A Rose for no Reason

An ICA salesman hands a flower to a customer leaving with her groceries. October, 2013

ON my way home from the dentist, I stopped at ICA.  ICA, which I used to spell out, 'I-C-A" after international communication association, is based on the Walmart idea. ICA --say it like a word. Like IKEA--ICA.  

When I saw this young man hand a flower to each customer as they left with their groceries, I could not but let out a little sound of joy.  He saw me, I smiled and shrugged.  A rose!! for no reason I thought.

I was treated to a rose too, as I left the store.

‘Why?¨ I asked. 

‘Just because we have such good customers’ said the nice young man --which to me sounded like, ‘Please keep shopping here.’

I loved the rose, thanked him for it, asked him if I could get a picture of him.  But as I walked away, I thought, I can smell the slight change in Sweden and I do not like it.  This commercialization, this pandering for nothing.  The joke was, that you got nothing for free in Sweden.  

Sweden is an expensive country. 

But the reality is that it takes care of its people. The minimum wage is still much higher than most of the world, and health care, except the dental is all inclusive in your citizenship and even when you work here. 

This slight move towards commercialism and the American style shopping ---sort of upsets me.  

But since I know that the young man meant no harm, that the people here are generally good, I smiled graciously and walked away, seriously hoping that Sweden remains the way it is...Simple, sorted out, stunningly beautiful, sacredly loyal to its citizen, and well, Swedish!!

Ah Travel!!

Image is God!! Image feeds Imagination (many a times), Image and pictures, no matter what monotheistic religions tell you, are hard to remove from our culture.

Standing in a long que for check-in, I could not help but notice this metal cut out, that preps weary travelers for excitement that they are about to encounter!!  Somehow there is no image of medical tourism.....well, because they know which images to use here!!

And yet, everytime I look at it, whether in image or in reality (I have seen this in more than one airport), it brings me a smile, and lights me with the thought that at the other end of the travel, I may have some adventures, or family reunions awaiting me!!

If Vogue Knew!!

The above and below picture are not of the same person....but taken at the same time, at the same place, October, 2012

Bhutan, October 2012

I found her breaking rocks by roadside in Paro town.  Her toddler was climbing on her back.  I walked up with my camera.  And tried to talk to them.  They all spoke 'mild' hindi.

Her eyes captivated me.   She noticed me smiling straight into her eyes and she looked away, giggling like a teenager. 

Please, may I take a picture of you?

She giggled and hid her face in her right palm.  Her clothes were old, the sweater seems old enough to unravel any minute, her hands were dry and coarse, tell-talling her hard life, but those eyes could not but reveal the untouched soul.  

It took me a while to get two photographs, because she just would not look at me.  After a few minutes I settled for two shots, neither which of has her eyes towards the camera.  She was simple and straight forward in herself-consioucsness and shyness.

Neither did I ask her name, nor did I pay her for this photograph, nor try to establish any emotional contact.  I was not sure how I felt around this soul, that oozed its essence in the simplicity that it embodied.  

Her friends giggled, and laughed at the attention she was getting.  Somehow, I feel that they knew that they could not give her that royal treatment she deserved!!  Looks, handwork, kindness, simplicity, all rolled into a short Bhutanese/Nepali frame!!  

As I walked away, I kept wondering, how long before that all fizzles after she works in sun and heat, cold and winter, breaking rocks day after day, as she feeds her child by the street.  A stray thought brought me a smile, 'Only if Vogue knew about her'

As the distance between these women and me got farther --I wondered if it was a blessing that Vogue did not know about her.  In that obscurity the woman had maintained an allegiance to authenticity--not to be found in fashion magazines!!  

May be that is why my feet stopped and I knelt in front of her to request for a photograph!