A Bit of India, a Gentleman, and the Marginalized
I started writing these blogs in June 2020, when we were in the initial months of the pandemic and in the immediate aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in May.
This third year anniversary edition is a bit of a travel blog as I am visiting India for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Not surprisingly to many of you, I wore my KN95 mask for about 24 out of 25 hours of my airline travel, during which I made allowances only for eating and drinking while on the plane. My trip involves staying, visiting, and dining indoors with many almost all of whom would be fully vaccinated and almost none of whom are given to mask wearing with any regularity. I will be thankful if the virus spares me for contracting it will thwart my plans in the short term, even ignoring any long-term effects.
Running outdoors in a city in India is normally a challenge unless one happens to be next to the beach or a spacious park. I am without such benefits, and I did not know what to expect for my first morning run in the middle of the summer after arriving here after midnight. I found the parking area at the open, bottom floor of the apartment complex where I am staying to be nicely shaded and large enough, and sufficiently devoid of cars that had left for work, to be just perfect. A breeze was a nice bonus.
As I did my laps, I noticed that a corner of the parking area had minimal dwellings for the families of D & M, who serviced our apartments. I might have more to say about D & M in a future blog. For now, I will just say that instead of seeing my running as ruining their otherwise quiet morning, they saw it as a nice distraction from the routine and saw me as someone also toiling in the sweltering heat alongside them. The lives of the downtrodden in Chennai, such as the families above, and what the societies around them need to do to uplift their lives are no different from the lives and needs of the families living at Cuney Homes in Houston where George Floyd grew up.
Whereas hereditary poverty and inadequate societal support allow no escape hatch for many, others are marginalized for reasons only their nearest will know. One such is someone most dear to me, and my visit in India involves cohosting a celebratory occasion on his behalf. Only a few would ever know of his brilliant mind, kind heart, and oratory skills before uncontrollable forces of nature consumed him when he was still a young man. The many physical and mental ailments that confront him every day are too difficult to even imagine. Even harder to imagine is how he endures all that and lives with decency and hope — in the middle of a society that can show only frustration when compassion is in order. In him today, I see a curious gentleman with immense courage and grace who needs to fight constantly to overcome a lifetime of challenges. He is an inspiration. If we allow ourselves to see the real people like him in all marginalized, may be we won’t marginalize their lives and needs!
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