I had often heard people saying and exclaim in desire that they want a simple life but i had totally failed to understand why they called it simple when they had such complex descriptions of that desired life. Like one wise person had once told me .. he wanted to settle at a place away from the city where all urban facilities would be available and where he could breathe free air and live with people who all loved him and expected nothing of him. Where his servants would take care of all his needs and where his sons and relatives and friends could come and spend their holidays and where he would sit down and write about the factories of software engineers.. i was left wondering.. he wants people to expect nothing from him.. isn't that a tall expectation?
So i went to Indore village near Nasik and i discovered this couple who have a "simple" life. They get up and do their daily chores and drink tea and entertain visitors all day long if the visitors happen to reach this remote village. ( i walked for at least 7 kms from the main road each time i visited the village). the sons take care of the farming and the old man talks to people in the village on how to take the village ahead and improve life for people. he relates to his youth and the freedom struggle and tells everyone how things can be worked out. the lady grows flowers like you can see behind them on the side. they are huge hibiscus and the flowers remain fresh for seven days after plucking !!!.
i suddenly discovered a simple life.. growing flowers..and cooking and eating and sleeping... but flowers are ones that survive seven days and are of such huge size that they are not abnormal. that's a successful life. i am focused on one activity but i do it well , very well and get extraordinary results. that's perfection. i had to touch the feet and seek blessings of the lady before i left.
The old man leads a simple life. he talks to people. he inspired his villagers to form a cooperative water users association that has changed the economics of the village, the surplus has helped start a dairy and now he wants them to set up a shopping complex. he is focused on village development and thinks well and does it very well. he had threatened to break the shop of his cousin when he had declined to help the water user association. he uprooted bricks from the shop wall at the age of nearly eighty and managed to get this man to the village to manage the paperwork as he is the most educated person in the village.
i learnt what a simple life is. i learnt what stuff freedom fighters are made of. i learnt humility as they served me tea and opened up all they had for me and wanted me to stay with them longer. i learnt a little bit of gardening also for flowers always spread smiles and these were surely special flowers.