Eashwaramma, friend, neighbour, guiding light. She has fractured her knee.
She has faced everything that one should not face. Death of son, husband, then singly looking after two growing grandchildren. by going for agricultural labour.
Landless, assetless, illiterate.
And in the midst of this samsara, retaining infinite compassion for all, giving to all out of her small stock. Though her life and living, showing the way to live a life rooted in goodness, despite all trials.
#JeevaniMilk goes on only under her supervision as she tirelessly goes to all the nine scattered villages to monitor and follow up.
And yesterday while sweeping her tiny one roomed home, she slipped and fell, and her knee is fractured. Simhadri, a neighbour, immediately took her to the bone setters at Kallur by auto, and they have applied the cast after applying medicines. She is however in severe pain.
The neighbours are taking turns in being with her as she cannot move from her bed. She cook and get her food.
... but if her mobility is compromised, and if she cannot labour and earn, what will happen. This must be weighing on her mind through the sleepless nights of pain.
The poor live on the edge. One health crisis breaks their entire structure of living.
Why do all the worlds ills need to fall on the uncomplaining shoulder of one who has only wished good for all ...
I am not in the village, and yet my thoughts are only there ...
Someone or the other is in Eashwaramma's one roomed home with her as she is lying down in bed with the plaster cast.
Anita, "One or the other of us is with her, day and night. I just took food now. We are all taking care of her."
A village is a civilized place. It is a warm place. It is a caring place. It is a sharing place.
Sometimes I don't know what we get, when we get more money.
As all this essential goodness, proferred in simplicity and in completeness and in unselfconsciousness, gets rarer and rarer as prosperity grows ...
Eashwaramma, with her broken knee is in pain. Sustained by the neighbours to their best ability.
I remember. The days when she used to graze a cow. Singly getting fodder for it, grazing it, milking it, bathing it.
When she used to go for coolie work in the fields, transplanting, sowing, deweeding, harvesting.
One of the millions of hands that silently sustain this country. Who grow our food, who supply us our milk.
And when they are old, there is no one to stand by them. To repay all that they did for us ...
...
Happy to share with all friends that Eashwaramma is better. Her voice was more cheerful today and she said she's much better, the pain is less. She's able to take a few steps.
She said that the cast the local bone setter put, with leaf medicine mixed with hens blood, was very effective. And that the Ayurvedic medicines I sent with Roopa have also been very effective. Gandha Tailam is specific for fractures, as also Bala Tailam and Bruhatchagalyadi Grutham. Eashwaramma is very disciplined with medicine and patyam.
Was very happy to hear her voice robust and positive today.
Though I must say that each day, from the day of the fracture, she has always started every conversation with cheer, with first asking after my daughter, husband, parents ... in the ways of the village.
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