AN IDEAL SON - DEHRADUN 2021 (In colour)

(Chapter Two Of The Story - The English Book Depot ). (In colour) The cycle of life is a continuous wheel that keeps on rotating in concentric circles, the speed of which is denoted by how we endure it. We are not our accomplishments, our social strata but what we give back to ourselves, our tribe and lastly the society. We live in the faith we have in ourselves, the trust we bestow on others and the love we impart without condition because it was once given to us. Why else would we want to give it then!! There must have been some reciprocation. This simple fact is so well understood by, " Sandeep Dutt, the first born of Snehlata". "I will remove my mask while talking to you, but i prefer wearing it in the book store for her safety", was his first comment when i started talking to him. "I am happy she is in good health and is enjoying her time at the front cabin of , "The English Book Depot". Sandeep sits in the last cabin of the store, surrounded by the children's book section, an area he works in as well, apart from running the administration of , "The English Book Depot". He is a published author, has done many podcasts on training teachers to deliver better, runs a company called, "Learning Forward India"on similar lines and is an educational consultant to many schools, that fall under CSR initiative of some of the top brands in India. "This is something I do out of pure passion and I must admit that I enjoy it dearly. Thus i bring in experts who are absolutely passionate about it, that is where the energy comes in, when the intention is clear". "Money is never a concern, if you deliver quality, it will follow. So the focus is always on the deliverables and crystal clear communication". Sandeep shares his philosophy, as he shows me around his workspace. Sandeep's day starts around 5am, making his bed is his first activity followed by some quality reading.His morning walk in the garden takes around an hour and a half of his time, where Snehlata joins him, after which they enjoy conversing with each other on various topics, over a cup of tea. "In olden times, family members used to sit together and divide things they had to give to the child getting married in the family, in order for her to build a new home.” Snehlata tells me as she shows me the lampshade which is sixty years old gifted by her maternal aunt, with peacock engraved on it and a dressing table gifted by her maternal uncle. May be that is why I always felt her home to be alive with emotions as there was a story behind ever artwork and artefact. "Sandeep likes eating rice, so now a days i eat rice only", She tells me as she prepares two varieties of bitter melon dish and cauliflower dish simultaneously. As i look at a Guru's image hung in the kitchen, i ask, "is that someone you follow", she responds "the people of this organisation used to visit our bookstore and chat with me frequently, they became friends and they often invite me to their ashram, they enjoy my company and i theirs". "We are our own gurus and our guidance systems are inbuilt in all of us, we just have to do everything with a pure heart, rest follows ", when asked if she followed a guru. As the breakfast table sets in, Sandeep talks about the importance of eating together as a family, a grounding rule in building ones emotional intelligence. “We all ate together, from the very beginning, thankfully we always got good and simple house staff to help aswell”, Sneh Lata tells me as she serves me gram flour pancakes . "He was a very simple boy in school, his younger brother bore the fruit of his presence in school", Snehlata talks about Sandeep, as she finishes her breakfast and Sandeep leaves for the book store before her. As promised over our last conversation on the call, She called in her house help, and showed me a variety of woollen bedsheets, table cloth and bed covers she had knitted over a span of three years since we last met. This time there were little additions on the drawing room chairs, hand painted artefacts by her grand children. Prenita, her daughter - in-law, whose paintings adorn her drawing room, had come down from Delhi to visit her mother and Snehlata. Her mother's home is ten minutes away from Snehlata's. “Art is something that flows through you, it is a conscious decision everyday to be what you are and do what you have to do, that’s when it is effortless”, her sweet, soft and clam voice responded on being asked how she managed all parallel roles in her life and yet enjoyed her art. Prenita drove us to the book store, I made few shots with Sandeep and then sat down to share my work with the ladies. We ordered coffee and conversed in length about my images. Prenita is the first painter I came across who showed interest in my work. As she left to meet her mother, she gave me a tight friendly hug and conveyed her best wishes. “Just keep doing your work Tanvi, when the heart is pure, all else falls into place”. Snehlata said as she patted my back in admiration of my work. Just be happy Tanvi, was a note she wrote on the book she gave me as parting gift. Until we meet again.