Under An Umbrella

The rain doesn’t always ruin plans it creates unexpected adventures and that’s what it was for a lady who took shelter with an old man under a small canopy surrounded by umbrellas.

The old man giving an umbrella and a stool to the lady asked you look new to this town. Yes, I am a field journalist visiting the next town to cover a story. My driver is repairing a puncture, I decided to explore the town until the rain got me take shelter with you. I see you repair and sell umbrellas.

Well, it’s been over 55 years handling umbrellas, understand it better than the manufacturers and its users. Importantly over the years realize umbrella brings much meaning in our lives. I am all ears said the journalist please share what an umbrella opens up for you.

I wish to start by mentioning what my father had said when I started assisting him at age fifteen. “The mind is like an umbrella; it is most useful when open and in understanding the umbrella, one has to feel the rain than just get wet.

Umbrella has been a symbol of support when the storms of life came. Heavy rains remind me of life’s challenges. Since early days I never prayed for lighter rains - instead I prayed for stronger umbrella, expression of my positive attitude. If a prayer is asking for rain, then faith is carrying the umbrella. We all get drenched in the rain of challenges but hope is the umbrella that keeps you dry. An umbrella cannot stop the rain but makes us stand in the rain.

The collection of umbrellas you see is an expression of people’s behavior with poor loyalties. People come to give their umbrella for repairs and often never come back to collect because when rain stops an umbrella becomes a burden. Benefits stop - loyalty breaks.

The color, design, size, age of the umbrella says a lot of the owner. An umbrella gone through my hands I can recall the person or family it belongs. I often get into altercations with customers if I realize the umbrella does not belong to them.

When young couples in love visit me and one is having a faulty umbrella, they wait for its repairs and a common dialogue shared between them; sharing an umbrella with you was a wish, but walking along with you in the rain is a dream. To manage umbrellas for several seasons is like having friends no matter what the weather rain or shine they will always be with you.

You may be aware across different cultures and contexts, umbrella represents a variety of concepts, symbolize protection, royalty, a marker of status, authority and also spiritual sanctity. Spiritually speaking every drop of rain kissing the earth is unspoken love finding a medium in nature to make it flourish. Yet some people's nature is to unwelcome rain drops with hatred and curses. Befriending rain drops should happen young it then continues to bring smiles at all age and the mind gets still to listen to the story of rain drops as umbrellas do.

Our final learning is from Gurbani, “He may have elephants to ride, and golden umbrellas over his head; but without devotional worship to the Lord, he is buried beneath the dirt".

The rain had stopped the journalist closing and returning the umbrella expressed her gratitude. She said for a change wanted the rain showers to be longer. In the falling rain I learnt to grow again listening to your experiences - a way to see life under an umbrella.