Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Experiment #23: Sandals and Sabji


Kamalaben is the head cook in the Manav Sadhna kitchen. Once, some time in October, I had mentioned to her that I love bhinda nu shak, a cooked okra sabji, and since then she has surprised me on multiple occasions with my favorite dish at lunchtime.

It feels frivolous to find happiness in such little details of my day, but the happiness is not a result of the spicy okra; rather it is a product of Kamalaben’s intention to give me something I enjoy. Bhinda nu shak would not be nearly as satisfying if it was prepared by someone who didn’t know my preference, just as a coincidence.

Last week, Kamalaben had bought a pair of brand new chappals, or sandals. As per custom in most Indian households, we remove our shoes and leave them on a rack outside Manav Sadhna before entering. On the day Kamalaben happened to wear her new chappals to work, a group of elderly widows from the slum were visiting Manav Sadhna

The good news is a poor old lady in the slum received a pair of almost-new sandals to protect her feet on the walk home.

The bad news is Kamalaben hadn’t exactly planned to gift her sandals to anyone that day.

Virenbhai, a founder of Manav Sadhna, told me and another volunteer what had happened, and how disappointed Kamalaben had been.

The next day, we wrapped a pair of new chappals in neon paper, wrote KAMALA on it in big letters, and left it on the shoe rack, hoping some other Kamalaben would not come by and pick it up.

Later that afternoon, someone tipped off Kamalaben about the package awaiting her. Virenbhai and I happened to be standing near the doorway when she unwrapped her gift.

At that moment, her smile was great.

Usually, Kamalaben’s smile is wide, direct, and unabashed, revealing a gap in her teeth. But this smile was different. It was delicate and lingering. There was more smile in her eyes than with her mouth.

I don’t know if we got her the right size for her feet, or if the bronze color we chose is to her liking. But real happiness is not about the sandals or the sabji. It’s the gratitude when the blessings in life (the people who take care of us in big ways and small ways, the opportunities for learning, the comforts we don’t appreciate until they’re taken away) are revealed.

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