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Journalism of Courage
With Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi, the festival season is now declared open with a short break for the 8216;pitr paksh8217; holdback when ancestors must be honoured. And just last week, one of my maulanajis got married and I was invited to the feast in Old Delhi. Noticeably, every fest included the feeding of the poor. Or should, if it hasn8217;t struck us yet. For sometimes, it8217;s our turn to receive at the most basic level: the ego mysteriously vanishes and you 8220;eat your bread with joy8221; as the Preacher says in Ecclesiastes. Speaking as a working woman who pays for her own life, I guess many of you know exactly what it means when your cook sends word she8217;s sick at the last moment. You have no time to rustle up anything yourself and you don8217;t get home from work until it8217;s quite hopelessly late. You could order in from anywhere but are too tired to bother. Besides, you want simple home food after the long day8217;s journey into night, dash it. Dispiritedly, you go for a walk, hoping the exercise will refresh you and your headache will go away. By force of habit, you walk first towards the gurdwara and whoops, there8217;s a crowd, so you8217;re about to go away quietly when the old granthiji spots you and flaps out crying, 8220;Puttar, langar chak!8221;
A scarf is tied around your head, you wash your hands and feet and sit down, the very last person to be fed in the langar before the kitchen closes, to a great meal of hot rotis, subzi, dal and karah prasad. It happens again: cook8217;s off, you8217;re late from work, no nice food at home and suddenly 8212; it8217;s always en route to the gurdwara and mandir which stand shoulder-to-shoulder 8212; someone leans over their garden gate and calls out as you prowl past, 8220;Feel like eating a hot dosai?8221;
Saache sahiba kya nahi ghar tere/ ghar da tera sab kuch hai/ jis de so pave/ Sada sifat salah tere naam man vasave/ Naam jinke man vasiya baaje shabad ghanere/ Kahe Nanak Saache Sahiba kya nahi ghar tere?
8220;What does Your house lack, True Master, it contains everything and only they receive to whom You give/ When Your Name is enshrined in the heart, Your Word resonates and fills it/ Says Nanak, True Master, what does Your house lack?8221;
