BLESSED BEING (11-Apr-2020)

For most of us who wade through the snail-paced traffic in the BTM area in Bangalore, and as we dread to approach the (in)famous silk-board junction, it is a way too familiar sight to see a mentally challenged individual planted next to the median.  He extends his right arm to touch the mirror of almost every other car that passes by him.  Sometimes he is clean-shaven and sometimes present in a disheveled manner, but lo behold, there is not a single car that escapes his magic touch.  Each touch gives him a sense of achievement, and then you see peace writ large on his face.

When I see him get ready to touch my car, I squirm enough to shut my eyes closed, albeit temporarily.  My peace though in peril when a collage of thoughts crisscrosses my mind – who is this person, who are his family members who let him free, does he know his life is in danger as he attempts to touch the moving cars?  Does he count the number of vehicles that ply the road?  Would it qualify him into the Guinness Book of World Records for he has touched the greatest number of moving cars?!  Should I do anything to handle the situation here?  Would the larger society recognize the perils of this clan many who are out there on the streets?  Is there a social cure in sight?  I am sure there are many NGOs taking care of many in similar frame of mind at various centers, but will that suffice?

Rolling back to my younger days, I remember a 30s-something mentally challenged individual in the Basavanagudi area around Puttanna / DVG Road.  Clad in a white dhoti and a half-arm shirt, almost always on bare-feet and clean-shaven, he was adored by the children for he was harmless.  But he too was known for his one stand-out notoriety – he would accost young women on the road and shoot the million-dollar question: “Will you marry me?”  He never waited for a response, nor did he expect one?  Once the question fired, he appeared to be at peace with himself.

A family member in our circles was mentally challenged but known for his stupendous memory to remember people by name.  His single goal in life involved to walk endless miles bare-footed and with an odd coat on; but the moment any person stopped him on the road for a quick chat, he recognized the person by his first name.  It appeared to me that in his mind he had a stack of cells set-aside to remember people names!  If only he was skilled to broad base the stacking information across multiple functions, maybe he would be termed ‘genius!’  A stand-out feature was he was always at peace with himself.

One common thread among the cases discussed is all of them appeared at peace with their own state of mind!  The likes of you and me and the world who term them as mentally challenged are not at peace given the global pandemic, burgeoning traffic, global warming, mounting work pressures, wrong and unreal expectations, and the like.  Are we truly at peace or are they at greater peace? 

Peace exists when we subscribe to the philosophy of oneness or inclusiveness as a mantra when we deal with the differently challenged!