Circle

She had to reach the destination on time. The excitement of meeting similar people thrilled her. She didn't want to reach first but wanted to just reach the destination with grace. With a focused mind she started strolling. She couldn't see anyone in front of her but there was someone following her silently. She didn't dare to look at the stranger as she could sense the presence of a known angel and a very well known devil. She ran. She was expecting to see her destination instead she saw the stranger in front of her. She saw herself - worn and torn. She stopped running. She didn't want to meet similar people after she found herself. And then the magic happened – she lived and died. Peacefully.

Memories

She couldn’t feel the wind. She couldn’t feel the sun. It was burning hot that day and she was sweating profusely. Sweat rolled down her cheeks. The saltiness of her sweat did not bother her a bit, she didn’t flinch. She was frozen on that hot humid day. The stillness didn’t give any chills to anyone as there were neither any passersby nor anyone beside. Ignoring the surroundings she could feel her thoughts. She could feel the pain. She could feel herself. Tear rolled down her cheeks and bothered her a bit, she flinched. Memories took her to trance but truth brought her back to life.

Bindu and Mr. Humble Bumble

Image: Bharath Kumar (bharathkumar27@gmail.com)

She gently touched his wings. Poof! Vanished the butterfly. Bindu stood shocked. She tried her best to run behind the butterfly but it only made her tired. “Are you lost dear kiddo”, asked Ms. Stranger. Bindu stood silent. “My mother has asked me not to talk to strangers. And yes, my teacher said the same too” said Bindu and kept quite. “Your mother is right. I stay in this apartment. My name is Indu and” before Ms. Stranger could finish Bindu cried out “Yey! That rhymes with my name Bindu”. Bindu realised that she should have not told her name and tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. “Oh! No, no. Don’t cry child. I won’t hurt you. You looked lost and I only wanted to help. I will go now. See you later sweet child” said Ms. Stranger and “Poof!” she vanished too.

Bindu kept staring at the flower where she found the butterfly. She wondered how the butterfly fluttered so fast. “Hello little lady” said an unknown voice. Bindu turned around and was about to say that she does not talk to strangers instead she went two steps behind shell-shocked. “Hello little lady, won’t you say hi to me?” smiled the unknown creature. “Who are you? You are so big and fluffy. Well my mother said not to talk to strangers. Only humans can be strangers right? Who are you?” questioned Bindu. “If you have seen a butterfly then you must have seen me too! No?” asked the unknown creature. Bindu thought for a while and one by one the creatures she knew popped out of her mind.

A for Ant
B for Bat
It’s neither a cow
nor a dove!

It’s in my mind
and I do see
How silly of me
It’s a bumble bee!

“Yey! You are a bee. You are so fat”, chuckled Bindu. “I am not fat, I am just big” snapped Mr. Bumble. He looked dejected and Bindu felt sorry. “I didn’t mean to hurt you Mr. Bumble. I am sorry. I am sad myself. I don’t want you to be sad too” apologized Bindu. “That is alright little lady. Why are you sad?” asked Mr. Bumble. “I lost the butterfly. I only wanted to touch him. Poof! He vanished” sulked Bindu. “Ha Ha” laughed Mr. Bumble. “Is that all? Let me help you find the butterfly. Will you fly with me?” asked Mr. Bumble. “Really? Really? You will help me find the butterfly again? You are so humble. Thank you” said Bindu and hopped on Mr. Bumble.  Bindu and Humble Bumble set out on a magical trip.

On their way Mr. Bumble told her so many stories to remember. He also told her the secret of how he can fly so high. Bindu promised that she will never let the secret out. They laughed and sang songs. They were happy. Time flew and that made Bindu nervous again. “We still haven’t found the butterfly. It is getting late. If it gets dark then I will have to go home” said Bindu. “We touched the sky, we touched many flowers, we touched the world and our fingers have the power” said Mr. Bumble. Bindu started losing her temper and shouted “That makes no sense to me. I shouldn’t have trusted you. You are trying to fool me”. She took her palm and was about to cover her face with shame when she saw something wonderful.

