What is more important? Is
it the presence of light or its absence? The answer to this question is really fascinating!
Yesterday I had a unique experience! Even though the incident might seem
trivial, its significance means a lot to me. On Aunt Padma’s request I paid a
casual visit to uncle Tom. To be more specific, uncle Tammaghna Kumaraswami,
our distant relative who was once a valiant sailor, is popularly known as uncle
Tom! After his retirement, he had chosen to live a calm and quiet life in his
ancestral house in Little Colaba.
Uncle Tom had heard
about my impending amnesia and has presently expressed his desire to see me.
Thus, yesterday evening, I went to meet him at his home. There are many fond
moments that I had spent with uncle Tom, many of which I have forgotten, but
many I still remember. Drawn by a wild attraction towards the enigmatic
personality of uncle Tom, I thus went to meet him with a heart full of
excitement.
Uncle Tom’s ancestral house
is perhaps over a hundred years’ old with wide walls, high ceilings and wide
thick pillars. The septuagenarian, uncle Tom, occupies three rooms on the ground-floor
and had rented out the entire first-floor to tenants. He lives alone in this
house, after his wife passed away a few years ago.
After the initial meet
and greet, uncle Tom and I sat together in his living room and chatted
casually. I told uncle Tom everything about my amnesia and my endeavor to write
a journal to capture my most precious memories. I felt a melancholy about how
fruitful my efforts would be and shared my concern with him. He had always been
like a friend to me. Even though we had not met for quite some time, I always
appreciate the teachings he had given me ever since my childhood.
“I had been writing this
diary for so many days. However, I don’t know how useful it would be. At times,
I feel worried about whether it will be helpful at all or not!”, I said.
“Would you like to have
some tea?” asked uncle Tom. I nodded in agreement and uncle Tom replied, “Good.
Wait a while and I will make your favorite lemon tea for both of us.”
Uncle Tom went away to
the kitchen for preparing the tea and I sat and looked around the living room. The
large and spacious room had an abundance of vintage furniture comprising of a
large mahogany writing desk, chairs, a large sofa, a tea-table, tripods with
flower vases and five large cupboards stacked with books! Perhaps, the mini
library contained books on every possible topic on earth! Uncle Tom is indeed a
well-read man.
Presently, uncle Tom
came back with two cups of hot lemon tea and both of us savored its intricate
taste while sitting on the sofa.
“This is an exceptional
flavor that I have specially bought from Assam!” said uncle Tom. “You know, there
are a few rare manuscripts on the Himalayas that I have procured recently. Take
a look at them. They are on the third rack of the second cabinet”, pointed out
uncle Tom.
I felt excited and
walked up to the cupboard. Just as I was about to take out one of the
manuscripts, the lights went off! It was a power cut. The entire room got
engulfed inside a thick blanket of darkness.
“For the last few years,
load-shedding has been quite rare in these quarters!” said uncle Tom, “Maybe
some problem has occurred. Come back and have a seat. Unfortunately, I don’t
have a candle, so we have to wait in this darkness!”
I tried to find my way
back to the sofa, but stumbled upon a chair and then bumped into the writing
table. I winced in pain as my knee got hurt against the hard wood.
Uncle Tom said loudly,
“Wait Pravin. Don’t move. If you move in this darkness, you would get more
hurt. Stand quietly and then visualize the room, as you had seen it. Try to
visualize the outlay of the furniture, and then maneuver your way back to the
sofa!”
I stood still, closed my
eyes and tried to visualize the layout of the room. Slowly, the image of the
furniture and their positions flashed across my eyes and I gently maneuvered my
way. Carefully, I walked past the chairs and the tripods and finally reached the
sofa. Specs of sweat crowded on my forehead as I sat down and I wiped them off
with my handkerchief. As the pupils of my eyes dilated a bit, I could see the
outline of uncle Tom, sitting across on a chair. The entire locality was still
shrouded in a veil of darkness.
“So, Pravin. What did
you learn from today’s experience?” asked uncle Tom.
I didn’t know what to
answer. Understanding my silence, uncle Tom continued, “Is the presence of
light more important or its absence?”
“I don’t understand what
you are asking?” I replied.
Uncle Tom said in a calm
and composed voice, “When the lights went off, there was complete darkness and
you stumbled upon the furniture. However, when you focused your energies and
recalled the layout of the room, you were able to come and sit on the sofa!
Isn’t that fantastic! It really brings out an important fact.”
I tried to grasp the
significance of whatever uncle Tom was saying while he continued, “Pravin, life
is like LIGHT, but its absence brings out two equally important factors… they
are KNOWLEDGE and WILL POWER!”
I couldn’t see uncle
Tom’s face but kept listening to his discourse, “Only during the absence of
light, we are able to explore our inner knowledge and use it with our
will-power! The absence of light is not just darkness; it is a rich shelter of
our experience that guides us through all difficulties with the strength of
will-power!”
“Your present life is like
the blessing of light! Your impending amnesia is the LOAD-SHEDDING, the power
cut that will bring in a prevalent darkness. Yet, your knowledge is within your
journal, the recollection of your experiences that will navigate you to lead a
happy life with your will-power!” added uncle Tom.
As uncle Tom finished
his words, the electric power got restored and the room again became
illuminated. “So what is more important? The presence or absence of light?” I
asked with a smile.
Uncle Tom stretched his
arms and said, “Both are equally important. They complement each other. You too
must cherish your present and past life as well as the future! Your journal,
your diary is a special knowledge that you are building and I am sure it will
augment your personality at the right time!”
I got up with a happy
heart and returned. Indeed, the load-shedding taught me a trivial yet important
lesson. I have learnt to appreciate the presence of light as well as its
absence, in a manner that I had never done before. I note this experience here
in my diary today and I know that I will always cherish it.
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