Pain of existence

Yesterday I met my friends. Instead of doing our regular meet up and shopping, this time we had planned something else. Since we are in the middle of Navratri, we decided to meet up and visit devi pandals.

Whenever it comes to meeting my friends, I dress up creatively. Last evening I had worn a tunic, jeans, and heeled shoes. I liked how I had combined Indian and western elements in my attire. But I did not know the heels were going to be my pain point.

We reached the pandal after walking a kilometer. When I reached there, I found an empty chair and sat there. The heels had made my legs hurt. I was not tired but my feet had been aching. I realised that I am the worst decision maker when it comes to wearing footwear. Yet I knew I had to deal with my decision.

We stayed for the darshan and aarti. After that we had to move to the next pandal which was a kilometer away. Thinking how much my feet were going to ache after walking, I was stalling our visit. Barefoot I was roaming around at the pandal, taking pictures and delaying our planned visit. My friends were asking me to hurry up but just thinking about the uncomfortable footwear, I was not ready to walk.

Finally it was the time when I could not stall any longer. I was about to wear my nemesis in my feet, a volunteer asked to clear the entrance and wait for a couple of minutes. He told us that a child is coming to seek blessings and for him they were informed to clear out the entrance. I assumed it was a VIP's child and I was little upset that how the event management decided that their comfort and time was more important than ours. I expressed my frustration, at the same time I was relieved that I would get some more time away from my troublesome sandals.

Then I was the child arriving and my assumptions shattered. He was a teenage boy, must be around 15 year old. He was not a VIP, but he a differently abled child. He was on a wheelchair, a caregiver and his father accompanied him. He looked visibly in pain. It looked like he was paralyzed waist down. He was taken near the idol and he offered his prayers. I heard his father thanking the volunteers for their support. His father smiled through tears, while the boy looked sad and embarrassed of the attention and sympathy he had been getting.

This whole incident made me sad. It made me think about our own habits and behavior. The boy who was unable to feel his own legs, despite all the odds had come to the pandal for seeking blessings. While I was a fit woman, complaining of achy feet because of the poor choice of sandals. Looking at him, I felt blessed. I felt blessed because I had functioning legs that could easily take me from one place to another. I realised how much love Devi had showered upon me that I did not require assistance to carry out my daily routine.

With the feeling of immense gratitude, I bow down once again to Devi. I silently prayed for the boy for his wellbeing.