Symptoms of wisdom

My (maternal) ajji was a wise being. She had a ridiculously tough life but she didn’t let that stop her from becoming kind. Averse to the concept of gossip during a time when entertainment was scarce, she spent a major chunk of her waking hours toiling in the farm. Widowed in her early 30s, she chose to remain optimistic about the future. Which might explain why she tried her best to educate all her kids in spite of harsh conditions. We often witness cultural platitudes in a social gathering as somebody will remark that south Indians are more educated than north Indians. Statistically true but we take this fact for granted. Nothing happens naturally when it comes to our species. Intentions are the key. It’s because of people like my ajji— in any part of the world — that the current generation is busy plucking the proverbial fruits. When i was home, not a week passed by, my amma didn’t mention her. I grew up listening to tales my ajji told us and then when she passed away, to tales about her that my amma told us. Our society builds heroes because it needs it to breath life into legends. It’s a symbiotic process. However, the true heroes are often the ones who weren’t seeking heroism in the first place. They were, well, just doing their job. They found the answers to the toughest questions. For instance, if you were to ask my ajji whether she’s going to heaven or hell, she’ll say, “There is no heaven (swarga) or hell (narga); there is only this village (ooru).” According to her, justice happened in this world itself, wherever we are or are going to be. The calculations are already under process. Just that we don’t get to see the balance sheet. If that’s not a symptom of wisdom for an illiterate person, i don’t know what is.