BENGALURU: Some experiences justify an order to the nature of things we deal with in our lives, that when there is a common objective the differences that otherwise make things ugly for us, get diminished. We get so involved in the pursuit of that objective – and unconsciously – that those differences just don’t stand a chance. They evaporate to bring all together, and all are left with happiness that emerges as a common objective.
Such an experience was dished out at the Sunday Soul Sante hosted at the premises of Jayamahal Palace Hotel on Sunday (of course!). It offered a different beginning to the Deepavali season this time, something to be cherished and remembered for a lifetime.I am not much of a fun-fair person. Nor do I have a flair for fairs. So, when the idea of visiting the Soul Sante was floated by my wife, I was a bit adamant. But I went along. And now, there are no regrets. Instead, there is a memory of an experience to carry forward, which is what brought me to pen this.
The Sante – held for the first time after a depressing period that was the Covid-19 pandemic – brought together hundreds of people to put up stalls. It had well-curated brands showing off amazing products along with lip-smacking food and beverage stalls. When you walk into a melee like this, the first thoughts are always about whether you made the right decision to come at all. Especially me, because I was missing the India-Pakistan T-20 match for the Sante.
But when we reached the venue, I had a pleasant surprise to see a giant screen on the hotel lawns and people sitting on the grass, watching the game with food and beverages rolling in.The Sante had made it a point to keep the doors open for pets, too. “And don’t forget to bring your furry friends ... we’re looking forward to welcoming them with open arms,” the Sante flyer had said. So, there was no dearth of the “furry friends” who joined in the excitement. Many of them wore puzzled looks over the sudden burst of collective activity, which the Sante had become. That was thanks in a large measure to the high-tension match, in which the canines showed no interest at all.
Events like the Sante have something special about them. It brings people from all walks of life together. The fare on offer, interactions with complete strangers while enjoying the music, food, and a tense cricket match (which ended the way people wanted it to), created a chemistry that cleaned out the divisive lines that otherwise rule our society, politics and our attitudes. All of that was invisibly left out before stepping into the event – much like the way one is asked to part with objects that could threaten the security of others at events attended by the VVIPs. Only that, no one asked anyone to leave it out. It just got left out!
Such events are unintended experiments that have a conclusion that we need to have for keeps in the pockets of our mind: When there is a common ground that distracts us from the mundane there comes about an unspoken unity, affinity and camaraderie.
It wasn’t just the cricket match that brought people together. It was the experience of something different from the daily drudge. We need to do this more often. There is something which lifts the soul, and a happy ambience pervades. We need to find reason to create such ambiences where love and happiness prevail, not lay wriggling in divisive hate-mongering. Sante may be just an event. But if we look at life itself as a sante, probably paradise is not far away...
Nirad Mudur
Deputy Resident Editor
niradmadur@newindianexpress.com