Monday, October 23rd, 2017
It is Noor's 13th birthday. Her name means 'morning light'.
Noor is A's friend. We talk about her and the tiny blue betta fish in a bowl that she had given us on her last birthday as a 'return gift'. We called him 'Smurf' which later became 'Moofi'.
A year later, Moofi was still swimming merrily in his little bowl world as we added a few shells and plants, changed his water once a week, and fed him twice daily. When on holiday, we left him at friend's houses who looked after him with much care.
But I digress!
This story is neither about Noor nor about Moofi.
It is perhaps the incongruity of it all that causes me to digress.
After dropping A at school, I was driving back home. At the traffic signals, I remembered Dr Kothari. There was nothing in my view as I waited at the signals that could have triggered a memory about him.
Dr Kothari is the ex-principal of the college where I once taught. He is one of the most soft-spoken person I have ever met. As I waited for the signal to turn green, I remembered an incident where Dr Kothari had patiently explained to me the meaning of a word I didn't know existed. I wondered how he was doing and whether he had good health in his advanced years.
Finally the green signal came on and broke my stream of thought. I zipped back home and texted him:
"Dear Sir, Hope you are well. While driving home from school today, I remembered you with so much respect. May you be blessed with good health and happiness. Amen."
Then I looked up group messages on my phone.
There it was...
A message from my ex-colleague and friend, Pranali. She had remembered that it was Dr Kothari's 80th birthday the same day. Immediately I texted him again to wish him on his special day.
Not only that, I also told him:
"Sir, I have to tell you this because it is so amazing... This morning I didn't know it was your birthday but I remembered you so much. So I sent you a text when I reached home. And now Pranali informed us that it was your birthday so I sent you birthday wishes. I am still wondering at the coincidence. God's ways are amazing indeed."
He wrote back to say, "This shows that you are a fellow with pure affections."
That was such a humbling experience.
It is Noor's 13th birthday. Her name means 'morning light'.
Noor is A's friend. We talk about her and the tiny blue betta fish in a bowl that she had given us on her last birthday as a 'return gift'. We called him 'Smurf' which later became 'Moofi'.
A year later, Moofi was still swimming merrily in his little bowl world as we added a few shells and plants, changed his water once a week, and fed him twice daily. When on holiday, we left him at friend's houses who looked after him with much care.
But I digress!
This story is neither about Noor nor about Moofi.
It is perhaps the incongruity of it all that causes me to digress.
After dropping A at school, I was driving back home. At the traffic signals, I remembered Dr Kothari. There was nothing in my view as I waited at the signals that could have triggered a memory about him.
Dr Kothari is the ex-principal of the college where I once taught. He is one of the most soft-spoken person I have ever met. As I waited for the signal to turn green, I remembered an incident where Dr Kothari had patiently explained to me the meaning of a word I didn't know existed. I wondered how he was doing and whether he had good health in his advanced years.
Finally the green signal came on and broke my stream of thought. I zipped back home and texted him:
"Dear Sir, Hope you are well. While driving home from school today, I remembered you with so much respect. May you be blessed with good health and happiness. Amen."
Then I looked up group messages on my phone.
There it was...
A message from my ex-colleague and friend, Pranali. She had remembered that it was Dr Kothari's 80th birthday the same day. Immediately I texted him again to wish him on his special day.
Not only that, I also told him:
"Sir, I have to tell you this because it is so amazing... This morning I didn't know it was your birthday but I remembered you so much. So I sent you a text when I reached home. And now Pranali informed us that it was your birthday so I sent you birthday wishes. I am still wondering at the coincidence. God's ways are amazing indeed."
He wrote back to say, "This shows that you are a fellow with pure affections."
That was such a humbling experience.
