Life at the Chowk

Summer was at its peak, and the effect it was producing was strengthening the presence of the strong red ball floating in the sky. Sun rays were flickering on the surface of the body giving a feeling of burning sensation. Perspiration streaming from the body never let you feel that you had shower few minutes ago. Hundreds of mason's were standing on the chowk near the traffic signal. Shyama was also standing there, waiting for someone to hire him for the construction job of sites/buildings. His pale green eyes were rolling 180 degrees from left to right and then left with the hope of arranging food and education for his children Rewa and Pankaj. Rewa was 5 years old, a very innocent gal, having sharp features. Pankaj was 8 years old sincere boy.

Shyama  got married to Sandhya 10 years ago. Shyama's income was not a steady one, it was daily wages indeed as he was working as a labor on the constructions sites. Once the construction had got over he again had become unemployed, and then again had started the search for the job on the same traffic signal. He was not educated and the only thing he had inherited from his father was the skill of working at the construction sites.One day when his dad was on his death bed and their family didn't have money to arrange for the medicines, so he left the school and started working at the construction site in place of his dad. With years of working, he started enjoying his job and had got perfection in that.

Sandhya was a beautiful lady, a serene smile always lingers on her face. Seeing her innocent face Shayama forgot all the worries of the world. She was always there with him through his thick and thin. Her support made the difficult phases of his life a easier one to handle. After a year of their marriage she also had started working in her neighbor's home as a maid as She had seen his husband struggling for work.  

It was 1.30 in the noon, beads of perspiration drizzling down from his head. Tension and the worry about tomorrow was making his mind swirl. Suddenly a white car stopped near him. Shyama was constantly looking at the grey glasses of the car, slowly it was sliding down and a man about 40 years in age wearing black RayBan glasses popped out of the window and spat near the legs of Shyama.

"What's your name?" Man asked him.

"Shyama!, Sir ji" . He replied with a hope in his tiring eyes.

"There is some work at my new house, we need a man for the same. Will you do it?" Man asked him

"Yes Sir ji, I will come to work for your new house." He replied

"Okay, this is the address, come there by 2:00 PM", Man handed him a crumbled piece of paper having something written on it.

"Yes Sir ji." He said with a happiness that was showering with every word he released.

Before, Shyama used to work for sky scrappers and once when he was working at the 12th floor of the building, he lost his balance and fell down and then stuck up on the 5th floor because of the steel frames,  which was coming out of the walls of the building. After many days of medications, rest and sandhya's care he got well. Doctor had advised him to join some other job as his back was still weak and it might not be fit as it used to be earlier. He tried to search for the other jobs as well, some other kind of work, but luck and days of unemployment and the years of savings which was spent on him for this accident had forced him to join his old job. Sandhya understood and respected his husband's decision.

He reached at the mentioned address. Man showed him the work that he needed to do, it was to give the final touch to the house. When he had had the complete instructions of what he needed to accomplish and in what timeline, clock was tickling and showing the time as 3:00 PM. Shyama promised the man to complete the work during those timeline. He always had completed the work on time, no matter what happened. For him his words and the promise he gives to people matters most. Finally he had got the job for some days that made him happy for a while.

Rewa and Pankaj went to the government school near to their home. They had strict instructions to study hard. Shyama and Sandhya wanted to give their children the best education they could afford, as they both wanted to go to school and study, but the circumstances didn't allow them to fulfill their dream, now they were reliving their childhood in the form of their children. Pankaj being the elder brother took care of his little sister in absence of their parents.

Next day Shyama reached quite early for the work, while working he felt a severe pain in his head and fell down on the ground, no one was around him to take him to the hospital and within a minute he was dead. In the evening when the man had come to his house he saw Shyama lying on the ground, he asked him to get up, but Shyama didn't respond, with anger in his eyes man went to shook him furiously then he felt the coldness of Shyama's body and then took him to doctor and informed police as well. 

Man then went to the same traffic signal where he found Shyama, and asked people over there, if they knew about his family. He then went to Shyama's house. As soon as the man released the words about Shyama's death, Sandhya was thinking to hold each word and put it back, she hoped that man must be lying, but he wasn't. When she saw his dead body she felt that he would get up and ask her to give tea, but he didn't get up, he didn't say anything as he was in a long sleep.

Years later in the hot summer, a mason with his group was standing on the same chowk. He din't have food since 2 days because of the unemployment that was there for more than a week. He fainted and was taken to the nearest hospital, the doctor saw the mason and tears rolled in his eyes remembering his father was once at the same place as the man was. 

