Divine Grace 3: A Chance Meeting Proves to be a Divine Design! - 1

                                                    
                               'Tis all a Chequer-board of Nights and Days
                               Where Destiny with Men for Pieces plays:
                               Hither and thither moves, and mates,  ..............
                               .......................................................................  
                                                          --Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam:  Fitzgerald  Translation

Just as Divine Grace helps us through another person, we also are used as the instrument to save another person from trouble.  Here is one such event.

Chattahoochee river runs through the city of Roswell where I live.  There is a River Walk developed and maintained by the city to facilitate residents to go for a walk.  I and my wife go for evening walk in different places and the River Walk is one of them.  On one such evening in 2010 November we noticed an elderly lady sitting alone in one of the benches.  From her saree and other features, it was evident that she was also from India.  We went and sat beside her and my wife picked up conversation as is our practice when we see somebody from that part of the world.  We have made quite a few friends this way!

As we were talking, her husband, son and daughter-in-law came.  They had gone for a walk while the lady was resting as she was too sick to go with them.  On seeing me, the gentleman sat to introduce himself and chat with us while the youngsters wanted to go for another round of walking.  They were from Bengal.  The son, B. Banerjee was employed here in the US.  He was newly married and the parents had come to help him and the young wife set up their household.  As usual we exchanged our telephone numbers.

After a few weeks, a yoga instructor belonging to Maharishi Vethathiri's Ashram was visiting Atlanta as a part of his tour of the US.  We wanted to arrange for interested people to meet the instructor and get the benefit of getting initiated into the Simplified Kundalini Yoga of Maharishi Vethathiri.  We were able to find about ten persons interested.  We arranged to have these meetings at our house. 

The elder Banerjee was interested.  His wife could not attend as she was suffering from cancer and was too frail to sit for long. His son could not attend as his work schedule did not allow him to do so.   The young daughter-in-law was also interested.  I went to their house every evening to bring them for the class and the son will come after work to pick them up from our house.   The course was conducted during a week and they (the father-in-law and the daughter-in-law) came for all the days except the last one due to bad weather and treacherous road conditions.

After a few days, the Banerjees invited me and my wife for dinner one evening in January 2011 as the elder Banerjees were returning to Calcutta later that month.  We had a pleasant evening at their house, chatted with them and thus got to know them a little bit more.

The elder Banerjees returned to India.  My wife was so carried away by the newly married wife of B., especially as she was so young and pleasant looking.  So, due to her friendly nature my wife wanted to call and say Hello to the young girl and see if she needs any help.

We had the shock of our life!

The call went to the elder Banerjee in India.  He broke the news that the sweet, pleasant looking newly married daughter-in-law of his had made a big scene accusing her husband B. of abusing her and had gotten police restraint for him from entering their apartment.  He could not enter his apartment when he returned from the airport after his send off to his parents!

The mother, who was very frail and was suffering, had died of the shock.  The young girl had filed for divorce and had, with the help of a neighbor Bengali and a non profit organization, filed a case against B. Baanerjee.

We got a call from B. Banerjee in July 2012.  He had lost his job in Atlanta and had moved to Florida with a new job.  He had come to Atlanta to defend himself.

His wife had complained that, among other abuses, she was never allowed to get out of the apartment, she was not allowed to use the phone, etc.  She had complaints against her mother-in-law as well.  B. Banerjee asked me if we can come and tell the court what we know.

As a witness I was asked if I have known B. and his ex-wife, and how I knew them.  I told them I have seen them first in the Riverside Park and later at our house during the yoga classes, and again when we went to their house for an evening dinner.

After a few weeks, B.  called to thank me.  My witness had helped him to be exonerated of all the 19 abuse complaints (false) thrown on him. He and his attorney thanked me and said my witness was very strong in helping in this case.

What is interesting is that the other friends of us who also attended the yoga classes and had seen the elder Banerjee and the young daughter-in-law were not available to come and give their witness as they were out of town the day of the case hearing. 

Looking back, it appears that we met the Banerjees in the park just to be the instrument in the hands of God to help save B.  from his trouble months later!