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Three women and my fourth love

APS MALHOTRA was overwhelmed with all that was wrong with Delhi until three lovely women set him on the path of giving and forgiving... .

THE SKIES seem to rain fire and the winds breathe dust. Delhiites seek in vain a respite from the heat. Yet for much of the world it is still spring. Not long ago, spring descended on Delhi in full glory after the harshest of winters, dressing it like a new bride - with flowers in full bloom, the trees donning fresh leaves, the birds chirping to a new tune. The changing weather we are used to maligning has brought me some lessons about Delhi - my love and delight. It happened as bitter cold thawed in the heat of a new season, new light and a new insight. The story starts this past winter, one of Delhi's bitterest. My mood too was bitter as I thought how Delhi is full of people intoxicated by the aura of power, who take delight in insulting others, degrading their capability, road rolling their intelligence. People who epitomise the worst possible features in our otherwise glorious race and make you ashamed of being part of this species.

The bone-numbing chill was frosting my spirits, the yellow leaves strewn all around making me lose my sense of direction. Then three ladies intervened to reverse the tide.

One day my wife drew my attention to the destitute children on the streets, braving the winter onslaught. I had seen this cruelty for years, but never felt strongly enough to react. She told me to distribute old clothes outgrown by our daughter to these kids. Like a modern-day Santa Claus, I loaded them in my car and distributed them to the semi-naked children on the intersection of several Delhi streets, particularly the cross-section below the flyover near Hotel Oberoi. For the first time I experienced the joy of sharing and caring for those who need it most.

Then my mother told me something I had heard on innumerable occasions earlier, but whose importance I realised only then. She told me that there was only one God who has created everything around us. That even in times of adversity, we have to maintain our respect for all. That we are nobody to pass judgment over other people's actions. That prerogative has always been with and will continue to rest with the Almighty. That patience is a virtue as important as forgiveness, which we must shower in abundance. That forgiveness stems from faith - faith in Him being the only entity in control of the destinies of others.

As winter turned to spring, Mother Nature taught me another lesson. There were two Champa plants on my terrace. The winter frost had taken its toll on them; they lay neglected, all leaves shed. Till only the brown stumps were left, the stumps totally dry, devoid of life. I took them for dead and stopped tending them. Till I encountered the miracle of the third woman, Mother Nature.

On a warm lazy afternoon, I decided to clear the pots. Just as I was about to uproot the stumps, I saw a faint tinge of green on the edges. And within a few days, the first tiny leaves appeared. The tinge of green metamorphosed into actual life. The cyclic nature of life rammed into me with full force.

I had gained faith in the supremacy of Mother Nature. My mind, in a flood of sympathy, reached out to those who fail to see the transient nature of the world. Who revel in the temporary high provided by the fleeting phases of power and glory, restricting their goals to the most trivial and materialistic parameters, not realising that the actual parameters are much wider.

Delhi, I realised, has donned several avatars over the centuries and exhibited the resilience of the quintessential survivor, coming out unscathed each time, ever more vivacious, always humble, always forgiving. I have taken inspiration from my city. I am privileged to have learnt my lessons from three beautiful women in the lap of my fourth love - my Delhi. And now as summer prepares to lay siege, I know Delhi is ready with her faith.

APS MALHOTRA

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