Crystal Chandelier.........

Paul reminded of an incident missed in my last blog. Sorry for that. Did not think I would forget it. Had to get back. So here goes "…….."

The Ship flashed an 'SOS' after having developed a major crack and was on the verge of being abandoned. As Foreman of the Boatyard, Ralph was asked to help. He left for the High Seas with his team, where he got sand bags laid at the other end of the ship. This idea ensured the better half of the ship weighed down and the cracked area surfaced, helping the welders seal the crack.
The Englishman appreciated the way the problem was resolved and presented Ralph a 'Crystal Chandelier' in recognition of his problem solving skills. Ralph handed the Chandelier to his first son - Tom.  

The following Sunday, Ralph decided to visit Tom and see how the Chandelier enhanced Tom's home. At the gate, he was told Tom was busy entertaining guests and would see him soon. The wait seemed endless as no one bothered to attend to Ralph now seated at the portico. Upset at being ignored for long, Ralph struck the Chandelier with his walking stick. There was an ominous noise as Ralph moved towards the exit and the chandelier came crashing down and shattered on the marble floor.

The sound of breaking glass reverberated through the entire house. Tom heard the noise and hurried to see what had happened. Stunned guests lingered at the edge of the hall staring at a sea of smashed crystal. Slivers of glass scattered into every corner. Ralph saw Vera appear followed by others. From the gallery above the hall children playfully gazed down onto the glinting shards. The carcass of the chandelier lay inert on the floor, with coloured lights shimmering through its prisms in a show of pointless magic. The glass crunched underfoot, and tinkled when brushed away.
Vera was unnerved by the broken chandelier. She took it as a sign of the crash she planned in Tom's family. She got Tom show Ralph the Gate. It was here a heated argument got started between father and son and in the heat of the moment Tom asked Ralph 'not to step in again and he would next see him at his grave'.  'Veronica's' now seemed a reality. 

Veronica's.....

"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."—Isaiah 55:7.

I met Joyce last evening, and as I walked about the house my thoughts raced back to 1922….

Tom and Vera married pompously in the summer of 1922. Ralph was quiet at the celebrations. Tom had an argument earlier in the day and told Ralph he would make his life miserable if his wedding celebrations did not go as planned. Ralph said nothing, just let it be the way it was meant to be.

A year earlier Tom had graduated High School and as the eldest son of a father he admired, expressed his desire to join the shipyard. Ralph would travel by the buggy - a horse drawn carriage, symbol of the elite, in this quaint little town nestled in the backwaters.

Ralph introduced Tom to the Englishman who owned the yard. Seeing Tom’s enthusiasm to earn and learn, Ralph let Tom join the yard. It was here he met Vera, a sprightly young girl from a poor family and resident of a distant village. At her first introduction she learnt Tom was Ralph’s son. Her eyes were now only for Tom. The rest never existed. Tom was smitten by her charm and thought he had found his mate. Someone who would make a good wife and mother. Little did he know the tragedy that was to befall?
The marriage was a grand affair at the Town Hall. All who mattered were present. And then the story began to unfold. As wife, she began to poison Tom’s mind, instigating him to have Ralph retire and take the post. He could then drive his own buggy to work.

It was winter when Ralph fell ill and Tom took this opportunity to meet the Englishman and tell him of Ralph’s failing health and inabilities. Tom presented himself as a natural heir to his father’s chair. The Englishman thought it a good idea and conceded. The Notice next morning announced Tom as the new Foreman of the Yard. It was a month later when Ralph got back to work, found his son seated on his chair. Shocked at this demeanor and more shocked to read of his Retirement. 

Family is who we look to. We expect them to always be there for us. They are our blood. When a family member doesn't live up to our expectations we feel abandoned, sad, alone and angry.His Own Owned him Not.

He turned back, and walked out of the office and out of their lives. He knew Tom was played upon by Vera. He could never forgive Tom for this act. 

Now with Ralph out of their lives Vera knew she would have Tom eating out of her hands. Vera’s parents and siblings soon arrived. They were now permanent at this abode. They could never have imagined their Vera would lead them from their  single room to this Palatial house.

Tom’s earnings were all squashed in buying expensive gifts for Vera and her siblings. Then tragedy struck. Tom took ill and had difficulty in swallowing. The Doctors attending on him were helpless, as medical science was still in its infancy. Tom lay on bed with a steady gaze at the door and a heavy breath. All had given up on Tom’s survival. Death did not. Seeing his pain, the village elders gathered at Ralph’s home, and asked him to forgive Tom for whatever he had said or done. Ralph agreed to visit Tom.
Next morning as Ralph walked into the room Tom’s eyes went moist on seeing his father. Ralph took a spoon of water and placed it on Tom’s lips. Tom let the water flow down his throat and breathed his last.
The funeral was held later that afternoon. Vera ensured none of Tom’s relatives stayed back. Slowly her  
brother took charge of her life. The house was sold to an Anglican based in Borneo, and all her belongings shipped to the same village where she had first come from. Her old room was no longer there, and in its place stood a palatial home..................     'Veronicas'

The Sacrifice.........