PS: This post is being written for those people whom I see daily, standing on the chowk which I cross while going to my office.

I Love You

She was deeply lost in his thoughts, that hovered in her mind without giving a single chance for other thoughts to grow. She was walking aloft with the help of her subconscious mind only, and forgot that the world was also moving around her. Tears rolled down her cheeks and then absorbed up by her lips. While engrossed in his thoughts, she turned to cross the road, a heavy truck was coming with the speed that could not be controlled in a second's notice, and threw her away and then she remained in the air for a few seconds, before falling on the ground. Blood gushed from her head, ankles and her face was red with the spate of blood from her head, it seemed that she was not crying with the pain she had received few minutes ago, but she was crying with the pain that had lingered in her heart long ago.
People gathered around her to check if she still was alive. Someone from the crowd took her cell and called on the number she had recently called, to inform about her accident and then she was taken to the nearest hospital. They unknowingly dialed his number. She never made the call to him since weeks, she always had dialed his number and cut it before it got connected.

He came hurriedly and asked for her in the hospital. He got a direction towards ICU. He never had thought that, he would see her like that someday. This was the first time he was allowed to meet her, and luck had brought them together like that. He entered in the unit haphazardly and stopped near her. She was covered with the bandages all over her body. She was looking very tired. She was looking at him constantly as if she was waiting to see him. She managed to give a gay smile being in the unbearable pain she was having. He put a hand on her right cheek and lowered himself towards her head to speak slowly directly into her ears.

"You will be all right soon, don't worry!" he said, allowing himself a little smile.
She looked at him for a moment longer, before saying anything to him. As she was still listening to the reflection of his voice, which was chiming like a mirrored wind touching carillon.

"I want to say something to you, please take my hand in yours" she said softly, her voice emptied of all its music and emotion.

He moved his hand slowly over her forehead, and then took her hand in his and put the other hand over it.

"Yes sweets, tell me"

"I love you" she said in a way as if a ship was lost in the sea.
Words were merely coming from her lips, its her eyes that released those words in the air, which she wanted to say since long, and first time ever her lips had spelled them. Her eyes were filled with the tears that refused to move out, and stayed inside. Tears around her pupils, giving an impression like the moon appeared to float, when seen directly into the water in the night. They both were very comfortable with each other. It was a silent understanding that deepened every time they talked to each other. It was a bond that had everything which made them a perfect couple- mutual understanding, honesty, truth, affection, care and most importantly respect for each other. 

He was astounded to hear it. He directly saw into her eyes and could see the reflection of what he had heard in her voice.
"I will miss you" She said in a voice, that was as lonely as the stars, still as smooth as a cheesecake.
Everything was still, and it was the last time she breathed. She was dead. He shook her furiously, checked the machine a couple of times, if it still was making a sine curve, but the moment had gone with her. He called out the Doctor and staff. He was in a shell shocked expression. One by one all the things from the past settled across his face, he was thinking of all the moments he had spent with her, those late night musings, those moments of laughter and the moments where just silence was the conversation, everything where he had the luxury to be with her. He picked his phone to call her for the last time - One drop of tear was rolling through his cheeks while listening to her ring tone and seeing his name on her phone.
"Dil sambhal ja jara, phir mohhabat karne chala hai tu"

It was Monday, they met online through a matrimony site. The only thing that impressed her the most was his voice, the way he talked, it was so melodious to her ears that she wanted to listen to him without interrupting him with her responses in between the talks. Those 3 days talks had decided everything for her, without even meeting him in person. It then did not matter to her how he actually looked and how he was going to be with her in future. Nothing actually mattered her.
The thing that impressed him the most was her honesty, truth and attention to small things. Perhaps she was the first girl who had touched him so deeply. He was also looking forward for this relation, but their parents were not on the same line. And with a heavy heart he told her "As our parents ain't agreeing for our relation and in this case we would not be able to proceed further". He could actually felt the pain she was receiving listening to this, though they have not talked much, just 2-3 times but she meant something to him and it really hurt him a lot. She got numb listening to it, her mind got blank for some time. But she didn't want him to know what she was feeling, she simply replied "It's completely fine, I understand it" But she actually could not understand it, and it was not at all fine. She somehow managed to make him feel good and bidding a good bye, which she never wanted to give.
"Doctor, please do something!!" He called out.
A crew of doctor and nurses did their investigation, and after that doctor said,
"She was dead for 15 seconds, but she is now breathing. Her brain has been severely injured, because of which she is now in coma. The level of consciousness is stuporous wherein a sufferer is almost entirely unresponsive and only responds to base stimuli such as pain. Person remains rigid and mute and only appears to be conscious as the eyes are open and follow surrounding objects."
Tears were trickling down from his eyes, he lost control of his body and was about to fall down on the ground, but the Doctor held him and said,
"I can not say how much time she will take to recover, or may be not, sometime people take years or months. But we will try our best, and don't loose hope."
It was January, she closed the window against the light brief snowfall and gust of wind. And then she was looking towards the road through the glass of the window and recapitulating their first talk. He came towards  the window and joined her. They both were silent, as if the silence was the most important conversation they wanted to have that day. He then knelt down on one knee and asked her -
"Would you please do the extraordinary honor of marrying me"
She smiled with the tears in her eyes, the beautiful combination at that moment.
"Yes"
He then held her hand in his, and whispered in her ears "I love you". She smiled lightly and then they cut their 20th Wedding anniversary cake.


