How do I want to grow old and die? The question reminded me of an old man I met once.
My first time in India (1999), I stayed in various housing situations as we travelled all over the country. In Jaipur for the first time, my partner and I stayed at a room in a family house. The grandfather sat on the front porch area as we walked in, dressed very simply, he had a chair and next to it was a wooden cot with a minimal cloth mat. He sat most of the day silently in the chair and in the night slept on the cot.
My first time in India (1999), I stayed in various housing situations as we travelled all over the country. In Jaipur for the first time, my partner and I stayed at a room in a family house. The grandfather sat on the front porch area as we walked in, dressed very simply, he had a chair and next to it was a wooden cot with a minimal cloth mat. He sat most of the day silently in the chair and in the night slept on the cot.
He would snore on the inhale, and on
the exhale say, “Sita Ram, Sita Ram, Sita Ram”. It was clear to me that he must
be chanting “Sita Ram” in his head all day, to be able to be chanting
unconsciously in his sleep. He filled the role of a doorman for the house, was
present for the children, and had minimal requirements. He most likely had a
natural death when things stop working, and met his maker.
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