It was the guilt of the man that kept troubling him?He tried to sleep, but sleep came not. Weeks turned to Months. Sleeplessness was now his way of life.
Although in thought, he knew he had challenged the creator and it was this thought that troubled him.
How was he to recompense for the challenge he threw to the lord.
How could he get back his sleep?
Sacrifices at the altar were the order of the day.
Would a sacrifice be good enough?
What if he proposes to sacrifice himself in retribution?
Would he get his peace with the lord?
What if his sacrifice was accepted?
That would be the end of his lifetime. Not a Good idea.
Maybe he could rework the offer.
He could sacrifice what/whom he loved the most.
He told his family of his plans to render an offering to the lord, as a cure to his state of mind. Came dawn and with him marched his son as help. He traversed the plains until he arrived at a lonely spot.
He loved his son the most. His son could be his sacrifice. Wait. What if his son died in the process?
He knew his wife could bear him no further progeny? That would then be the end of his lineage. He decided to rework his offer.  He picked a lamb that was part of his retinue. He could sacrifice this lamb, symbolic of his submission.
He wanted the lord to accept this as his sacrifice and promised to never ever challenge his creator again.

Do we make such sacrifices today…

Valmiki..

Pramukh, DuiMukh and Hasmukh were the renowned trio of the Mukhi family. Pramukh true to his name was the leader in all situations. He was like Bhima of yore. Ready for a fight anytime, everytime. Duimukh, as was his name had a split personality. A modern day Jekyl and Hyde. He enjoyed the vices as if they were his forté. A Drunk and a Womanizer he fathered kids beyond the known. Hasmukh, the youngest wore a pleasant smile. True to his name he wanted to be happy and would go  beyond his means to ensure others too were.
Maharishi Valmiki was born as Ratnakara to sage Prachetasa. At a very young age, Ratnakara went into the forest and got lost. A hunter, who was passing by, saw Ratnakara and took him under his own care. Under the love and care of his foster parents, Ratnakara forgot his original parents.   

Mukhi  was Mukhia at the local boatyard. As team leader he had to issue work instructions to the labour. Unfortunately his family was huge and his last three kids to his new wife were born after he had crossed 60 years of age. By the time Hasmukh was 5,  Mukhi’s services were no longer required at the yard. With the meager savings the family managed the next decade. But times were tough.
Under his father's guidance, Ratnakara turned out to be an excellent hunter. As he approached marriageable age, Ratnakara was married to a beautiful girl from hunter's family.As his family grew larger, Ratnakara found it next to impossible to feed them.
The family found it difficult to keep the kitchen fires burning. The boys had to stop their education midway and venture into the unknown. This was how they landed in the city-in search of a job. Hasmukh found an assignment at a factory and soon could refer his brothers to jobs in other established companies.
As a result, he took to robbery and began looting people passing from one village to another.
Now that earnings were assured, they needed to have a more decent abode, a distant cry from their present,  where 18 of them were cramped in bunker beds 3 to a column. The three soon got married to women of their choice.
One day, the great sage Narada, while passing through the jungle, was attacked by Ratnakara. As Narada played his Veena and sang praises of the Lord, he saw a transformation coming over Ratnakara.
Lighthouse – a sea fronting villa was seen by Hasmukh in search of a new apartment. His brothers liked the new abode. Money changed hands . Hasmukh paid major while the other two paid the balance. Deal settled, the landlord informed he could put just one name on the tenancy contract. Hasmukh unhesitatingly suggested 'Pramukh' as he was eldest.
Then, he asked Ratnakara whether the family, for whom he was robbing others, will partake in his sins also.
Pramukh’s wife on realising the house was in their name did not hesitate to create a situation where Duimukh and Hasmukh had no choice but to pack their bags. She encouraged Pramukh to visit the local bar, and come home drunk. In a drunken state a fight would ensue and utensils would be flying. Finally Hasmukh and Duimukh decided to move away.
Ratnakara went to ask the same question to his family and on being refused by all his family members;
Hasmukh sought his share, Pramukh promised that whenever the house was sold, the money  received would be shared in proportion to the investment. Hasmukh walked out empty handed with his wife and kids.
he went back to sage Narada who taught him the sacred name of 'Rama' and asked him to sit in meditation, chanting the name of Rama, till the time Narada came back.
24 years later Pramukh informed Hasmukh that he planned to sell the house and shift to a bigger apartment. Hasmukh reminded him of his share in the pie. This set the clock back. Pramukh wanted to consult his wife before a decision could be arrived at. The wife would have none of it. 9 years after Pramukh’s death the family decided to shift to a new apartment in the distant suburb. When Hasmukh asked Pramukh's family for his share, they feigned ignorance and knew none of the commitment.
Ratnakara followed the instructions and kept sitting in a meditative posture for years, during which his body got completely covered by an anthill. At last, Narada came to see him and removed all the anthills from his body. Then, he told Ratnakara that his tapasya (meditation) paid off and the God was pleased with him. Ratnakara was bestowed with the honor of a Brahmarshi and given the name of Valmiki, since he was reborn from the Valmika (the ant-hill). Sage Valmiki founded his ashram at the banks of River Ganga.
Hasmukh was disheartened, but was happy to watch his children do well and settle happily. But happiness seemed elusive to the other. Was the past catching up.