THE SIN

Pune rains,though initially are amazing, becomes a pain when it refuses to stop. And since I was stuck up at home and had nothing better to do so I went rummaging through my old piled up files and papers and found out a story I had written long time back.
I remember writing it for an AIDS awareness program in school. Imagine me to be 13 years and read it.....



It was a beautiful spring evening. The birds were chirping outside and a mild breeze was blowing. Around 12-15 kids were playing in a park. The park was surrounded by a fence and outside the fence a 10 year old girl was watching them. Her name was Nina. Two days before Nina was also playing with them but now she was not welcome there any more. They did not notice Nina watching them or else they would have thrown stones on her or left the field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Nina and her mother lived in a rented house. Her mother was a teacher in a higher secondary school. Her mother’s income was enough for both of them to lead a comfortable life. Nina’s father was involved with some militant outfit, so her mother left him. Nina had never seen her father, and her mother had told her not to ask about him. However both of them were happy with their life. Nina had many friends in the colony and her mother was an active member of the colony. A strong bond existed between them and their neighbours.

Once Nina’s neighbour Mrs. Shalini, who was a widow, met with an accident. She was bleeding profusely. The doctor said that she needed blood. Nobody’s blood group matched with her except Nina’s mother but the doctor said that her blood cannot be given as they have detected that she was HIV positive and that she had AIDS.

That day was the end of everything. Mrs. Shalini died as blood was not available. Nina’s mother was asked to evacuate the house as the colony members feared that they or their children might get infected with that deadly disease from her. Her mother tried her best to convince the people that AIDS doesn’t spread if you talk or touch a person suffering from it but they didn’t give any ear to it. Nina and her mother were thrown out of the colony. Her mother couldn’t bear this insult and she died that day itself by coming under the wheels of a car, without thinking about her daughter and leaving her all alone.

For two days Nina lived in a bench outside the fence of the Children’s’ Park, starving and shivering with cold. The children of the colony, who were her dear friends two days back, threw stones at her when they saw her sleeping in the bench and didn’t even play there.
On the third day she got up from the bench and stood under a tree to protect and hide her. When the children came to pay they didn’t notice her. Thinking that she must have left the place they started their game. After their game was over, they headed for their residence. While leaving they saw Nina standing under the tree and they started shouting at her and throwing stones at her but Nina didn’t budge an inch from her place. So, all of them went and complained to their parents. The parents came to the park and from a distant, as if she was a wild animal, told Nina to leave the place but Nina didn’t pay any heed. She stood there looking blank. Seeing this one person took a stick and through one of the holes of the fence he gave a slight push to her and then and there she fell down, eyes wide opened-she was stone dead.
* * * * * * * * * * * * Nina’s body was carried away in a municipal truck and dumped somewhere. She died only because of these so-called high-class learned people. This colony had killed her.

That very evening the doctor, who had said that Nina’s mother had AIDS, came to meet her.
“Why do you need her doctor?” One of the colony members asked.
“I am really sorry. I know it is a dreadful mistake but actually it was not she who had AIDS, it was Mrs. Shalini who was suffering from AIDS. The reports got mixed up.

The people stood their astounded. The earth seemed to have slipped from beneath their feet. It was like a bolt from the blue.
Seeing their aghast faces, the doctor asked, “Why are you all looking so miserable?”

Then one of them narrated to the doctor what had happened. The doctor couldn’t believe his ears.
“Oh God! What did you do? How can you be so ignorant? Even if she was suffering from AIDS, you shouldn’t have done all these. AIDS doesn’t spread if you talk, touch or eat with the person suffering from it. A person suffering from it can lead a normal life following the minimum precautions. They have equal rights to live with dignity. We are nobody to take this right away. If you all call yourself educated then I think you are making a fool of yourself. You committed a great sin by taking away two innocent lives. God will never forgive you for this.” Saying this, the doctor left.

Beseeching To A Son.

I gazed at his likeness
in the gazette
that read, "wanted dead or alive."

I gazed at his likeness
in the gazette
and was flooded with nostalgia......

He was born on a fine day
as innocent as the dawning dew
as fit as fiddle.
All the kith and kins came to
bishopric him
and said,"What a fine boy he was."
They said,"He would make her head high"
But today,
I bend down my head
and behold his print.