Colours!

Every tiny finger of Bindu had a different colour – Blue, Black, White, Grey, Green, Orange, Pink, Red, Violet and Yellow. “Wow! I am so colourful” said Bindu and jumped with joy. She jumped a little too much and fell off Mr. Bumble and screamed.

Bindu saw her mother beside her and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank god Ma. You caught me at the right time. I would have got hurt so bad. I just fell off Mr. Humble Bumble” said Bindu anxiously. “Look at my fingers, how colourful they are” said Bindu and proudly showed her hands to her mother. Her mother was keenly listening to her and suddenly said “Oh how beautiful. The butterfly looks really beautiful Bindu. You have painted it so well. So many different colours Blue, Black, White, Grey, Green, Orange, Pink, Red, Violet and Yellow” said her mother with tremendous happiness. Bindu gleamed with joy and pride. She finally found her butterfly and said “Thank you Mr. Humble Bumble. I will never ever let your secret out”. “What secret? Won’t you tell me” pleaded her mother. “Well, he is not fat, he is just big. That’s all can I say Ma.” said Bindu and continued painting. This time it was a rainbow!

Little Miss. Mishti and Mr. Big Brown Tree

Image: Bharath Kumar (bharathkumar27@gmail.com)

Mishti sat beneath a huge tree. “I remember Ms. Mary makes us spell the names of so many fruits. But how do I spell this tree’s name? I can’t find any fruit? I thought all trees had fruits” pondered Mishti. Her tiny mind was trying to connect something that she learnt in class with the tree that she saw, but she just couldn’t. The tree had a huge brown trunk and glossy leaves. Mishti was admiring the beauty of the tree when all of a sudden she felt something was wrong. “Oh Mr. Big Brown Tree, why are your branches hanging in the air?” questioned Mishti. Mr. Big Brown Tree did not understand the question and said “Eh?! Why do you ask that? My branches?”. “Oh you talk! That’s lovely. Now tell me, are you weak and dying Mr. Big Brown Tree?“ asked Mishti with utmost sympathy and she instantly started worrying about the tree. “Oh poor you, you look so sad little girl. I am alright. I am smiling, can’t you see? Come play with me” said Mr. Big Brown Tree. “NO!” yelled Mishti and said “You are sick and I am going to help you”. “Aha! I know what to do. I have always seen Ma water her tiny plants and she always tells me that water keep the plants alive. May be you need some water. Let me fetch a pail of water like Jack” smiled Mishti and she ran to her home to fetch some water.

“Mishti! Why are you panting? Is everything alright? Did anyone scare you? Oh my child,” said her mother Mrs. Vani. Mrs. Vani was appalled. Before Mishti could tell anything Vani’s imagination ran wild and brought tears in her eyes. “No Ma, I am fine. That tree, Mr. Big Brown Tree without fruits and hanging branches needs water. You know, he is dying. But Mr. Big Brown Tree refuses to accept it. I want to save him”, said Mishti. “Which tree? Mr. Big Brown? Hanging branches? Where did you go Mishti? I told you not to go too far,” sighed Mrs. Vani. “Maa! I didn’t go too far. Ms. Mary taught me about directions - left and right. I only wanted to try,” paused Mishti to check which hand should she show and said “left side of our home. You should come with me. You know how to save lives!” jumped Mishti.

