A DEDICATION

Friends,

Ever since I announced my 120 day journey plan in early September I have been treated to a limited range of reactions from friends, relations and those who came to know of the journey. The two most expressed reactions were – (a) “vow, wish I could do it too”, and (b)”what a crackpot”! These reactions resonate on the blog too. Honestly, both these reactions did not surprise me one bit. Every one of us has a bit of Ulysses in us. Sadly this facet of our personality gets restrained by fears of the unknown and the inability to make one redundant for the time, whether at the workplace or at home. Fortunately I am not tethered by either.  I am embarking on my journey today. I dedicate this to my wonderful parents, whom I address as Achachan and Ammachi.

Achachan was a wonderful human being who believed in the innate goodness of every person he came into contact with. It was next to impossible to convince him that people could be vile, spiteful and capable of harm! In fact, he swore by the principle, and of course lived it, of countering every bad deed with a good deed.  In this day of mistrust and vengeful behavior I often wondered if his principle would work. What is the point of speculation? He made it work till five years ago, till the day he passed away. He made his children look for the goodness in others and believe that no harm can come to them if they treat others fairly. Over time, I have come to believe in this too. So here’s to Achachan.

Ammachi was the fulcrum of our family. She was so fiercely protective of her husband and her brood that we have been witness to many embarrassing situations involving family and friends. A little known fact about her was her desire for travel – I suspect she even enjoyed an outing to the Trivandrum fish market! She was desperate to visit Singapore, which she unfortunately could not. So whenever I go there I “savor the sights of the country through her eyes”. Achachan and Ammachi used to take us to Madras, as it was called then, during the 60’s. She taught us how to enjoy long trips by car. Every journey that I now make I wish she was with me. So here’s to Ammachi too.