?? FOR MY MOTHER..
?? FOR MY WIFE..
?? FOR MY DAUGHTER..
It was 23rd January and I was in Jaipur for that day. It was around 8:00 pm and I was waiting for my bus on bus stand to come back to Pilani. On that day many exams like for Railway police, bank P.O. and HPCL was scheduled so there was a huge rush from evening. Bus stand was so overcrowded and people inside got so wild and inhuman that it was just impossible to stand inside even for 5 minutes. While people were running from one corner to other I noticed two very important phenomenon there:1st is that just after 3 days India will be celebrating its 62nd Republic day and is heading to become one among “Super Power” but still even for a vacancy of 200 seats more than 2 lakh people appear. “Unemployment was and is still a major problem.” 2nd was this that many take education just to get a good job but very few take it for becoming a good person. Every 2nd person there was trying to break every rule people or government has ever made. Most of them came for a government post but none of them actually cared for our government. Some were refusing to give fare; some were busy fighting with conductor and drivers while few even damaged lights inside buses.
To get a safe and silent place I sat outside bus stand in one corner on exit stairs as my bus was at 11 pm. Now it was around 9 pm and cold winter breeze was making life around to freeze but what hold my breath and froze my thoughts was much much stronger than that 6 degree cold air.
I saw a person wearing brown pant and multicolored sweater. He was in late 40’s and was searching for a place to sleep. In one corner he found place and started instructing a person nearby how to use only his share of place in night. He had a white bag having 3-4 items inside that. He took out a plastic sheet and spread that on floor. He had just one blanket to cover himself for the whole chilled night. I was feeling pity for him and my eyes were stuck on his every activity. Suddenly he asked me “Aap bhi yeh exam dene aaye ho??” I said no and to get into conversation with him I asked him “Aap kya karte hain??”That person paused for a few moment and slowly whispered “sachi sachi batao??” I nodded and then he replied “mein wahan samne hotel par glasses saaf karta hoon” but suddenly he changed his tone and in a very confident and loud voice he said “but I am a graduate from West Bengal University; I have done B.Sc” He literally spoke in fluent English with a spark of proud in his eyes. I was totally shocked at that moment. I got pinched and become more curious to know more about him. So I asked him then why are you working here and living like this (on bus stand in open). Then he continued his story.
He said “I was a graduate and I even worked in a bank for few years. I shifted to jaipur some 15-20 years back. My wife was from Hongkong and even I went there and worked for some time. Hearing this I was totally dumbstruck and was speechless, thoughtless… He continued “My mother used to love me a lot, my wife was very beautiful and I had a very charming daughter. But now all 3 are DEAD and I have no one else left behind…. He paused for a while and said I have no one in this world to look after me; once I used to even owe a home in Jaipur but after their deaths it was just a house of bricks so I sold that and now I have been living here in open from past 10 years…” I was totally blank ,for a moment I felt as if my heart has stopped beating and blood in my arteries has freezed. I was about to cry on his condition but he was constantly carrying a king smile on his face and said me “I earn as much I require for 1 day. Right now I have Rs 10 in my pocket to have a fresh start 2maro morning. Now this is my world and neither have I had tension of 2maro nor fear of death…”
He said “I was a graduate and I even worked in a bank for few years. I shifted to jaipur some 15-20 years back. My wife was from Hongkong and even I went there and worked for some time. Hearing this I was totally dumbstruck and was speechless, thoughtless… He continued “My mother used to love me a lot, my wife was very beautiful and I had a very charming daughter. But now all 3 are DEAD and I have no one else left behind…. He paused for a while and said I have no one in this world to look after me; once I used to even owe a home in Jaipur but after their deaths it was just a house of bricks so I sold that and now I have been living here in open from past 10 years…” I was totally blank ,for a moment I felt as if my heart has stopped beating and blood in my arteries has freezed. I was about to cry on his condition but he was constantly carrying a king smile on his face and said me “I earn as much I require for 1 day. Right now I have Rs 10 in my pocket to have a fresh start 2maro morning. Now this is my world and neither have I had tension of 2maro nor fear of death…”
My bus was about to depart so before leaving I asked him about his name. He said I am Jagdish and people call me “kaka” here. As I stand he took out a dairy from his pocket and showed me. On the front page his name and address (of WB) was written and he said “I belong to a nice family…here any night while sleeping I might die but I don’t wanna die as “UNIDENTIFIED” I want to be cremated as Jagdish in my home town….”.
Those words just trembled me…At that moment I realized we cry, fight, compete and run behind fame and money for our whole life but remain oblivious of fact that it’s not blood and brain which differentiate us from non-living rather it’s the love , care and warmth of our near ones which make our presence important and life worth living….
Kaka emphasized on one thing – I “had” only 1 life which…..
I LIVED FOR MY MOTHER
I LIVED FOR MY WIFE
I LIVED FOR MY DAUGHTER………
Suman Nala
Bits Pilani
