Monday, Oct 11, 2004
The Mind Of A Garland
- Rani Iyer"I trained as an ecologist and worked blissfully in forests of Western Ghats. Since then I have lived in many places in North America. I currently reside in Washington State. I find nature to be eternally fascinating and resilient. Likewise, places and people constantly renew their acquintance. Deep within each of us resides a new community of thoughts that have the power to uplift or pull us down as we process our daily reactions to events. In this series, I attempt snapshots of those moments."
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Courtyard Vistas Series 8
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I watched Eswari aunty peel the plantain fiber and tie flowers. Eventually we would get to wear them on our hair, but first, they went to God.
“Ah!” I exclaimed when understanding dawned upon me.
“What is it?” asked Eswari aunty, selecting flowers from the bunch.
“Do you know why the flowers are tied upside down in a garland?” I asked.
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“They look pretty,” she replied.
“Flowers always look pretty!”
“Yes! You are right!”
“Think about it,” I begged her.
“Do you have an answer?” she asked suspiciously.
“You first,” I replied.
“Why?”
“I asked the question first!”
“Ah!” she said. After a long pause she added, “I think it means the earth and the sky.”
“Do you mean water?” I asked.
“Water?”
“Clouds and sea.”
“I just meant earth and sky, Sashi,” emphasized Aunt Eswari.
“What were you about to say?” she asked when she paused to rest her hands.
“I was wondering if flowers had a mind of their own,” I said.
“If they did?”
“One could be jealous of the beauty of another…”
“Flowers have no jealousy,” she declared firmly. I sighed as one idea was shot down.
“Perhaps because they are like head and feet,” I added brightly.
“Head and feet?”
“You need one to hold you and the other to take you,” I explained. Eswari aunty was concentrating on selecting flowers. I used that opportunity to continue, “Flowers are like monkeys hanging from a tree. They have a monkey mind. If you let the flowers stay on the plant, they fall down…”
“But flowers smell good,” reminded Aunty Eswari.
“That is a trick!”
“Trick?”
“Once upon a time there were no flowers. Flowers began to grow as people had good thoughts. Then, there were the bees and butterflies that visited the flowers. Flowers were free and they always danced in the wind. Monkeys were unhappy about the flowers. No matter how hard they tried, they neither swayed like the flowers nor attract bees and butterflies. Monkeys then cursed the flowers to be indecisive like them. Since then no two flowers have agreed with each other…”
“What a splendid story!”
“Garlands made from flowers also began to twist, turn and wriggle. So, people began to tie them down firmly…”
“Like I am now,” added Aunty Eswari needlessly.
“…once tied, the flowers realized that they lost freedom and united. They swung together, and swore to be friends for life. Some of the flowers did not like the union and they ran away from the line....”
“Let me tie them taut,” interrupted Aunty Eswari.
“…They ran to warn the other flowers about the perils of pride. No one listened to them…”
“Hmmm…”
“The flowers fell to their pride but garlands stood proud. This made the monkeys happy and they ignored the flowers as one of them.”
“Why do you think that Monkeys were happy?”
“Because the garlands were confused, just like them!”
We rolled in laughter at the story. The garland was not in the least concerned about it.
Courtyard Vistas Series 7: Pass It On
Courtyard Vistas Series 6: Top Class
Courtyard Vistas Series 5: Amrosia For Boredom
Courtyard Vistas Series 4: Questions
Courtyard Vistas Series 3: Bathing Rituals
Courtyard Vistas Series 2: Bestowed Names
Courtyard Vistas Series 1: Courtyard Vistas
Photo Credit: http://www.kerala-tourism-india.com
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