Mrs. Vani and Mishti strolled to see the huge tree with a pail of water. On their way Mishti told her Ma so many stories about school, her friends, animals, fairies and dragons. Mrs. Vani experienced all kinds of emotions. She loved listening to Mishti. Mrs. Vani was drifting into her wonderland

Little Miss Mishti
Knows how to talk
Tell stories itsy-bitsy
Every time we walk

Little Miss Mishti
Makes me smile
With giggles itsy-bitsy
We walk for a mile

“Ma! Look, look...See, I told you he is dying,” shouted Mishti. Mrs. Vani looked at the tree and was surprised that she never spotted this tree till now. “That’s a lovely tree. Isn’t it Mishti? He is more green than brown” smiled Mrs. Vani. “Stop wasting time Ma. Let’s go water the tree” screamed Mishti and hurriedly ran towards the trunk of the tree. Mrs. Vani was admiring the warmth of Mishti and the breeze beneath the tree. “Don’t worry Mishti. The tree will not die. Those are not branches. They are the tree’s roots. That’s how it’s supposed to be. It’s a Banyan tree and...” Mishti interrupted before her mother could finish and said “Ok. It may be the Banyan tree but I know he is dying. I will not cry Ma. You don’t have to make stories. I know that roots are always underground. Ms. Mary told me a week ago. Please save him”. Mrs. Vani tried her best to convince Mishti but she wouldn’t listen. While both started arguing the magic happened.

It rained!

Mishti was happy. Mrs. Vani said “why don’t you now shake hands with your Mr. Big Brown Tree and enjoy the rain?” Mrs. Vani stood there, surprised, watching Mishti talk something to the tree and swing on the roots. “There was no sign of rain before. Well, may be Mr. Big Brown Tree is after all the Wish Tree. I remember Ma telling me about the Kalpavriksha – a wish fulfilling tree” wondered Mrs. Vani.

And with enlightened joy Mishti shouted, “I remember now, Banyan is the National Tree of India!! And now I know how you look. Mr. Big Brown Tree, you are the National Tree. Isn’t that amazing?”

Mr. Big Brown Tree was smiling and Mishty questioned “But where are your fruits?”

Mr. Smut

Image: Bharath Kumar (bharathkumar27@gmail.com)

The cockroach crept into the basin hole. The slush in the tube made the cockroach’s ride home a smooth slide. “Ah! What a ride back home, the only part in my life that I enjoy” thought the cockroach. Mr. Smut was very proud of his home. His home was as neat as a new pin. Well, he liked being in filth the whole day but loved spending his night in a fresh corner. His leftover dinner was done and it was time for a mighty slumber. His legs were tired of running. He had to run every day to save his life. “Why do the giant brothers and sisters hate me so much? I don’t hurt them. I try my best to stay away from them. It is the filth that attracts me so much. Why don’t they clear the filth rather than trying to kill me? Am I so evil? May be I am ugly. But I clean myself everyday and try my best to look good. What more can I do?” wondered Mr. Smut. These haunting thoughts always bothered him and he would end up staying up late at nights. It hurt him so much that night and he decided to travel with Mr. Smith, his giant brother, with whom he shared his home. He thought “May be living their life a day will make me a better friendly cockroach”. Mr. Smut slept well and the next day he found his way to the cosy coat pocket of Mr. Smith.

It was a typical day for Mr. Smith. The alarm blew off at 7:00am. He lifted his grogginess with great effort and crawled to his bathroom. Mr. Smut was as fresh as a daisy and was peeping from Mr. Smith’s coat pocket. He was all excited about his day off. He wondered why Mr. Smith looked so tired and dull. He waited and wondered again looking at Mr. Smith. “How did he manage to look so handsome? He just went into that room and he looks like a changed man now! His hair looks so fine and his body smells so nice that I cannot go near him. No wonder he hates me. But wait, I am clean too!” thought Mr. Smut with utmost shock. He kept staring at the way Mr. Smith was getting ready. He found many things in common. He felt that he was as clean as Mr. Smith. He felt that both of them had food very fast. He felt both of them were unsure about how they looked as he witnessed the long-time affair between Mr. Smith and the Mirror. In a jiffy Mr. Smut found himself enjoying a smooth slide. Just that this time he was in a car and Mr. Smith was racing against many other cars. Seldom did he understand that Mr. Smith was racing against time as he was getting late to his appraisal meeting. “Damn!” yelled Mr. Smith, “I am late, AGAIN!”. He was sweating profusely and he was tired already. Mr. Smut felt bad for him and thought “Do we have that room here? He can just go in and come out fresh!”

