Dur Anchal - Nagaland*

'Dur Anchal "There are shops in remote villages in the interior of Nagaland, but there are no shopkeepers or traders there. You go there, there will be a price list written there. You look at that price list, take the things you need, leave the money there and go back. That is the belief. "This is something that illustrates the extraordinary honesty and mutual trust of the people of the northeastern states of India.

Guruvayoor - Kerala.

 

we reached Guruvayoor and checked into a hotel in East Nada, near the railway station. After relaxing for a while, we proceeded to the temple.

As always, there was a huge crowd at the temple. We had darshan and returned to the hotel. After leaving my son, Nikhil, and mother-in-law at the hotel, Anitha and I proceeded to the nearby Balaji temple and later reached the Krishna temple again. We spent quite some time inside the temple seeing elephants and different pooja activities. It was a very nice experience.

Around 10 PM, we were returning to the hotel room. I was feeling thirsty. Luckily, I saw a person selling tender coconuts. I drank the coconut and retuned the shell. He charged us Rs. 30. I gave Rs. 100 and he returned change of Rs. 70. I was casually looking around when I saw a small net and two kids lying sleeping inside the cradle. After seeing the children, I felt really bad and showed the scene to Anitha. I asked the coconut vendor, “Don’t you go home?” He replied, “Sir, we live here. We do not have a house.”

He continued, saying, “Sir, one of those kids was missing before. We got back the kid after 9 years from Tamil Nadu.” I searched for some cash in my pocket and gave him the same immediately. I thought I should do something for them in the future.

That night, the children’s faces haunted me. We got up early morning and walked to the temple. I saw them again. The man smiled at me and said, “Hurry – or the crowd will gather!” He was showing gratitude. I am sure I will them again next year.

People are running behind so many luxuries and comforts. Here, a couple and two children are living on the street from the income of selling tender coconuts. They do not a have a shelter or security. Later, I was wondered how they managed during rainy days. Even though many days passed, their faces are still etched in my memory.