Sakalgaang & Stillness: Life Lessons from Narad of RVN Farms

Sriranga VN
Jul 30, 2025
2 min read

Naraad.....

"Saar...Sakalgaang...plz have sakalgaang", Narad said as he handed a plate full of baked sweet potatoes. As I picked a piece and bit into the soft, sweet, delicious tasting sweet potato, I realised life is about small things....the small gestures, the feelings, the emotions, the everyday conversations, and a heart which reaches out to others.

About one and half years back, I was very worried, bcoz a new caretaker was coming for our farm.

I met him for first time and he said his name was Narad. It felt strange, bcoz the name was bit unusual.

As time passed, Narad, become our face-of-the-farm.. Bcoz he was a one-man show. He loved the plants and he knew how to coax them to grow, bloom and fruit. He had a magic touch for the plants. ...

You could find him most times, inside the farm, working, quietly tending to the plants, loosening, digging, planting, trimming, planting and enjoying the hard work. He needed no instructions, no advice to work. He simply did his work. ....no frills...no nonsense....

"Saar", he said, "not now, we have to plant in chauva mahena(rainy season)" when I whimsically said, "lets plant ginger, turmeric or some plant which caught my fancy". "We will plant in the rainy season, then it will grow well", he said with a ever present smile on his face.

"Narad...did u cook and eat"? I asked. "Yes saar, I cooked", he answered with a smile. Even when his wife and cute daughter went to Nepal for few months, his smile was always present. Though, he was alone on farm, he did not flinch, continued his disciplined work on the plants and continued to smile his toothy smile....

He taught me life has to go on, at its own pace. We need to lead our life with discipline, love our work and fulfill our work each day with diligence. Even when no one is watching you... especially so ...

Find joy in everyday living, in the smallest moments of life. ....

Life, happiness, peace, joy exists in everyday small things, moments, conversations, gestures, emotions, and bonding with fellow human beings. Not in big, complicated things.

Life is enjoyment of monotonous events of life. Find happiness, joy in smaller everyday things, instead of looking for it in money, materalism and bigger complicated stuff.

Look for happiness each day not by searching for it, but by loving the work you do, living mindfully. And happiness, joy and peace will come n sit on you....

"Saar... chai sare"....🙏 Thank you my friend...