In Memoriam

I read a rather silly, but simultaneously dark, joke this morning. It was as follows. In Pitru Paksha, you cannot change the party, whosoever might be the leader to whom you otherwise might have been affiliated to, and the only symbol accessible is the crow. Rather wicked and in bad taste is the joke, but it is truthful in a way, too.

Now begins the pitru paksha. It is the period of the year when we remember our near and dear ones, lost now forever. These days, the traditional rituals are mostly not followed. Most often, they may not have much meaning beyond feeding a poor brahmin. 

Instead, it is much better to doante the dakshina to a poor Brahmin whose family could at least use that money to send their children to school or to buy the bare minimum necessities required for a decent enough life.  I suppose the souls of the dear departed would thus rest in real peace than the typical shradha.

That has been the way we have year after year paid obeisance to Papa's memory, every June 21 and for every pitru paksha shradha.  Aai absolutely accepted and adored such a homage to his memory. Never ever did she insist on any ritual. But that was the way they were, modern in moulding the tradition, continuing the good in/of the old ways in modes that were modelled on the contemporary and were relevant currently.

It is so very sad that this pitru paksha I would have to set aside the dakshina for her, too, as the temples are closed. For Papa's sake, she would make me prepare a pure white envelope for the dakshina to be paid on which I had to neatly write each and every detail. Unfortunately, this year I would have to prepare one such envelope in her memory, too. I cannot indeed describe the pain in my heart.

The real in meoriam for her, for him and for both of them would, however, be to to keep their memory alive in each and every way they dreamt for us. Thus alone would past be present in future,

pratima@ nary a good-bye never for you, Aai-Papa. Wherever you are, and sure in bliss, you abide!here! always! for me! For all the three of us!