Some said,"He would be famous"
And how right they were -
"isn't he famous today? "

Where did I go wrong my son?
I sent thou to read.
Taught morals.
Then why did thou trespass against?

Turn the pages of history, my son
which name the victors
who shed their blood
to free the motherland
from fear...
from burden....
from shackles of slumber
and pain.

Open your eyes, my son
thine motherland weeps
at thine deeds.

Look around and see
the gleeful little ones
whose future
seems starless
due to thine deeds.

I beseech to you son
with folded hands
turn back home
your mother awaits for you........




P.S: I wrote it when i was in 10th.

An evening to remember.......

At some point in our life we are destined to go through a painful phase (mental, physical,spiritual, etc,etc) or some natural calamity or man- made disasters. The intensity of the pain may vary from person to person. It may be self-inflicted or imposed on you by another fellow human (both fall under man made category) or in the form of god's or nature's blessing (natural category). Well, without going into much details about the categories of pain and also sparing you from some painful reading, let me come to the point.

Today, Thursday the 30th of July at 6:30 p.m, I did the unforgivable mistake of accepting a man-made (the man, none other then my DAD) pain, thus making it a self-inflicted pain. Please spare your imagination from running wild for I am penning down the cause and the resultant consequences of accepting the man-made turned self-inflicted pain. I was enjoying the very recent number "aaja aaja dil nichoda". The evening was just beautiful. Everything was going as smooth as silk. Smooth as in I was bored as usual. Mon (my bro) was punching me(for no specific reason) as usual. The ants were collecting tit-bits as usual. My dad, who as usual should have been reading some book ,was not in a mood to do the "as usual thing". So here comes the time when I, the obedient daughter, accept his idea to pay a visit to his colleague. Hence accepting the man-made turned self-inflicted pain.

We reach the XYZs. After exchanging the usual hi-hellos we settled down for the actual conversation. Mr. XYZ had gone to the market, so Mrs.XYZ had the responsibility to entertain us single-handed. Both, my Dad and XYZs had recently been transferred to Jorhat from Guwahati. So naturally the first round of conversation revolved around the difference between both the places. In between this immensely interesting conversation, Mrs. XYZ wanted to know all about Pune(since i was pursuing my so called higher education in Pune). I, being a well-behaved child, provided her with all the necessary details, just in case she plans to visit Pune during her kids school-breaks she wouldn't have to buy "The Pune Guide".

The second round of conversation included "The scarcity of water supply in the town" but "the excess availability of the same inside the Oil colony". During these sessions of utmost important conversations, I had nothing to do. So I being a good listener paid attention to the elders discussion and at the same time stared hard at the centrepiece on the table, hoping it will rise up in the air like in the movie "Mathilda". But alas!! nothing happened except that i had strained my eyes.

Like all happily married couples, the XYZs were bestowed with two daughters( nine and seven years now) by the Almighty. And the elder one came up to me and asked: "Do you read FILM CITY?" God only knew what was this FILM CITY? I had heard about the FILM FARE magazine but not FILM CITY. Thankfully Mrs.XYZ came to my rescue and I learnt that XYZ junior 1 was asking if I had read FAMOUS FIVE. So my next few minutes went in literary discussion of the Enid Blyton book Famous Five with a nine year old kid.

Oh the evening gets better now. Here the phrase "mehmaan bhagawan hota hai" is worth mentioning for we are treated with utmost respect and offered an evening snack. "ALLO KI SABJI and PURI", a common and favourite naashta of every Assamese. As I put the first niwaala in my mouth, I could see the sheded (result of my hardcore workouts) fat cells of my body smiling devilishly at me. Trust me they were even showing me the finger while they made their way back into my body. I went through this also with a smile on my face like a VEER YODHA.
By the time Mrs.XYZ had finished her mehmaan nawaji, Mr.XYZ arrived and hence began the third round of conversation which mainly included office talk and the nuisance created by mosquitoes , ants, spiders and the various roaches.

With God's grace finally at 8:30 p.m the evening came to an end. With a heavy heart we bade each other goodbye. It was still drizzling outside. My house was just two blocks away. But kind-hearted XYZs didn't want us to catch cold and so provided us with a humongously huge umbrella which by the time my Dad managed to open, we already reached home...:)







P.S: It was not that bad. Atleast I got an article out of it..;)