by Swami Pranavananda
Flying from Chennai (South India), My Partner and myself landed in Paris on March 4th, 2020.
As usual, this trip was for meeting our Business with our existing Customers we already have for many years but, also, to meet new one in several parts of Europe. Our return trip to India was fixed for March 19th. I never thought I would have to wait for 7 months to return to my home in India. .
During, those 16 days of our stay, we had to meet some of our existing customers and also, meet new prospects in our Textiles Industry. While in India, before our departure, my Partner had fixed all Appointments. It would be a short stay and we were looking forward to have new good customers and nice personal trip as I love to travel in France.
I was born in it nearly 80 years ago and still being very much attached to France while my roots for India are simultaneously growing stronger and stronger too since my arrival in South India about 50 years ago.
Before leaving India, I knew that a virus was just starting and spreading fast in Kerala. Indian News were reporting about 3 persons of Indian nationality who were carrying Coving-19 Virus. They were being repatriated by the Indian Government from some Arab State in the Gulf where they were working. They were from Kerala which is a State close to ours, Tamil Nadu. However, I did not know it would spread so fast and would reach southern tip of our State in hardly three days.
At the same time, I had to inform my French friends of the real danger which was spreading fast. There was totally four adults who were coming from France. They wanted to visit the Southern part of India where a very serious danger was spreading fast. My Partner had organized for them a full trip of 14 days for visiting Tamil Nadu and Kerala and return to Chennai and back to Paris. All hotels bookings and car and driver cum Tour Guide bookings were done and paid in advance.
I could not decently allow them to travel all the way from France and let them fall in a deadly trap once arriving at the Chennai airport! Nevertheless, the four of them insisted to keep their plans as prepared and pre-paid. I was feeling very uncomfortable though I had insisted they do not come and that it would be very bad for them if they were to catch that deadly disease. However, they were adamant and excited and happy to be in India. I was much less happy than them….
All Indian Tv programs as well as all Indian Newspapers were widely reporting the 3 Covid carrying people who had to be put into a quarantine. I did not want my friends to face such a very serious health problem in this beautiful country.
I called them a second time before their departure, trying to convince them not to come to Chennai. They were supposed to leave three weeks after. I was getting even more frantic. I insisted on them they should cancel their trip. I even told them that the Consul of France had sent to all French people residing in Tamil Nadu like us, about the terrible pandemic fast spreading all over the country. I also send him a copy of that Consul of France message informing us about the Virus pandemic that will reach us soon. Yet, they refused to cancel their trip.
They reached us on February 23rd. They spent few days with us and soon after, I gave them all the usual warning such as do not drink water from taps, and to call us if they have a problem, etc.
The next day, they were on the road.
We left Chennai for Paris on the 3rd March at night and landed in Paris on March 4th.
I was far from thinking that I would be staying in France till September. Actually, we do not know yet at which date we will return to our home in Chennai. It all depends if this epidemic reduces its danger level for each inhabitants in the State we live.
It is indeed difficult to live in a house which does not belong to us or, whose owners are very well known to me, and, sometimes whom we are hardly knowing the owners who insists they do not want us to pay for anything. Lodging and feeding two more persons decently cost money. Moreover, we will be with them for about one month and 15 or 20 days of September. Both he husband and wife are basically a very nice young couple, hardly in their thirties. They are very kindly and respectfully looking after us in these very difficult days for all. Yet the husband has a good position in the water system of the province not far from the Atlantic Ocean. His wife is a nurse in the local government hospital and working only night shifts. She is looking after elders on their ways out of Life. Moreover, once she is back to her home, she immediately starts looking after their 3 horses, 7 cats, 2 goats and 2 dogs and 4 chicken by everyday providing each one their specific required food for each specie of animal. When all this work is over, she would treat herself with a nice horse riding, her favorite relaxing activity.
They are working people and, each one doing a hard work. However, It is allowing them to live a very decent life. By saving their income properly the were able to purchase the farm where they live in, and where they lodged us too. Its buildings and its surrounding 9 hectare (metric system) or 22 acres (British system) of cultivation land and forest inhabited by deers and full of wild birds. Typical of Périgord. Not far from Bordeaux.
It is indeed a peaceful and lovely place to be…
Before finding this piece of Paradise, my Partner and myself had been staying in average about one and half month with 3 more families not including for my sister who house size was not permitting us to stay more than 10 days at a time. Some were located in villages with villas shaded by Pine trees or surrounded by vineyards or in the middle of the City of Beziers, where I was born nearly 80 years ago, in the South of France and not far from the Mediterranean Sea, as I said in some paragraphs before.
Actually, we were always welcome in all the Homes I knocked to get shelter from them. All were very kind and understanding. However, I was feeling very uncomfortable to have to stay so long and having to cope with their Life, their way of Life. We had to learn how to be patient and kind with all and each household. Each one was different from one to the other.
We learned to make ourself small and to be undemanding and accepting whatever way of Life they had. Sometimes it was very difficult to be present in the middle of a loud argument between two of the inmates. We also never took side in those arguments…At times, it was very difficult to face those moments and go with the flow…
However, each one have helped us so much that we have no way to thank them as much as they have helped us. They each understood that we were not in a position either to return to our Chennai residence 8000km away! Also, we did not want to be a financial burden to feed us with all meals…Indeed, we do not have enough words to express our THANK YOU to each and all…
A very important point for me is that in whatever house where we stayed the main person was or were medical nurses. Without them, I do not know how I would have been able to manage my partner stay, my stay and the medical help they gave me during my cancer surgery as well as my difficult dental extraction at moments when doctors were difficult to get. Even more than that. To Say:
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My Thank you is NOT ENOUGH
– to Helene (retired nurse) and her Husband Gerard,, in the City of Beziers, South of France, near the Mediterranean Sea.
– to Sandrine my Niece, in Montady, 6km from Beziers who spent a lot of time in looking after my health and my well being during those 2 months we were with them.
– and to Pascale (Sandrine’s partner) for helping me to recover my health after my Surgery my Social Security of France (Carte Vitale) which allowed me to pay for my medical needs during all my stay with them.
– to Morgane and partner Adrien in Bouteilles-Saint Sébastien in Périgord (South-West of France).
– to all those above I would like to add my Partner John Rabi who as usual, has shown to me how much he cares for me during such difficult times and how much attachment for his work in our Company.
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