My Blindman’s Ordeal with Chapati

                                   My Blindman Ordeal with Chapati

Yesterday, amidst the hustle of baking and serving chapatis and also teaching my son, who was preparing for his English language Exam the next day, I rolled a Chapati unmindfully. I was shocked to see the outcome.  In front of my eyes was a horrible over turned, wrinkled asymmetrical map of Some continent unknown to me. Obviously and instinctively I squeezed it back into the same ball that it had been started as. Now I decided to keep my eyes on the work at hand.

Suddenly, thoughts started drifting to a more philosophical aspect of life. Our senses and their importance. I  thought about it. One look away and my attempt had failed. How must a blind man be performing the same task ??
An urge to experience the feeling, I consciously closed my eyes. Pulled out a ball of dough. That was easy. I am used to the size of ball rolling between my palms. That literally needs the sense of touch. Comes with practice and being in the Indian scenario that we are, it’s a cerebulated lesson to any female, handed down to her in legacy, from her mom or Mom- in- law or she has picked it purely on her own will by observation.
I carefully placed the ball on the rolling pan with eyes closed and started my rolling pin on the ball. “Shouldn’t be so difficult if I focus”, I thought. After all,  this statement of the brain was based on its accumulated experience of years long acquired expertise. The very instant my rolling pin missed the ball! I  used my other hand to look for the ball of dough. The rolling plate was bare. The ball had vanished!! Probably slipped down the plate. My hands started feeling the ball around and about the plate. Nowhere?! I itched to open my eyes to look for it. But brain refused to comply. After a few moments of futile efforts, I compromised with my promise to myself and guiltily glanced through a hazy vision of almost closed eyes.  Within a second I realised the ball had landed into the sink( it’s very close to where I place  my rolling pan and pin). I was horrified at the realisation of my stupidity. I must have lifted the pin and the ball would have got stuck on it and the beautiful mother gravity would have tossed it into the sink. It was resting in peace all drenched! I was sad to find it’s end in such a manner. Now it Couldn’t do the honour of providing comfort to the hungry eyes of members waiting for it by the dining table. I was in a sorry state of affairs but obstinacy had got the better of me and I decided to continue the blind way again. I picked another ball and placed it this time more careful of tracking it by the sense of touch!
As I rolled my pin, I felt it was not going anywhere. It was uneven, fat from sides and chip like in the centre. Everyone was calling for chapatis so I finally gave up.
Opened my eyes to see the output of my expertise. It was not a Chapati. It was some deflated monster glaring from all over the sides at me. It actually looked like a banyan tree to be more specific!! It actually had arial roots shooting from its sides. It was everything but circular. My blind man effort of Chapati was actually some perfect reflection of imperfection and lack of one sense- my eyes!

My failed attempt had  left a lesson for me. Gratification!  A sense of thankfulness that I have what it takes to call one rich!! You reading this story today are rich! You have everything! You are not deprived. How many of us actually thank God for what He has blessed us with? Aren’t these senses somewhere  taken for granted. Their value hits hard when we are deprived of any one of them.  I see around me children wearing spectacles with high power.i feel sad to see how at this tender age they are using up their precious resource and are they the guiltiest one in doing so? How many of our children today own phones at a tender age for reasons of their own? How many of us as parents like to reward our children with PS4 and iPads as they do well deserve it?! Our guilt of time transforms itself into an overload of technology served to our children hot and well to drown their senses in.

The long lost Gurukuls and the value of reverence for our body and it’s healing practices that they had instilled in their eminent pupils is  somewhere inconspicuous in our generation. They exploit what they own. Today chivalry has a new definition. Being Macho and petite means resorting to steroids for a short cut way to gaining  a V shape and hour glass body. Botox and transplants are the in thing. Parlours and beauty centres are thriving and surely theirs may be the most lucrative business for minting the moolah. And we are ready to pay any cost without giving a hindsight to their aftermath. Artificial is the new “natural.” Its time to Think about what we have and whether we are rich in the true sense; or are we poor - with everything at a button’s call but deprived of the sense to enjoy it completely??

We crib and blow our problems out of proportion by the same sense of brain power without realising that we have been the chosen and blessed class by God! We have a purpose to meet. Perhaps Hod wants us to use our senses wisely. So let us pledge to make the best use of them while they last. We are not them, nor are we used to a life led by them. So let’s not cry over spilt milk,   Say it today to yourself, I am rich!  And I’m going to enjoy it!