In-between
Days 12 & 13 – 1st & 2nd May 2018
As the Conference winds down to an end, people start checking out
and collecting their bags, taking WEF in their hearts to the four corners of
the Earth, like messengers of a New Balance where ALL can prosper, respect
themselves and each other, be aware of the infinite value of Life in all of its
forms and create harmony one step at a time.
Our buddies from Portugal are headed for Agra where the Taj
Mahal is sure to delight their senses and fill them with that intangible Peace
that permeates its white marble body.
We ask the driver who is taking them to the station in a
large van, if he is going towards the airport or to Aerocity Metro station where we
can catch the bus to Terminal 4, but he says he is heading the other way so we
happily pick up our rucksacks and head for the underground, but not before a
string of grateful and meaningful hugs and joyful goodbyes, wishing everyone a
special experience for the days to come.
After 6 days in the luxury coolness of the Taj Dwarka Hotel,
the heat outside feels like entering a furnace where we will be burnt down to
cinders any minute… but our bodies simply adjust their barometer and after a
short while it becomes bearable.
As we are walking down the street, someone starts hooting
behind us and when we turn around we are pleasantly surprised by the van with
all of our friends in it! The driver decided to take another route so as to
give us a lift also and we unexpectedly get an extra credit of fresh air, mixed
with laughter and gratitude.
When we are not afraid of asking, have no expectations about
obtaining a “yes” or a “no” and remain receptive, somehow life always manages
to present us with its best potentials and with simple grace it generously
bestows its unexpected gifts.
I haven’t told you yet, but the reason we are going to the
airport is to catch the plane to Bangalore, where we will be staying with our
friends Anu and Krishna for a day before starting our “Wonder Bike” adventure.
Anu and I met last year at Annual WEF New Delhi and we
instantly bonded as long lost Soul Sisters who finally meet again. There was
such a deep and special connection between us that not even geographical
distance and time could severe this bond.
Last year...
Today...
Actually, WEF New Delhi 2017 was rife with deep connections
with many Soul Sisters whom I have remained in contact with ever since. That’s
what makes WEF Conferences so special.
Anu wanted me to go with her to Bangalore imediately last
year when we met, but at the time I was planning to visit the Taj and Jaipur
and had only 5 days so I promised to retrieve this loving offer next time I
came. And so it is.
The plan is for us to enjoy each other’s company, as well as
rent a bike for the next ten days and then come back and hold a BE Love Beyond
Illusion workshop and book presentation, generously organized by Anu, Raja Rajeshwari and Suchitra Kaul Misra, together
with Karnataka's ALL Chapter, Bangalore Readers and Writers ALL Chapter and Karnataka Coaching ALL Chapter on the 13th of May. After this, we will head back to Portugal. But
that is still a long time away in the future, considering the adventure we are
planning to embark on in-between.
The garden outside of Anu and Krishna's apartment
Anu’s husband Krishna and their two teenager daughters are delightful. We are received in their home with the same love they would
offer their best childhood friends and as soon as we get there it’s as if we
have known each other forever.
Today the main thing we need to do is go to a good bike
rental shop and choose our two-wheeled companion for the next ten days.
Of course being with a couple who is from Bangalore
definitely helps and when the time comes to negotiate price and conditions,
Krishna’s contribution is priceless. We get an almost brand new Royal Enfield for
just 11,000 rupees (around 130€) for 10 days!
The only condition we were not expecting is, since it is
pre-election time and we will be re-entering Bangalore on election day, we are
advised not to cross state borders or do so at our own risk. What the shop
owner says is that during this time, one can never know what the border patrols
will be charging for us to cross and whether they will let us pass easily so we
smile and embrace the unexpected, once again.
