A journey to Madurai

 It was dark in the early hours of the morning when we got into the car from Coimbatore. In the gloomy light, Madurai was already bustling when we arrived. The fragrance of puja flowers filled the Madurai morning. Both the mind and the ears were calmed by the beautiful songs that were sung in adoration of the gods.

 The Vaiga River was visible to me on the main temple's southern flank.  Dried up like a stream of tears, Vaiga... Do you see the canals that used to flow freely, now a stream of water that is thirsty?...

Vaiga has a legend. Vaiga is the water flow of mercy that Lord Shiva, also known as Sundaresan, bestowed upon that land through his marriage to Meenakshi, the daughter of Malavyadhwaja, the second Pandya king. A demon named Kundodara accompanied Lord Shiva when he traveled to Madurai to wed Meenakshi. After the delicious meal, the demon was thirsty and was not satisfied even after being given water from all the bodies of water in Madurai. The issue was finally resolved when the Supreme Lord expelled Ganga from his body.

 The beauty of Tamil Nadu, filled with farmlands and villages stretching as far as the eye can see beyond Vaiga.

I was pondering as the car accelerated forward. In some places, a man is regarded as the enemy of the earth if he destroys the land, rivers, mountains, and forests rather than making good use of the rain and the river. He sees agriculture as nothing more than the construction of concrete structures! Is not cancer and other fatal illnesses God's response to his conceit that he can spend his money ruining the planet and making it into a commodity so he can live as long as he wants on fried chicken and mineral water?.

The farmer, on the other hand, toils diligently to meet the hunger of mankind. He needs water to farm, and only then can he flourish and provide food for us. Do we purchase vegetables and grains knowing the cost of his toil in the blazing sun?...

It was a hot morning in the city of Madurai. Children cut cucumbers, sprinkle them with salt and chillies, and run around buses selling them, oblivious to the harsh sun. According to reports, the local Oddanchatram market alone exports more than Rs. 30 crore worth of vegetables to Kerala every week! There are agricultural villages all around the city.

Kamaraj Nagar is eight kilometers away from the main town. We had the darshan and completed the temple visit with the help of Sarangapani, a trust official. Now, we were heading towards our common friend Sundaram's house for lunch.  

We gave in to his loving insistence and entered the house. It was a small but clean house. We left him after a nice meal, a variety of conversation topics, and some downtime. My memory of the scene at one end of the courtyard was etched in stone as we were departing after being shown hospitality. A reed canopy and four poles provide shade for an elderly woman sitting on a rope bed! She was drinking porridge from a plate. The shade of the trees provided her with drinking water, clothing, and other essentials. When she saw us, the old woman smiled innocently, with love beyond words. We also smiled at her.

Sundaram said, 'Sir, This is my mother...'

As my friend picked up the camera to take their picture, our host also posed for a picture with his mother. 

'Why is that mother standing outside like that? It seems like she is going to sleep there...'  Later, I asked my friend.

He said, 'It is a custom here. When the children get married and start a family, they will throw the elderly parents out of the house...'

I was surprised when I heard that. I asked without hiding my surprise-

'What's that?...'

'Ordinary village houses only have one room. It's just enough space for a family to live in... So when the children get married and start a family, the elderly parents are more than welcome.'

'What if the rain and wind come?...'

'Despite everything, they will continue to lie there. And it's the choir? ' He said it indifferently.

What a reward parents receive for their parenting! The shade of a thatched roof outside the house! The children will also grow old one day. That day, they will also have to leave the house. I wonder if the children are thinking about this situation.

Who knows the silent cries of the mother beyond the wishes of the children...

On the way back to Madurai, when we reached the banks of Vaiga, we couldn't help but look at Vaiga again. The children were playing cricket on the banks of Vaiga, which had dried up and turned into a field... The cricketers were annoyed by the slender water channels that were occasionally visible.  They must also want Vaiga to disappear.

"Life is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think" is a famous quote that I suddenly remembered for no apparent reason.