PS : To say "I love you" one must know first how to say the "I"

Green and Grey

This New Year was special in its own way, as I was going to celebrate it with one of my good friend. A lot of plans for celebrating the day to its best, crossed my mind. I called him to share the list of all the options which we could do on the New Year's eve. But I got quite disappointed when I came to know that he had to attend his friend’s wedding on 1st Jan. I then remembered a line someone told me – “If you want to cheer yourself up, cheer somebody else up”. This line was continuously hitting me and I decided to share my day by cheering up people around me.

Hyderabad, I decided to come here even after knowing the fact that I would be far from my family and no other friend would be there with me. But I always wanted to explore the different culture and different experiences in each city/country, so I came here with those hopes. I like this city for many things. It’s well developed and has a great IT set up, its culture totally different from the one I come from, its people, its weather and many such things which I might not be able to pen down here, I like about it. But somewhere something was still missing, I never had the feeling of belonging to this city. 

31 December 2010:

I purchased few things (confectionery, cold drinks, chocolates etc) while returning to my home after office. My landlady’s children were quite excited about the day as their aunt along with her little daughter was also there. I prepared some food and along with the things I bought with me, I reached at their place. I knew that they would enjoy my presence so I dint give much thought whether to join them or not. Those few hours before the dawn of a new year, I was feeling like a child, as once again I did few things that I used to do when I was a child. I played different games with them, I was fighting using the pillows with them, I ate with them, I enjoyed with them. I wasn't a grown up girl during those few hours, instead I was reliving my childhood with my new friends that I found there after years. My day ended very beautifully. 

1 January 2011:

We had holiday for two reasons, firstly its next year’s first day and secondly its Saturday, so I had a full day to spend. My Mom used to tell me, always do good things at the start of new year, so that we would do it for the rest of the year also. Whenever I get the opportunity, I like to spend my time with the children of orphanage. I decided there and then that, I would go to an NGO. This time I went there with some other purpose in mind. I wanted to donate some money/things to the organization as I didn’t believe in paying taxes to the government. With the same money which could have filled the minister's lockers, I wanted to donate it to the orphanage or old age homes. It was an NGO and children were mentally challenged. My body got numb and a lump formed in my throat when I saw little kids struggling to do normal things. I got some fruits with me and I could never forget those eyes and the words they shared in response to that little gift. I did few checks on how they (Organization) operate and what was there monthly and yearly expenses so that I could share their problems with whatever way I could do.

After returning to my home I realized many things – Earlier I was sad because I was not be able to celebrate the day, the way I wanted to celebrate, but when I looked at those children, for them all days were alike, they couldn't differentiate the different colors of life. I also realized the contrast of life around me, and felt like walking on the lane, one side of which I could see the green shades of trees and on the other side grey shades of trees. One day I was with the children who enjoyed a lot and desperately waited for the new year’s eve, and on other day I was with the children for whom every day is a new year, and their parents live in the hope that one day their children will be normal as others are and can feel and do the things as others do. 

But when I saw the life of those children from a different angle, I felt that they were the happier than any other children around them. They have had their own world; they are far from the intelligence of the world which at the end destroys us. They are the lucky ones who don’t understand many things, they just do what they enjoy doing it, without thinking whether it is good or bad. We don’t appreciate the happy side of life until we see the darker side of it, and we don’t find the missing pieces of the darker side of it until we see the happy side. Both are so correlated to each other that one is not complete without the other. That day was the memorable in much sense that it made me cry and it made me happy at the same time.

1 January 2012:

PS: A year has come with new hopes and heights to achieve. I wish you all a very happy new year.