Miracles ! Miracles ! It’s still the age of miracles !!

 Miracles ! Miracles ! It’s still the age of miracles !!

Dinesh K Kapila
Why do we believe that miracles do not occur now. Why do we believe life is so prosaic, so structured and technology enabled that miracles just do not occur. They do. Just the context changes. The mode changes.
Now typically we believe a miracle is a wonderful event that seems impossible and that is believed to be caused by God or a Divinity. Or facilitated by God or a Divinity. I prefer where we believe a miracle is a lucky event or occurrence that happens that you did not expect it or think it was possible. As Jon Bon Jovi says, ‘Miracles happen everyday, change your perception of what a miracle is and you'll see them all around you’. Miracles to me could an event or an occurrence or a process. There could be minor miracles, chance miracles, major miracles or just plain lucky miracles. Our perspective would frame the miracle. Provide the context so to say. A series of incidences I witnessed prompt me to quote Corazon Aquino, ‘I am not embarrassed to tell you that I believe in miracles’. I feel they still occur, though randomly.
To me a minor miracle could also be an exhibition of sheer will power We were standing in a short queue to check in for a flight to Delhi from Saigon, now Ho Chin Minh city. Just behind us was a couple, dressed clearly trying to impress. The casual formal. And as the guy talked to his wife, the contents of the communication made me instantly mentally classify them as phenkus (show offs), both laughing away about everything they had witnessed. A series of ridiculing others. And gossiping loudly. To top it, a young man flying to Bengaluru via Delhi asked this phenku about whether he was in Vietnam on business or for leisure. The answer was ‘it could be business or travel or maybe a mix, maybe I did leisure with business, I myself do not know what I could be doing at any point of time’.. Then followed an observation about his property from Chandigarh and I had slotted them !! Well once the flight stabilised, the drinking started, the male phenku on vodka with ice and various mixers and the lady phenku on beers. They had their own party going on in the air and were laughing and giggling away. Other passengers looked on quizzically. After repeated rounds and delaying food for themselves till the lights dimmed, they finally slept off. They woke up only when the announcement to land was made. Now comes the minor miracle. Both needed to go to the toilet. It was clear they had to. A must. And the air hostess said no. The time to access the lavatory (ok call it washroom) is over. The guy got aggressive. He was actually desperate. He said he would take the risk. And the senior air hostess, she walked in all serious, said the bathroom doors are sealed for landing ! To top it the aircraft took to flying circles over Delhi. It was close to 2 AM and our man made one more attempt but got no response. Imagine the holding on, the effort at containment and the agony, the crossing of kegs, all combined !! It was nothing short of a minor miracle that with all this the couple made it to the airport and then dashed for the washrooms. It was a straight firm quick focused dash. I was wondering if they made it safely!!
And then the second miracle. I may forget names but I do remember faces. Not always but at times. There was an old guy I saw at Halong. Walking slowly, very slowly, but seeing everything. His family ran ahead but he, walking at a sedate pace, saw everything. Then at Bana Hills I saw him walking through the area ever so slowly and he seemed unfazed by the drizzle. And the immense fog. And at the Saigon Airport he required a wheelchair. I was flummoxed. He stood with a forlorn face, unshaven, looking frail and lost. Totally fatigued and in need of assistance. He even seemed disoriented. And then a miracle, a real miracle, at the airport at Delhi he was seen walking firmly, straight backed and at the washroom he looked quite ok. He was walking with a quiet self assured confidence. Then he even proceeded to unload his own bag from the baggage carousel. Aha I thought ! The best part, he then helped a lady too. So chivalrous. The Lord is Great as they say. All sorts of expressions came to mind. Chamatkar (miracle). Bhagwan KI Kripa. Waheguru. Alhamdulillah. This changeover in just a few hours had to be nothing short of a miracle.
The Divinity does work in different ways. And overlooks or condones so much. It seems so to me. Well, we must always be grateful. And be thankful. And sometimes the miracle works in spurts. A nattily dressed guy, hat included, walked into the Saigon Airport with his wife. She too was dressed quite sophisticatedly. They seemed fine as they walked in. Just a couple of days ago I had seen them walking smartly at Hoi An village. They stood out and hence I remembered them. As I was recollecting, well, lo and behold, they were on wheelchairs. Looking weak. Heads down. I was puzzled. Then at the earmarked gate the Divinity seemed to have suddenly given them renewed energy and they left their wheelchairs to buy sundry stuff from the duty free stores. Walking quite comfortably. Reasonable shopping done including asking multiple questions on the rate of the dollar, it seems the energy levels weakened or rather the connection with the Divinity weakened and they were seen once again seated on the wheelchairs. Forlornly. Then at Delhi airport once they were past immigration the miracle happened. I saw it immediately. They were walking confidently and looking for their baggage and placing it on the luggage cart. Now this is a miracle but with a difference, there is a fluctuation in the miracle and it activates and deactivates it seems. Quite smoothly though.
Our young generation is on its own trip too. Proving miracles happen. A group of youngsters from Bharat were asked by a guide as to when India got independence. He was trying to give a context with Vietnam. Now most had said they worked in the big names of industry, mainly consultancy. The question had them thinking before one said, ‘I think 1948, right’! And the others nodded while one commented, ‘we are independent, that is what matters, not the date ‘!! The miracle is that they are working and it seems successfully while they seemed lost on the most basic of questions. The guide was really patient as sitting in Hanoi he was asked by a pert young pretty lady as to which city was the capital of Vietnam. Some more observations on geography and shopping and Vietnam had the guide looking heavenwards ! A miracle as I said. That they work at premium companies !!
But then as David Ben-Guido says, ‘Anyone who doesn't believe in miracles is not a realist’. Miracles happen and will continue to happen. We just need to be suitably aware. Just look around. Don’t be cynical.
PS. In the stratified city we live in, we are getting sub stratified it seems. It that is possible. Refined stratification. Another miracle. In a way. There are ladies who have formed groups (Kitty Groups) which exclude others on location. A tony school has reportedly some young mothers saying if you live
from Sector 10 onwards, then you are not in our kitty group. Another group is based on the size of the plot. And house. Then we blame the kids for being socially unaware. That is the miracle. That the kids are the fall guys. Seriously.
The miracle is not to walk on water or in thin air, but to walk on Earth. Walk in such a way that you become fully alive, and joy and happiness are possible. Thich Nhat Hanh.