| April 2010 - Living with Heroes |
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Sunday 11th April - Living with Heroes Hill fires are a regular occurrence at this time of the year. The grasses and bushes are tinder dry and most people cook on an open fire, so it’s easy for sparks and embers to carry around the hillside. At night it’s not unusual to see orange glow of fires tracking up the blackness of the mountains. Fire spreads mostly in the afternoons when strong winds blow up through the valley, fanning embers of previous fires into life and lifting them to new sites. A few days ago we watched 20-30 feet flames sweep up to Taidy, the small village an hour’s walk from here. Fortunately there were no casualties. As a precaution we, or rather the women, under Mahavir’s direction, brought in the straw stacks and put them in one of the new rooms. I couldn’t help anyway as I was incapacitated after a 24 hour bout of diarrhoea which had left me weak and dehydrated, and which also prevented our planned overnight visit to cousin Baldev down in the next valley. Permod, the carpenter, and Mahavir took down the numerous hanging decorations from last week’s official school opening ceremony.So at about 3o’clock in the afternoon I’m resting in my bed when I become aware of an increasing level of smoke and hear the close crackle of flames. Stepping outside my room I find smoke billowing all around, feel the intense heat of the approaching fire, and through the smoke see the flames licking up towards the house. Suddenly I’m not so tired! How many things can you think and do in a second? I thought of my family, picked up my Yogananda pendant, decided to leave the iPod (sorry Apple Inc), closed the room windows and door, put a blanket along the bottom of the door, and sent a mental message to Divine Mother, something like; “Divine Mother I don’t mind dying if it’s my time, although this isn’t the way I would choose. And I’ve had the feeling for many years that you wanted me to be around till I’m 103.” Oh! and images from Gone with the Wind flashed through my mind too – though I’ve never seen it all the way through. Mahavir was outside my room and ushered me along the concrete verandah and down the stairs to the outside shower room where he thought I would be safe – the place furthest from the direction of the fire, with concrete walls and roof, steel door and a water supply to stay wet. Isn’t that totally amazing? That when his home, animals, livelihood, family and his own life are in danger he should make a priority of taking me to a place of safety! Anyway, instead I joined Mahavir, filling buckets and basins from taps and water tanks, and carrying them to the perimeter wall for Hemanti, Prem, Aarti and Permod (wife, son, daughter-in-law and carpenter). They took them, Hemanti barefoot, to the various firespots which were igniting around us. For some reason (Divine Grace perhaps) I went back to the upper verandah and found that one of the doors had caught fire. A bucket of water soon doused it and a wet sack sealed the bottom. Behind the door – the room full of straw!! Had that caught fire the whole house and school may have been lost. After about 30 minutes of fire fighting the prevailing westerly wind suddenly changed direction and took the fire away from the house leaving us to deal with several smaller fires and piles of smouldering ashes. We were safe. Heroes all! Permod walking directly towards oncoming flames to get close enough to throw a bucket of water over them; a short while later standing atop a smouldering woodpile to douse the embers. Barefoot Hemanti, Prem and Aarti carrying 20 to 50 litres at a time to hotspots (I can barely lift 50 litres off the ground) and Mahavir, a general directing his troops as he kept the water supplies flowing. And no panic. Urgency, yes, but no sign of panic. Action was taken not according to any action plan but with common sense and an instinctive understanding of what was needed. I am proud to have these people as my friends. They are incredibly strong physically and mentally. They live a hard, simple life – and gracefully. I love them dearly. That night Mahavir, Hemanti and Permod slept outside on the upper verandah, on guard against any further outbreaks of fire. In the morning clean-up started and then the usual daily life-on-the-farm continued. Sadly, the vegetable plantings were wiped out and we’ll have to see if some of the fire-damaged trees recover. After enthusing about the wonderful fresh garden produce to all and sundry it looks like I’ll be on a daal diet for the next 6 or 7 weeks. And so: Was it luck that I was ill –so Mahavir and I didn’t make our planned trip? Was it luck that I went to check the upstairs verandah at exactly the right time? Was it luck that the wind changed? Was it luck or was it Divine Grace? What do you think?
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