the husbands would be free and how many days they could travel.

"Hey, why am I not part of this planning?" I asked, puzzled at this whole plan I was ignorant about.

"Of course, you are part of it. Nothing is finalized yet," they said. 

Breaking Free

A house or two I bought and sold I also have some Diamonds and gold

A little money

I managed to save

Birthed endearing children

To call my name

Ups and downs

I have seen

A life fulfilling

It has been

Circular is its nature

That's what I believe

Give a little

And a lot you receive

Outside and inside

It is all the same

A body that separates

But in name

Thorns and roses

All a game

If you can just see

Beyond the stage

Currency valid

Only on earth

Not a cell will travel

After death

Only the essence

Extracted and fragrant

Wrappers shed, traveling

Probably like a vagrant

Returning, starting afresh

Confused and misled

Trapped yet again

In its vice grip

Till breaking free

Untied, unchained

Singing the song

Happiness regained.

Dispossessed

I carried you for 9 months, claims the mother
I carry you in my heart forever, contends the father
This has been with me for so many years, cries the owner
These are mine, claim we as our wealth we measure