In the center of Budapest, an early summer mid-morning. The strong sun rose gradually in the blue any gray cloud dotted sky. I came out into the warm day, in swimming shorts, from the cool corridors of the historic yellow facade of the szechenyi baths, towards the thermally heated shallow pool with light blue tiles that lent incredible contrast against the striking yellow in the background. As you stepped gingerly into the warm pool, maintained at a comfortable 27 degrees Celsius, 2 degrees over the temperature outside, you could notice an amalgamation of variety in the clientele of the baths. Tourists and influencers posed on the edges of the pool, their hungover eyes hidden behind dark shades, curving their contours in tantalizing forms, in bikinis and speedos, to attract their digital audiences; some waded in the water, their latest iphones, safely ziplocked in water tight packets, generating content. Elderly locals, Hungarians who flocked here every weekend perhaps, sat a bit further away from the pool on lounging chairs, drinking cool syrup flavored lemonade after a dip in the warm water, and ate homemade sandwiches from a picnic basket, chirping away animatedly with friends and family. Two gentlemen, brows burrowed deep in thought, in their 80's sat inside the pool, on one end near the main entrance, silently playing chess on a waterproof board that sat on the tiles just above the water, seemingly a daily duel between the two maestros. Young people ran along the pool in animated frolic. And in the center of this setup, a marble fountain, of a semi clad lady posing suggestively, spewed water interspersed with the cooler air outside, that provided a welcoming cooling respite against the balmy water. Given it was a Saturday, a steady influx and outflux of people continued, locals and citybreakers alike. With all of this activity around, stimuli tempted the mind continually, it indulged in people watching, wondered about the itenirary for the rest of the day, considered laps of the length of the pool and hunted for a better vantage point to sit at. It failed to just sit and enjoy this mineral rich warm goodness. In the midst of the mind's perigrinations of the future and the past and in the pursuit of silence, I noticed an elderly lady, in a swimming suit and shower cap, who stood in the pool, right under the heavy downpour of the water that sprayed from the fountain. She was steady on her feet, her eyes closed, a calm smile on her face. I found myself unable to look away from her, wondering if she would flinch from all of the activity that zoomed past her. But she just stood, her eyes closed, a permanent unchanging smile across her wrinkled face. That strikingly peaceful smile had me entranced. There was incredible calmness in her demeanor.
I tried to mimic her, in search of the Nirvana that she seemingly enjoyed at the particular instance, I stood under the water, trying to clear my mind, a slightly laboured smile on my countenance. I managed to stand for a while but then the mind strayed, sparked by curiosity, to see what she was upto. As I opened my eyes, across the rainbow colours that shone through the water droplets on my eyelids, I could hazily see that she continued her meditation if that is what you can call it, unfazed as i gawked from a distance at her incredible ability to conjure up serenity from nothingness. I longed for such peace, such calm; I almost wanted to wake her up from her trance to seek guidance, but social acceptability forbade such actions. I observed her for the longest time, and then left eventually. She stood content even then.
That was all there was to this brief encounter but it left a mark and lent me great insight such that I write about this with vivid recollection, 2 months after it happened, and is something I often go back to. Maybe, the lady under the fountain in Budapest was an enigma, an apparition, a reminder that you are unto yourself an oasis of peace, silence and calm, and there is no need to chase mirages of hope elsewhere.
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