154A) recipient of help, a livelihood bicycle.
If God were in my fingers, I would fold them in
prayer for you.
Mahadev Kanojia (40)
Dhobi (Laundry service)
Mahadev was recommended to us by one of our past
beneficiaries. Manoj is from UP. Nearly every Dhobi I met was from UP. He
resides at Khar Danda in Mumbai. His earlier two generations were dhobis too.
His father could not afford to educate him beyond the 5th or 6th Class, so he
arrived in Bombay in 1988, when he was 11-12 years young, to help his father.
Being the eldest son, so it was first his
responsibility to hold the reins of the family’s livelihood along with his
father. Even his mother worked alongside, ironing.
Mahadev has three children, all sons. The youngest
is in school and the eldest will soon be graduating from college. His family,
his brothers and he, continue to own a small piece of land back in the village,
but none of them want to seed it. The rains being unpredictable, they find the
occupation, agriculture, uncertain to pursue as a lifelong occupation. That is
one problem we will be faced with in coming decades. Dwindling numbers occupied
in agriculture.
It is feared that in the coming years, agriculture
land will be rare and very expensive to own, considering large amounts of agri
land is being converted to commercial and residential. Corporations will run
agriculture and employ qualified people to farm and they will sell produce at
astronomical rates. Characters like farmers, the kisaan, will belong only in
ancient period films. Museums will display attires worn by farmers one upon a
time. ;)
I asked Mahadev, does he believe in God and his
miracles, and has be witnessed even one?
He replied, laughing 'at me', “Yes, of course, I do
believe in God. (Naturally making me feel I asked him a ridiculously low-life
question.) Everything I have is because of Bajrang Bali. Every Saturday, I
offer him oil at his temple near my house. He fulfils my heart’s wishes.”
For the Mahadevs’ of our world, their heart’s
wishes are not owning a ‘rock’, but: an education for his children, enough
meals through the day so that hunger does not become a clock reminding him he
has not eaten as yet, his family live in peace with each other, his livelihood
be secure, his health remain good so that his hands and feet can help him keep
a roof over their head and keep their kitchen warm.
I asked him, would he believe in his Bajrang Bali,
God, if his heart’s wishes had not been fulfilled?
Now Mahadev laughed the loudest, and said to me in
a tone as though he was seated under the banyan tree and we mortals were at his
feet looking up at him, “Sab icchayein thodi na puri hoti hain, Saab.” (You
don’t get it. All prayers are not answered.)
He smiled then. He was at peace. I smiled back. He
left. And he left me in peace too.
Anyways. I hope most of our prayers come true. And
I decided to share a prayer I had once written:
If God were in my fingers, I would fold them in
prayer for you.
If God were in my home, I would light it up like
Diwali for you.
If God were on the roads, I would ride my bike for
you.
If God were in my words, I would write a story for
you.
If God were in nature, I would paint a landscape
for you.
If God were in notes, I would compose a melody for
you.
If God were in medicine, I would heal a heart for
you.
If God were in sea waves, I would surf the Oceans
for you.
If God were in mighty mountains, I would summit
them for you.
But God is in you too, so stay close to me.
Thank you for your friendship, respect, and love.
For my loved ones I prayer.
This bicycle was donated by Vaibhav Jhalani. Thank
you Vaibhav. And Mahadev contributed half the cost of this bicycle.
And thank you to Kohinoor Cycles
(http://kohinoorcyclestores.blogspot.com/) Siddharth Vora
(https://www.facebook.com/siddharth.vora.58?fref=ts) for the good discount and
service he provides us.
#RakeshAnandBakshi https://twitter.com/RakBak16
#BicycleAngels:
FB https://www.facebook.com/groups/309043432570135/
WordPress http://bicycleangels.wordpress.com/
Beneficiaries of help:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.357090647765413&type=1
#HumanityOurReligion #Empower #Empowerment #Charity
#Donation #Livelihood #Bicycles #Inspiration #RakeshBakshi #ProudIndian #JaiHind
#Humanize #Equalize #Spiritualize
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