with Sri Ganesh

As soon as I was rid of the IV tube and the stomach drain, I began to exercise a little in the room; Vikram explained that, as this was the second cut of the abdominal wall and its muscles, more caution must be exercised and for 6 months I must not lift any heavy weights nor do any strenuous movement, lest a hernia should form necessitating a more messy intervention… But I needed to get into the healing mode and connect to a positive will to recover the fitness of the body in as short a time as I could and, when I could walk fairly easily and stand fully upright I called for Parthy to be taken to me by Parasu: I also had to check his body, his right thigh particularly, as the prescribed course of medication was now coming to an end and I had to report soon to Dr. Baskaran in Chennai. When he finally entered the room, it was very emotional for both of us; he was shocked to see me so lean and white and drained, but the flow of dearness was so intense that it did not matter so much… After a few days, Shiva secured another room, up on the 3 rd floor in a newer building, very quiet and clean, with a large window giving out on high kingly trees and, far in the distance and right ahead and center, there was the glowing sphere of Matrimandir…! There I could do more exercise and walk longer stretches in the quiet corridor and hardly anyone was around and no nurses had to come to me – we were quite on our own. !0 days after the surgery, Arvind cut the stitches. On Friday the 27 th , Arjun came with Shiva to pick me up and drive me back home. Datta had very gently offered that I could come and rest in the Ashram Nursing Home, but I felt there was no need and the best environment for me would be home in Sincerity, with Parthy. As we drove away from the hospital, I realized how much I had accepted the eventuality I might never return – but here I was, being taken home by a true and tested friend, wearing just a cotton longi and a linen shirt lent by Dinesh, my throat naked for the first time ever of Your locket, my ears naked for the first time ever of their rings and studs… and this whole contemporary physical world appeared strange, untidy, damaged and a little distant, until we reached the garden here and I walked out of the car and in a moment Parthy was walking towards me and we were in each other’s arms… And for the first time in many years, the hibiscus shrub to the left of the door to the house had bloomed, a single large deep orange blossom greeting me home.

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