Back to Basics

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Roughly 10km from Tumkur is a place called Ajjapanahalli. A small boy traveled all the way from Bangalore to visit the temple there quite often. There were memorable moments for him in every journey, like travelling with eight other adults in an auto on a broken road or walking the last mile in the scorching heat. Whatever the odds, the boy always enjoyed visiting the place. There was a reason for his madness. The temple was something very unique. A very quiet lake adored it's background, birds chirped in merry and the whole village setting was perfect in every sense. He would enjoy running around the temple without a care in the world and a nice lunch was always assured when all was done. There were no worries on the departure time or the mode of transport. All he knew was the place was charming and fun.

Today, the boy has grown up. The journey is no longer an adventure. It's just a nice road in a nice car with the aircon set just right. He thinks he has moved up in life and feels good about it. On arriving at the temple, he is surprised. Gone are the old stone slabs covered in soot. In come new granite tiles and modern construction. A walk around the place reveals more. The lake is polluted and the entire place resembles a construction site. There is a lot of money put into exquisite garlands and decorations. Villagers and donators are proud of improvement. This fails to impress him, he misses the simplicity he once loved. After offering prayers, he decides to wind down and breathe some fresh air. That doesn't go well either. He is constantly worried about children ruining his car left unattended and is threatened by the exam preparation left pending. Still, he tries to divert his mind by chatting with friends and family. But somehow there is not the same carefree laugh he once knew. The conversations are more focussed who spent more recently. He has seen too much of them to understand the politics and the jealousy in their minds.

At the end of the day, his return journey is grueling. But there is something more pertinent. All this "development" he has seen in both his personal life and the place give him second thoughts. Is this what they mean by "moving up in life?" If yes, then it's time rethink and go back to who we really are. He sighs and goes to sleep.

Comments

Nagendra S said…
Perfectly understand what you have written. Nice post! :)
November 9, 2009 at 1:35 AM
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