One of the memories which last in my mind is that all the didis [ room nannies ], used to gather after about two hours of morning meal and then used to cut vegetables for the evening curry as well as for the next morning. Because their work schedule did not allow them to do it separately for separate meal time. Not surprisingly, it used to take time to do this work. Getting vegetables was not much of the hard work. All they had to do to was to discuss with housemother, ask them which curry to finish from our vegetable garden and then cut it. Male staff used to help if the curry happen to be cauliflower or cabbage but if its green vegetables or green beans all these ladies have to do is to go in the kitchen garden and then pluck it, tuck it and then cut it for ready to cook. Cleaning part was left for cooks, which they did before cooking it. They used to do this work in the round shape in front of the store room.
It was a work, every day's work and two male staff also used to help them, mostly by talking interest in what they were talking and nodding with wink. But in my mind its more than work. Its kind of catching up with others after a hectic day's work, which gave them chance to share everything in their mind and chat, which women love when they work.
They used to chat all kind of things, and their talk ran freely like a river but it flowed in any direction. Sometimes they used to talk about just their work, or their taste of color or ornament and sometimes just the of their choice of curry, while they clean and cut vegetable. Occasionally chat used to get a good twist and taste too. Sometimes, they loved talking of ghost and some time they did talk about divine power of god and then Karma.
It was then they used to pour their combined knowledge on any topic. I did came to know after hearing those talks, that ghost do not have shadow, lady ghost are always beautiful to resist at night time or the ghost have a feet backside front only and this is how you can distinguish are you talking to real woman or the ghost if you are accompanied by one of those pitch dark night. But, perhaps my young mind is most occupied by the talk of karma and its impact on our this life or the other life.
Talk of karma and believe in this subject is not bad but the blind belief in karma has a lot to play in my own life and my thinking. They unanimously believed that we landed in Bal Mandir, because of our bad deed in last life.
This is the belief that held many of my roommates for inmates from Bal Mandir at back gear in life despite all the education and training it provided us. Many of my friends are well educated, yet that education really did not help them to be in the right position that the education would have helped them to be in. I bet if I ask them do you believe in karma and its law ? They sure will say yes; but if I ask them why all your educations and training did not help you to hold the right position [top rank] it should have given them, they won't be able to answer why ?
At this very moment, I would like to say that the belief of unchecked thoughts is what makes us superstitious. Or to be more precise the thought we hear long before we can decide on our own which stamps in our young mind is what makes us superstitious. As we grow old we chose not to check it whether its right or wrong. My understanding for the meaning of superstition would be this.
I don't have to tell you it took me more than a decade to understand what you are reading it now. It took time for me to understand that the women whose believed blindly about karma were the one who were illiterate and sure enough had very hard time in their life before they entered in Bal Mandir in search of work. More than that they not only were raised by illiterate parents their world were very small and had not seen the life as a whole. They believe that life they had seen is the whole truth and there is no other truth than that.
I bet I also would have believed those blind faith had I not bumped with people who were not from my society. Who did believe in Karma but not entirely to buy the notion that even the natural calamities are because of a karma rebound, or work of god to punish us.
Most of the times its really easy to nod our head than doing our own thinking. But I love to do my own thinking and not let anyone do my part of thinking. It is one of the most costly affair in life, letting others do the thinking part that affects our life most. Why do I have to blindly believe that my life which I spent is because of Karma ?
Are we brainwashed to believe that its bad ? really from which angle ? My life which I got without asking from god is a gift and the freedom I get a chance to live my life not listening the lecture from the grown ups is the best part of my life. I get a chance to live my life my way not the right way. What is wrong here ? Is this bad to have a freedom or not having parents around to control us ?
Was that bad to listen those unchecked believe by the women ? That I don't think so because they love to chat when they talk and sometime they do talk only what they were told when they themselves were growing up. Small world do mean small thinking.
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