Kaanv kaanv kaanv......
The crow would not let me sleep that Sunday afternoon and continued to caw irritatingly.
It was raining incessantly and I had planned to catch up on my sleep as I had a hectic week and my family too was away.
Trying to shoo away the crow, I opened my eyes and felt as if my father was talking to me," this cawing of the crow means that you will get a visitor today, so get up Veenu....."
Good evening toastmasters and guests,
You won't believe how hard I tried to sleep again, knowing that in this rain, with no one home there will be no guest today but sleep evaded me somehow.
I turned left and saw my father smiling from the photograph.
Don't know whether I slept and was dreaming or it actually happened but in his loud and clear voice he asked -
"What happened Vinu ? You got up early?"
"Yes papa, but it seems like you did not sleep the whole night"
"Actually, I was trying to build this character for the new script I have in mind but it contradicts with the central theme of my drama"
I turned towards my right and on the other side of the room was Mom's picture, a mix of care, love and pride.
"Why have you not taken your lunch today" she enquired
"Maa, I am not hungry"
"This is what I don't like about you, so much work pressure and you are so careless for your health"
"Maa, for heaven's sake, today is Sunday and there is no office"
"I know I know and still you are checking your blackberry every hour, why don't you keep a sleeping bag in your office only, no need to come home"
I angrily turn my face towards her. I feel a stab of pain as I see a garland around her picture. Instantly, reality hits me and I wake up from day dreaming. Now this was real. It had been 11th Dec. 2014 around 3 PM, when I received a call from my daughter "Papa, I have just come back from school and Dadi is lying as if lifeless, she is not moving, Please hurry and come back home"
And in exactly two hours from that call she was declared brought dead on arrival at hospital. The world had come crashing down. I could not believe that my mother had passed away leaving me alone. As I looked towards her body on the pyre before she was engulfed in flames, it seemed that she was still thinking of me and telling me, "Take care of your self"
A sob escaped from my mouth as the pain and the loss became unbearable. She was still looking at me, not done with her instructions..." Be strong, you have to take care of yourself for others. Your family needs you to be strong
"Maa, Please don't go"
"I have to go to make tea for your papa, its been three hours that he is writing and is not able to find a suitable end to his story"
Papa, yes, he too left me 25 years back.
As I turn towards him, he is in best of his moods
"Happy birthday to you"
"Happy birthday to you"
"May gawawd bless you"
Happy birthday to you"
He was recording a message for me on a new second hand tape recorder that he gifted me on my 20th birthday.
"Is the recording happening or not, I hope I am not blabbering just like that"
"Papa, see the red indicator, it means it is happening"
"OK, happy birthday to you" here's wishing you all the happiness in life.
Have you seen the birthday card I brought for you? Let me read it out for you. Wishing a you a wonderful future and may your dreams take you as far as you wish to go"
Tring tring.
I come out of my slumber as finally the door bell rings. I open the door and there is a kid at the door asking for donations for old age home. I come back to the room and open my wallet, unfortunately there is no change. I was going back to the kid to ask him to come some other time when I heard my father say, "No needy should go empty handed, if you have something, give him. Everything good you do will come back to you.
The kid was not able to control his happiness as I handed over a 500 rupee note to him. His target was achieved. "Thank you Uncle, thank you so much"
After closing the door I realised that all these years I have been waiting for my parents to return, while they had never gone anywhere. They are always in me, with me, we are one. I am their face to the world. I am today what they were. I reflect their upbringing and thoughts
I looked outside the window, the rain had stopped and the dark clouds had disappeared. The sun shone brightly and will set in a short while from now. I could see a rainbow in the horizon.
I mused over the afternoon and thought, where are the guests? Crow's cawing cannot be wrong. Then who had come?
As I thought, with a shiver of delight, I realised that Yes, the beautiful memories had come, motivating memories, memories that made me realise that even today my parents are one with me.
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