Death of a Guru

Have been on my toes today – it being Sunday n all….Being a church elder’s daughter can be quite tiring…I mean in church there’s enough work plus you have constant visitors at home – pastor’s, church members and the like…which certainly does not make Sunday a fun day. It’s certainly not a day to relax and put your feet up. I’m not complaining though, it also has it’s benefits- you get to serve God in a completely different capacity. You also get to meet a whole variety of Christian people and you also get to know how “Christian” they are….

Yesterday was a holiday…not actually…it was termed a non-instructional day – a day when you don’t have lectures – but that for me is a holiday. It was the alumni nite in college and there was a dinner in the evening. None of my ex-students were coming so I decided to give it a skip. I don’t particularly enjoy gala events – especially if it doesn’t serve any purpose and if I don’t know anyone there. It’s just an enormous waste of time.

So I decided to sit at home and spend a few moments with myself. However, my mother had a surprise up her sleeve. One of our friends had a prayer meeting in his house and my mother had taken it upon herself to cook for the 50 odd people who were to attend it. She had to make chicken biryani. She obviously needed a lot of chicken for the same and I was appointed to go and get it. We get our chicken from Crawford market – a wholesale market where you get everything under the sun. Right from the chocolates available in the Gulf to the vegetables available in Europe – you name it, you get it. It’s a place buzzing with activity and traders by the dozen. There are various lanes where you get a plethora of things. As I proceed to buy my groceries at every shop I am greeted with a similar greeting – Bolo sister, kya du? The way I’m glared at however, is anything but sisterly!! Any one visiting
Bombay should not miss out on visiting this very unique place. Anyways this is not a post on Crawford market so we move on…..

So, like I said I was appointed to go and get the chicken. I have been doing this task for the past 8 years now. My friends in college were quite amazed and amused by the whole thing and would accompany me often just for the experience of buying chicken!! Now, Crawford Market is not exactly in my backyard. I have to travel for an hour by the local train just to get there. You might wonder why. One, because it’s a wholesale market and it makes a difference when you buy things in bulk – I needed 8kgs of chicken!! Secondly, I have been travelling to town (south Bombay) for a long time now and it was close to the college I studied in as well as the one I teach in. So it’s not out of the way when I’m coming back home. It’s quite convenient to drop in and get something. However Saturday was NOT one of the days I was going to college so I was quite upset that I had to go ALL THE WAY just for that and boy did I make my displeasure known!! (I feel quite guilty about it now…but back then it just seemed too cruel). So I picked up my huge bag and set forth on my arduous journey.

Since I had nothing much to do in the train I decided to complete reading the book I had picked up – Death of a Guru. It’s an absolutely FABULOUS book and those of you who haven’t read it MUST pick it up. It’s the story of Rabi. R. Maharaj – he descended from a long line of Brahmin priests and gurus and trained as a Yogi. He meditated for many hours each day, but gradually disillusionment set in. He describes vividly and honestly Hindu life and customs, tracing his difficult search for meaning and his struggle to choose between Hinduism and Christ. At a time when eastern mysticism, religion and philosophy fascinate many in the West, Maharaj offers fresh and important insights from the perspective of his own experience.

Do read the book especially those of you who have come to Christ from other faiths and let me know your experiences…….

Gotta go now – have some chores to do…

See you’ll later

Love

Ash.