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Senthil's Pursuit of Passion

"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder", says John Keats, and he is certainly right, for an admirer could seek a distinct detail in an object, which might otherwise appear ordinary to another eye. Probably, an extra moment spent while looking at things around could spark in us that eureka moment, and that was what happened that beautiful evening when I was on my way back home.

The sight of flower vendors making mallipoo strings and sprinkling some water on them is an everyday ritual, especially if you are in any of the southern states of India. Though the street was brimming with tired faces after a long working day, their feet knew no exhaustion, eagerly welcoming the weekend. While I was worried the bus would be thronging with people, a pair of eyes were gleaming looking at the same crowd. He must be in his early forties, energetically singing an Ilayaraja song, stringing the fresh white malli blossoms. His cheerful vibe was infectious, and my eyes were hooked on how dexterously he was making those mallipoo strings. Surely, those fingers must have done it for years together. I thought amma would be happy if I brought home some flowers, so I walked towards him, to buy a couple of muzhams. The flowers looked very fresh, and I asked a couple of more muzhams and tucked some into my hair right there.

While handing him the money, I noticed a framed photograph of an old lady smiling wide, stringing malli. I asked him out of curiosity, who she was, and he fondly replied that it was his late mother, from whom he inherited this profession. Her name was Lakshmi and his, was Senthil. Even while he was speaking, his hands were busy knotting the malli, and I couldn't help but compliment his skill. He seemed very happy hearing that and told me, "You should have seen my mother making the malli strings. What a multitasker she was! I used to spend hours watching her do this. It flowed like poetry, one bud after the other intertwined...aaaahhh! It's the most beautiful thing in the world! I feel so content that I'm doing what i enjoy the most. Look at most of these people around us, they look drained, and here I am, running around getting these malli since 4 in the morning and spending the whole day with them. I would have touched more than a million buds till date and I'm thankful to each one of them for filling me with life and giving me a livelihood. Malli ennoda rani ma".

I admit, I've never imagined a flower seller's life to be so enthusiastic, and I wondered why have I always looked at street hawkers with pity. I realized how wrong I was, and how right Keats was. How much this man would have admired the beauty of the art of making malli strings that he chose to pursue it his whole life! I boarded the bus, imagining how his mother's hands would have strung those mallipoo, raising her children, enduring life's challenges, all with a wide smile, just like the man's.