A Child's Smile Lights Up Hope in the Universe

It is very hard to send a message, especially during Christmas time where it is easy to fall into the obvious but, in a dark period like the one We are living, dominated by selfishness, greed, ephemeral success , we all have an urgent need for sincere and pure Smile, full of Life, capable of urging our emotions, to dust off our values and ideals, all too often shredded in this perverse mechanism.

We always complain about the world in which we live, but we often delegate our responsibilities to others. They, the Children, would all have the right and yet, they do not complain, they do not delegate, they face life with dignity and lightness, despite the conditions to which We adults subject them.

The children live a true life, made up of colours, smiles, curiosity, they don't ask for anything in return, just be heard, taken into account, they just want to feel part of this adventure called Life.

They think, "naively" that we are all equal, without distinction, do not exist in their minds and especially in their honest hearts, differences of color, race, religion, there is no envy or malice.

Children dress only of their dreams, give smiles to all those willing to receive them, they do not ask for anything in return just a pleasant look through which to transmit all the Human warmth that a pure soul can give.

To play they have the essential, a kite, a white chalk, a small flute, just nothing to smile, and then that feeling of being in harmony with the essence of the world.

These days we need to rediscover that word abused and too often forgotten or erased that is Humanity, We are stealing the future from the new generations, We are Denying THEM the right to grow up in a more equal, more supportive, more human-like World, which "should" be the primary purpose of the Mankind.

Being in the Christmas time I try to translate into words the gestures of the children I met in my wandering around the world, as I wish for a slightly more just future:

Say hello to the children of your city, inexhaustible source of joy and imagination, give them a hug on my part and fill it with Love.

Merry Christmas

The ancient wrestling in Benarés (Varanasi)

It is just five o'clock in the morning and the Ganges is still shrouded in darkness, a blanket of fog protects these sacred waters and the human presence is reduced to a few individuals.

On the Ghats only a few worshippers , preparing for the morning rites on the Sacred River. The silence has just been broken by the swarm of a few small waves coming from the few boats that ply the river.

The lavenders have arrived and begin to prepare their primordial stations, which will see them curved in the sun for most of the day. The city is waking up and I'm heading for Tulsi Ghat, where one of the oldest wrestling gyms in the world, Tulsi akhara, is located.

The opening time should be 6 a.m., so I was told, the day before by a kind and burly member of the club, so, I walk with my rooms in the south direction, contemplating the first lights of the day that, tenuously, illuminate the Ganges, giving to It a touch of colour with a magical flavour.

After a walk of about half an hour, There are, again, a hundred steps that separate me from the entrance gate, so, I start climbing passing near a small temple just outside the gym, where a small group of faithful stood picking up, I'm finally at destination.

No one is yet on site but, time five minutes the buzz of the city rises by decibels and in bulk come the first members of the club and, a far more number of curious "photographers" from all parts of the Globe, I didn't know the place was so popular. 

The Tulsi akhara on Tulsi Ghat, is believed to have been established more than 5,000 years ago. The day starts here with a prayer session at the tiny shrine behind the mud rink devoted to Lord Rama and Hanuman. They do some stretches, push-ups and squats as warm-up before trying their hand at different kushti equipment.

There are many levels of competitions open to the students and a talented student can even make his way to the national-level competition. What is amazing is that all of them pursue this as a passion and have other careers from insurance and banking to running a shop; some are students at schools and colleges.

The wrestling pit itself is filled with soft earth refilled at regular intervals from nearby fields. According to Siyaram Pehelwan, this is not just any mud — it is mud that is brought from nearby villages and seasoned by mixing it with turmeric, curd, mustard oil and neem leaves to infuse it with therapeutic properties so that the wrestlers stay healthy, and don’t catch any infection.

At present, kushti is only practiced in a handful of akharas. Even here, the future of the sport is uncertain due to dwindling funds and the falling number of students. There is a lot of pressure on traditional kushti schools to embrace international wrestling standards. But there is still hope with people like Siyaram, who are ensuring that this ancient art of body building stays afloat.

Dhobi Khana

We arrived in Veli in Fort Kochi, riding a beautiful  Royal Enfield, a motorcycle with vintage charm, after a deep visit of Mattancherry. The first sight that greets Us inside the gate market Dhobi Khana is an array of men and women ironing clothes, some still use the traditional charcoal iron, some of these irons were bought decades ago in Sri Lanka.

The environment is pervaded by music and animated by slow and gentle gestures, which give life to this space.

Pass through into the next portion of the three-acre compound of the Khana, and you see,  approximately, 40 wash pens lined up in a row dedicated to the washing of garments, acquiring life from the silent and laborious presence of these proud and kind dhobis.

The dhobis belong to the Vannar community of Tamil Nadu. Though there are different accounts about their settlement in Fort Kochi, it is widely believed that the settlement is more than three-centuries-old.

They use the traditional method of soaking the clothes in bleach and detergent water. Soaked clothes are washed by beating on a laundry stone. Starching the clothes is also done by dipping the clothes in starch obtained from boiled rice.

Next to the shed is a drying yard with cross poles and ropes. The washed clothes are left out to dry in the sun for almost five hours. The clothes are tucked in between ropes to secure them, thus avoiding the use of clips. 

This is, probably, the only Dhobi Khana (community laundry space) in Kerala, existing in the city successfully for many decades, thanks to a fair number of Kochi citizens who prefer their clothes washed by hand.

They say that the process has remained unchanged for at least the last 40 years, but as with many older ways, most of the people at the dhobi khana say that theirs is a dying profession. Younger generations doesn’t like to pick up this job, They study and aim to have a different and more lucrative job.

Moreover the increasing expand of modern laundry , put the survival of this dhobi khana at risk in in the near future.