Am I a Brahmin!

Rain drenched roads were overflowing with waters from the roof tops and the open drains.

Strong stench of overflowing open drains filled the air. Thickly populated street were desolate and an uneasy calm prevailed in the air .Scenes of helpless farmers lamenting the extent of the devastation was a common sight.

Driving on the muddy rain washed roads was treacherous. I was accompanied by Dr.Aggrawal, a local medical practitioner who joined our volunteer group to answer his calling in life.

Fighting the receding flood waters we made our way into a dilapidated hut. Rain water was trickling through the make shift roof and had spared nothing inside. Subbamma was lying down in a partly dry corner of the room. Her children were sitting next to her praying the gods. The very gods who seem to have forgotten this corner of the world.

It was perhaps her gods or her sheer will to survive; Subbamma’s resolve to fight and survive her illness was commendable. She was a frail old woman probably in her late seventies. Matted grey hair and wrinkled forehead showcased her years of hard toil in the semi fertile lands of telangana.

"Namaste Saaru"...I heard a faint squeal and saw subbamma trying to get up with her hands folded.

"Please ask her to lie down...she needs urgent medical attension.This could be a serious case of Malaria" said Dr.Aggrawal.I sat down next to Subbamma and spoke in Telugu. “Amma “you should rest.

You can get well only if you take the medicines "doctor ayya" gives you now.

She was clinging herself together due to the shivering cold. Her worn out cotton sari was no answer to the rainy winds. The only source of warmth and light was a small kerosene lamp in the window. A flash of thought took me to a conversation of my bragging neighbor .He was complaining about the lethargy of the electric company in restoring the power at his home. Apparently his Centralized ultramodern air conditioning system was not functioning properly during the summers. A rude shock of realizing the great Indian Socio-economic divides.

I held Subbamma’s hands and said “Amma you should relax” and gave her a blanket that we had received from one of our grateful donors. Holding her thin, weak and frail legs I gently touched and caressed the feet to help her relax.

Meanwhile Dr.Aggrawal prepared an injection but was hesitating as she was too weak due lack of food.Food was scarce and the only source was the food packets dropped via helicopters by the government. We were lucky to have some liquid medinces that we carried in a small backpack.

During this whole ordeal there was a sense surprise and awe.Subbamma tried to sit upright and started bending down to reach my feet.I was both embarrassment and shocked. Holding her hands i questioned "Amma what are you doing?”She replied ...

"you touched my feet” her throat choking “and you are a Brahmin"...

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