Welcome Home!

From the time we were married, my husband and I dreamt of building a beautiful, old fashioned house we call Thotti Mane’ (Courtyard House) in Kannada. Thotti mane has a square hollow space in the centre, with pillars on all four sides.  Dreaming big uplifted our spirit and we also believed it would be possible someday! 

Eventually we did build a 36 square bunglow  and rented it out as we lived outside India. 

Time Share concept was trending in 90s. We took membership of Sterling Holidays Time share and went to Goa in 1996. We were put up in a studio apartment that was very convenient to manage. It was the first revelation to me that a couple did not need a big house to live in. Our only daughter had moved to the US with no intention of returning to India. I realized that the house was more of a liability than an asset that robbed our peace of mind due to various reasons. A seed was sown by the divine, ‘Let go’. We were not in the Art of Living yet, but in retrospect I can see how Gurudev was preparing me for a bigger vision. 

In late 90s we came under the fold of Gurudev and  one time I had planned to ask Him whether we should keep the house or sell. I was sitting in close audience with Him in a group and instead of asking my question I exclaimed ‘ Guruji, our Vishalakshi Mantap is more beautiful than Taj Mahal!’ referring to the newly built meditation hall that is an architectural wonder! He looked at me and said with the  enthusiasm of a child ‘ And, you are even more beautiful than Taj Mahal!’. I forgot everything else and remained silent revelling in His childlike presence! 

My husband and I concurred on selling the house. Buyers were queueing up. We realized we had not registered the house nor did we possess a Katha (a necessary document) without which one cannot sell any property.

I happened to be in India for a short holiday. I decided to get this done. 

The morning I had to go to the Registrar Office, I was sitting on an old wooden chair in my mother’s house remembering my father who had got two of these identical chairs made. A sofa cum bed, two wooden chairs, and a centre table to keep his favourite newspaper, ‘The Indian Express’- that was all the furniture we had. Simple, contented life. As I was reminiscing, something happened that shook me to the core! There was a tremor and the  coffee cup in my hand spilled lot of coffee on my dress. It was an earthquake! Mild, but an earthquake. At that very moment a mountain of dispassion dawned on me. Nature can wipe off in a moment what we have struggled a lifetime to build! 

We sold the house and regained our peace of mind and freedom.

Upon returning to Bangalore for good, our hometown, we purchased an apartment closer to our Ashram, The Art of Living International Centre. Never been happier! 

Soon after a baby is born, it learns to grab whatever comes in its grip. It takes an enlightened Master to teach us the art of ‘letting go’ because ‘letting go is nectar’ .

I marvel at the subtle way He prepared us to let go of the ‘Dream house’ we had built, even before He had made His grand entry in my humble life. I marvel at the way  He never allowed me to ask Him, sell or not sell? I marvel at the way He made us realize for ourselves what is best for us by creating situations to help the process of letting go. 

Today, we have a home wherever in the world we go that says warmly ‘ Welcome Home’. 

Leela Ramesh