First House Tattoo

One evening Noor had found a stray dog puppy in the village. She brought it home with all the excitement. It was a brown fluffy cute little one. They kept her name 'Zora'. She was so little that she would fit in a small basket, which soon became her bed. Noor had cushioned that basket with soft cloths. Zora would roam around everywhere marking her territory. There were many mongooses in the mountains due to which we could hardly see any snakes. Those cute little creatures would often come near our house in search of food. Their appearance would be considered a good omen. Those mongooses would be all the time around us as our dog. Maybe that's why we had been living a great life full of good omens all day long. Noor would carry Zora everywhere as if she was her favourite toy.

Occasionally, we would get some visitors. One time in the offseason to our surprise there were 6 visitors at our house. Madhu would wait for such gatherings as it would bring more energy into the house. Out of six, five were Israeli backpackers and one was a French woman. We had made our house environment such that every guest would instantly feel comfortable as if that was their own home. Within 30 minutes everyone would sit together and enjoy like long lost friends. Madhu had created magic. She knew how to create good vibes. Backpackers usually would have some artistic skill in them. Whether it would be drawing, singing, playing a musical instrument, making jewellery or painting walls with designs. The tribe which we were hosting had some painting skills in them. They insisted if they could paint on the front wall as a heartfelt gift for our warm hospitality. We were more than happy to receive their souvenir. In two days time, they created a beautiful colourful Mandala. That became the object of first sight once someone would climb the stairs to enter the house. The bright colours added vibrant energy to the house. It looked like the house had got its first tattoo.

Madhu was know as Madam in the village. As she was a physiotherapist, villagers would often come to her for treatments. Also, her image in the village was like a woman who had friends worldwide, speaks great English, highly educated, had a big house. Hence, Madam. The innocence of the villagers was so adorable. Madhu was the most friendly woman in the entire village. Usually, women from that tribal area would be under the veil, dependent on men and conservative in behaviour. On the contrary, Madhu was a modern woman taking the bull by the horns. Such qualities reveal their light sooner or later. People from all walks of life would find a friend in her. Many kids would come to our house in awe as that was the biggest house in Salli, like some palace. Madhu knew that the financial condition in most of the houses was not good. So she would gift the kids some clothes, notebooks and often would feed them. I never saw poverty in those kids eyes. They would be full of life as if they had everything. Their clothes would be little torn but not their souls. The sparkle in their eyes would be magnetic. I guess that had been only the city life which would fill people with inadequacy, emptiness and an insatiable hunger for things. I found kids in that village very peaceful and content in whatever little they had.

Less Was Beautiful.