Mr. Grunt was twiddling with his mobile phone and losing his patience looking at the time. Mr. Smith rushed into the meeting room. “Good morning Mr. Grunt, sorry I got st...” “Oh please!” grumbled Mr. Grunt and continued “You knew it was your appraisal meeting today and of all days you think of giving me excuses today? Just sit down”. Mr. Smut did not understand the situation but did realise that it was not good and continued peeping. He saw an unfinished piece of cheese burger next to Mr. Grunt and was too tempted to jump out but didn't want to take a big risk of getting killed easily. It tempted him even more when he saw the burger thrown in the trash. “Let me just peep” sighed Mr. Smut. The meeting went on for hours. Mr. Smut heard pleads, silence, shouts, blah and more blah. After the meeting Mr. Smith was silent throughout the day. Finally, Mr. Smut found himself enjoying a smooth slide again. This time with a voice that put him to sleep. The radio was playing old melodies which silenced the noise of the bustle.

“Why do the bosses hate me so much? I don’t hurt them. I try my best to stay away from them. I just want to earn some money and worth. Why don’t they clear the prejudices rather than trying to kill me? Am I so evil? May be I am ugly. But I clean myself everyday and try my best to look good. What more can I do?” shouted Mr. Smith. Disappointed, he went to the basin to clean his hands and reached his coat’s pocket to take his handkerchief out. “Yikes! What the heck” gasped Mr. Smith and Mr. Smut fell into the basin. Before Mr. Smith could smash him he found his way through the basin hole. “Wish I could live a cockroach’s life, I wouldn't have to run and fret so much” shouted Mr. Smith. “My life is so similar to yours. Both of us live in filth and are constantly afraid of being killed” snapped Mr. Smut and slid to his home.

Both of them got away from each other and chanted “Home Sweet Home”

Questions to Self!

What job should one do? If we are doing a work dictated by the terms laid by the society then probably we are just wasting time by making money. "What job I do shows how capable I am, makes me feel good", said Mr. Wise. "Who says your are incapable otherwise?", questioned Ms. Ignorant. What defines a standard of living? If we shape our lives based on how others live then probably we are just wasting life by trying to be happy. "My family should live a life which can offer the maximum luxury and joy. I am not bothered about what the world does!", said Mr. Wise. "Who defines what luxury is? What connects luxury with joy? I am not asking if the icing is required, I am just curious to know if the cake is needed." questioned Ms.Ignorant.  

Well, everything is interdependent they say. How true, what is freedom then? So many questions to be answered and so many perspectives to be seen. We cramp our thoughts by yearning to be accepted and recognized by others. Those cramped thoughts gets crippled because of fear - fear of our intelligence being tested, fear of showing our ignorance, fear of being hated, fear of being loved, fear of being afraid. With those cramped and crippled thoughts we walk. We walk without realizing that we have become a movie which majority of people would love to see. Isn't that a good thing? Well, depends on who we are trying to please. Isn't it a cowardly act to find happiness only by pleasing others? They say it's a selfless act, seldom do I understand. 

The house was empty but the thoughts were not. A struggle to disconnect oneself from all the experiences and emotions caused by others. A struggle to cling on to that single thought that is pristine. One will find clinging on to nothingness. Nothingness that explains everything and can make a self experience freedom. Nothingness that will prove that seldom does a person has to please anyone, even the self. Nothingness that will end the fight of acceptance and recognition. For, a self will understand that no other person can actually accept or recognize anybody else, even oneself. One will witness the simplest truth that an embellished body destroys the beauty of a naked body.

Us

Shades of Green
and Shades of White
A leaf that fluttered
With all its might

Shades of hunger
and Shades of pain
A life that flustered
Through day and night!