Boundless Bond

“The program will start only after fifteen minutes as there is a delay in our honourable President's arrival.” The announcement made me travel to my good old days in school. 

It was on 2012 July 30th that I was first curious about her, when Mathuri miss, our class teacher asked everyone to tell something about their best friend. Everyone was so excited when Ishani came forward. Our class – the K division was included that year and we all were new students. She was always quiet and haven’t made any friends in class. She seems to be an introvert – always be in her own world. While we all played games and cracked jokes, she was immersed in her novels. She ate lunch alone while we all shared our food. She never came to us for chit-chats and when we go to her she hardly replied. So the whole class was thrilled to know about her friends.

When she spoke about her friendship with Piya, her bestie, I yearned to see her. She told that she shares her worries and joys with her and that amused me. She was so happy to share her unbreakable bond with Piya. From her words, it was clear that Piya was so friendly with her that she never thought of another one. For her, friendship is something that doesn’t demand anything from each other. 

Most students including me talked about the ones sitting near us as our best friends. Some friends became unhappy when they haven’t become anyone’s best friends. After that period, almost everyone in our class started to quarrel because of this. I noticed that Ishani was sitting calmly, she has no worries and was not angry with anyone even though no one mentioned her as their best friend. That shocked me, I was surrounded by my two other friends whom I haven’t named my best friend. They were angry with me as they named me and I named my another friend. I feel disgusted when everything ended dramatically - they stop talking to me and were behaving like that I had made some undoable sin. 

I realised why Ishani was so different from all of us – for her friendship means happiness. I haven’t slept that day thinking why my friends behave so differently to me. When I go to class next day, I sat near Ishani and she didn’t tell anything. My friends were so furious with me as I changed my seat. Like Ishani, I too started to behave like her. A few days later when she took a novel to read in a free hour, she took another one and handover it to me without telling me anything. 

Slowly there bloomed a friendship between us, which irked the whole class. In the beginning she didn’t talk much, but by the passage of time, we share our things, stories and enjoyed being together. 

One day I asked her about Piya, her best friend. She was so excited that I still remember her friend's name. She talked a lot about Piya and when I told her my wish to meet Piya, she was so delighted. She promised me that she will bring Piya to school the next day. 

I was so eager to meet Piya, my bestie's bestie. I came to school early and was so anxious to meet her. I can’t control my anxiety and I went near our big school gate in the entrance so that I can meet her when she reaches school. From there I could see her coming and I got the glance of her turning the curved road with her father. I was depressed when no other person was with her. 

When they neared the entrance, a huge and terrible noise deafened my ears. I was dragged by someone near the gate and when everything calmed down, I saw Ishani lying near the gate flooded in blood. There was a hurry-burry and her wounded father and others lifted her and took her to the nearby hospital. I ran towards her and saw that she hold something so tightly to her chest. While lifting her to the van, it was dropped from her stern hold. I took it with me and entered the van when everyone asked me to step down, her father stopped them and I went with them. 

 “Tosha, Tosha, your name is called dear”, my mother's horrible shaking made me conscious of the event happening. I went to the stage and the honourable President handed me The youngest Environmentalist Award 2021 and I received it with tearful eyes. 

When I reached home I ran to my bedroom and caressed the bonsai Bamboo plant. Tears flooded as I remembered the cost I had to pay for seeing Piya. Even though Ishani never returned to my life again, she gifted me her best friend before leaving everyone. 

Ishani taught me that the whole of nature is our friend and a friend should be like nature. They never expect anything from us and shower us with unconditional love. 

It doesn’t matter how many friends you have, what matters is that of which how many cares  for you. 

Are We Born Poor???

Does the word poverty arouse in you the image of a human or a society who fails to meet their basic needs without the acquisition of money? Of course, poverty means the deficiency of money and is natural to think so. But do you think that poverty is not just a lack of money? Yes, it is! We know that money can’t buy everything in this world. So there are more factors whose lack make a man poor.  

Let’s consider Health as a major element in a man's life. When a child is born, his survival is mainly based on his health and not on his wealth. We might have seen millionaires begging for the life of their beloved one’s when their health deteriorates. Old people struggle to stay healthy and fit through various means. So it is evident that Health is always a Wealth. 

Does it mean if you have the health, you are out of poverty? No, so poverty is not just a lack of health and wealth. We are familiar with the Emperor Muhammad-bin-Tuglaq, who was called the Wise-Fool. He had enough money and much health, but lacked Wisdom. We label those people who behave stupidly and idiotically as Tuglaq. We live in a society which demands everyone’s equal participation. If we lack adequate wisdom and the knowledge we will be unable to contribute to our nation’s progress. So the lack of wisdom is an indication of poverty.  

Intelligence, wisdom and knowledge don’t always equal success. It is our Character and personality which helps us to attain greater heights. More than anything else our politeness and down to earth nature impresses everyone. Everything lies in our behavior and how we consider our fellow beings. So who lacks these abilities, not more or less than a poor man.  

We all have heard the story of the bird which was kept in a golden cage, right? Even though it had a luxurious life, it was denied the Freedom to conquer the vast blue sky. More than the elegance, our independence is more important to us. A person devoid of freedom is just like a body without a soul. A freedom restricted person is always equal to a person who is going through poverty.   

Can you imagine what would have happened if God had placed each human being in an isolated habitat? Can’t imagine, right? Yes, the great Lord knows that we can’t withstand loneliness, that’s why he had created Eve for Adam. So whatever we achieve, if we don’t have anyone to share our feelings and emotions, it will be a living hell. Introverts boast that they are comfortable when they are alone. But if they never meet a human for at least a week, I swear, they will be not be able to withstand suffocation. Our mind always wants to be cared for and loved by someone. So a person is poor if he is bound by Loneliness. 

Happiness is what we all want to long for throughout our life. It can’t be bought from a mall or a market, it is to be developed within ourselves. Everyone enjoys life in their own ways. As we all are different, our likes and happiness also depend on us. We can easily find happiness in front of us, but as life is a journey and sometimes we may lose our paths. When we miss our direction we go away from happiness and reaches the shores of poverty.  

Thus it is clear that why the Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen quoted that ‘Poverty is not just a lack of money; it is not having the capability to realize one’s full potential as a human being'. We are gifted with numerous innate abilities, it is our responsibility to unearth it and enjoy our life to the fullest. 

Nostalgia

Setting rays are giggling me and the western sun is waking me,

‘Stop it yaar… I want to sleep’

Oh no! It’s time to work,

Yanking my formal clothes, I rushed for some fresh shower.

Passing beside the Imli tree,

Listening to my fast footsteps - Chamgadhads are rising up.

Stealing some Imli fruits and hiding them inside my pant pockets,

I opened my cabin door.

The office was in dead silence as my team went to the night party,

I tasted one Imli fruit.

I traversed to my ancestral home,

Dadi was in the courtyard front and scolding me to get inside.

Grabbing Imli from my mouth, she warned me of ‘Dilruba’-

The Chudail who lives in our Imli tree.

Dadi shares the legend to me-

“She transforms to Chamgadhad as she is the Queen of Bats”.

She only comes to us – 

When we either call her or take her favourite stuff.

As she likes Imli most,

She will come and start eating us after sitting on our little heads.

When the gust opened my window panes,

I dropped the Imli in a terror fearing whether she has come.

*Chamgadhad - Bat

*Imli - Tamarind

*Dadi - Grandmother

*Chudail - Mythical/Legendary creature resembling a woman