Namaskara Valley!

Namaskara Valley!

It’s your birthday, and it is time to celebrate. Along with many others, I would have been there today—dressed in a nice dhothi—to participate in the pallaki procession and witness the tree planting… with all the chanting and singing in the background. And the birthday wouldn’t be complete without bisibelebath & holige at the dining hall!

It has been a few months since I came over for a walk and the conversations I’d have with you, in my mind, as I walked around. Yet I feel connected to you in mind and spirit—if not in body, with my physical presence there. But I have to say I miss being there physically. The sounds of the students’ chatter, the dust on my shoes, quiet walks, the ‘simple’ food we eat there—are some of the things I miss in the physical realm.

For your birthday, I want to talk about some of the spaces within you that I fondly remember. I was fortunate to be able to visit you for my Goonj classes every Saturday. That part of you, at the Art Village, is something that I really appreciate. The vibrations created by the tanpura, and the voices that enhanced it, or the sounds of the gejje from the dance studio or the splendor of clay at the pottery studio—in your natural setting, was divine beauty that touched the soul. Do you know when we can ‘freely’ do it again?

The other side of you was equally appealing to me – the school side. That’s where you gave space for the children’s classrooms. It would simply lighten up my mood to be in this area—the children running around carefree, the teachers always smiling, the hymns from the assembly, the excitement of the bus arriving or leaving—just thinking of you, Valley, gives me happy thoughts.

You probably already know this, but I’ll tell you anyway—I started running because of you! It was the initial 5K Cross Valley run that made me decide to take this sport up seriously! Now, I may have run half-marathons, but it is running at Valley that is still a challenge and a joy.

It is the parts of you that add up to the whole—it’s the entire Valley that I love and appreciate. Thank you for all that you’ve given us and I’m grateful for all the joy you bring to our lives.

For all the happiness you spread, and lives you shape—hridaya poorvaka dhanyavadagalu!

Prashanta