We had decided not to plan much. Actually, we had only
conceived some sort of an itinerary in the last half hour while sitting at the
airport waiting for the plane to Bangalore and it included visiting some of the
Kerala state. Now we are faced with staying in the Karnataka state and
discovering a totally new route. Not that Karnataka isn’t big or beautiful
enough to satisfy our adventurous journey! It is in fact huge – about twice as big as Portugal! So Krishna gives us his very well kept guide book – the one he uses
when going on holidays or weekends with the family orelese when going for a
ride on his own Royal Enfield.
He asks us whether we are sure we don’t want to book any
accommodation but we are firm. We will find accommodation wherever we get to
arrive and booking would hinder our freedom as it would require us to stay on a
pre-planned route and arrive on pre-planned days. We want to decide moment to
moment – no strings attached. He smiles and enjoys the idea of such freedom.
We trust Love's Wisdom as it says: Simplicity asks no questions. It simply flows us into the most appropriate direction. And this is what we choose to experience.
I must make a parenthesis here to tell you about an
interesting episode that went on at a traffic light on our way to the bike
rental place.
Pedro and Krishna went on his bike and Anu and I went by
Tuc.
As we were waiting at a traffic light for the traffic to move on, a couple of transgender women/men came to us and Anu asked me if I had any change, which I did and so she gave them some of mine and some of hers and they gave us a coin too and blessed us. Anu explained that a blessing from a transgender is an instance of great luck, because though they are shunned by society at large, they are also considered holy so they are invited to bless newborn babies, weddings and other special occasions. Nevertheless, irrespective of them being literate or even having degrees, they cannot find jobs because they are rejected as freaks. That’s why they also beg on the streets, though they always give their blessing in exchange. What a dual situation these souls live in! And like everyone in India, they accept what is. Well anyhow, it is a good omen for our pending bike choice.
As we were waiting at a traffic light for the traffic to move on, a couple of transgender women/men came to us and Anu asked me if I had any change, which I did and so she gave them some of mine and some of hers and they gave us a coin too and blessed us. Anu explained that a blessing from a transgender is an instance of great luck, because though they are shunned by society at large, they are also considered holy so they are invited to bless newborn babies, weddings and other special occasions. Nevertheless, irrespective of them being literate or even having degrees, they cannot find jobs because they are rejected as freaks. That’s why they also beg on the streets, though they always give their blessing in exchange. What a dual situation these souls live in! And like everyone in India, they accept what is. Well anyhow, it is a good omen for our pending bike choice.
Krishna and Anu take us out to lunch and for dinner we get
to eat proper homemade Indian food. The best of both worlds. We are ever so
thankful.
One thing that we are surprised at is the freedom the two
teenager girls have, each one heading to their own activities and meeting their
own friends and we realize that there is not much of a difference between their
hopes and dreams, the way they live their lives, and the way teenagers live in
Europe. These young girls are lucky to have two educated and open-minded
parents who will of course not get them into a pre-arranged marriage and who
honour them fully.
Both parents are very present also, because Anu works as a
coach and therefore is self-employed and Krishna has started his own digital
business with a partner, but many times he works from home and he chooses his
own work schedule so that’s why they are available to spend a week day with us
and give us the very best of their time and wisdom. Thank you Anu and Krishna!
We have so many deeply philosophical conversations, talking
about love and relationships, life and death, self-awareness and so much more.
They tell us their beautiful story. Their marriage was
somehow pre-arranged since both their parents had had an astrologer cross their
birth charts and their potential as a couple was huge. So their parents did
everything to get them together and that’s what actually happened. Now, almost
20 years later, they are grateful for being together, though as in any
relationship it hasn’t always been roses, they have learnt to grow and adapt,
to communicate honestly and deeply respect each other, never wanting to sap
each other’s freedom.
Time to rest in Anu and Krishna's youngest daughter's room, which she genereously is offering
us, though her dad says she has a vested interest in this, as spending the
night with mum and dad is always a lovely experience. Thank you.
Tomorrow we will leave early in the morning for the first of
our 10 day adventure on Indian ground.
💙💚💛💜
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