Jee too, a chai wallah near the ghats where I take my daily swim in the Ganges, reminded me of what I believe we are all in the quest for. Shanti. Peace. Stillness. Calm. Contenment. (see more definition below)
"Shanti is good, Shanti is the way to live", Jee too says as he shares his story of how his wife died at child birth in the dusty streets of Delhi.
"Here I make little money but have much Shanti. In Delhi I have much money but no Shanti. Shanti is good".
Jee too came to Rishikesh 7 years ago on pilgrimmage and never left. Three of four yearly trips back to visit his mother and father to give them the little money he has saved, and always eager to return to his simple life of selling chai to the pilgrims on their way to puja.
Chai is black tea with milk and sweetened with sugar, a common drink throughout India. Chai used to be served in clay cups that when thrown away became dust, but now plastic cups are being used....
Wikipedia brings you to this definition: "Inner peace (or peace of mind) refers to a state of being mentally and soiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understaning to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. Peace of mind is generally associated bliss and happiness." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_peace)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment