Tuesday, October 26, 2010

On The Run

A banyan tree stood tall in the center of the common meeting place in the village since it was planted there many long years ago. Apart from the trunk of the tree that had grown thick over the years along with it’s branches that had expanded and occupied the nearby area around the tree and a few new huts that had cropped up, one could not spot many differences in the village during the day. In the eerie darkness of the night these small differences seemingly disappeared and the place looked just the same as it always was in the memories of the villagers as far as they could recall. It was difficult for comfort to find an entry into the village in its crudest form, although comfort was certainly not one of the priorities of the inhabitants. They had more serious issues to deal with. It was survival – the most basic instinct of any form of life that they were struggling against. Some of them had even been successful in defeating the beast and putting an end to their miseries forever. Others were still desperately clinging to it holding on to their pain and sufferings with all the strength that was still left in them. The feeling of love and compassion still persisted and the morality that they had defined for themselves still existed in most in varying degrees. The desperate struggle against hunger and pain brought in distorted beliefs. As the human attempt miserably failed to bring relief, god took an even larger form. It was after all God – the supreme who was to be made happy. God’s indifference to their issues did not discourage them much. One of the villagers unable to cope up with his struggle for survival and yet not ready to give up ran as fast as he could.

Many miles away was a prosperous town unfamiliar with these struggle for survival. Their circumstances differed but the instincts were the same. People continued with the practice of accumulating more and more although they had forgotten the purpose of it. This process of accumulation left them completely exhausted and stressed out. It was a habit that they found difficult to forego. Comfort was in abundance but they never gave up continuously creating new forms of comforts day and night. However, the accumulation of wealth and comfort failed to bring in happiness that they longed for. Their belief in god was growing feeble and many had started questioning the existing morality. They had created new set of issues for themselves and faced different kind of emotional crisis that was not heard of in the village. The man from the village found himself in this new place amidst people with completely different set of problems. Disillusioned with this new life of confusions and conflicts, he ran once again. But this time he did not know which way to go.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

The Gift

I instantly fell in love with it the moment it first appeared in front of me wrapped in a colorful gift pack. It was a beautiful angel and brought with it an exciting world ahead. I would sing and dance with it and was happy for no particular reason.

I slowly became familiar with all its demands, its likes and dislikes. I did all that was in my control to make it happy. Its dissatisfaction grew and I toiled day after day to meet with its demands. It gave a devilish look each time any of its demands was not fulfilled…It was an angel all the same.

One fine day I noticed its small feet that were slowly growing. I realized instantly that it would leave me when it's time comes. I clung to it and cried inconsolably. I experienced fear and sorrow of losing it like never before.

With time it’s demands grew larger. It developed strong feelings about everything. I loved all that appealed to it and hated thoroughly what it did not like. I became aggressive and hostile to anything it disliked. I saw people kill others and get killed to obey the commands of their little gifts. Without any hesitation I followed them. I grabbed more and more of what it asked me to get but could not bring satisfaction. It was no longer the angel that I was once familiar with – it had taken an ugly form!! I loved it all the same. I feared immensely each day as I saw its feet grow. I was no more happy.

The time that I feared most finally arrived. It was ready to leave me anytime. I pleaded it to stay a little longer. I suffered miserably but yet desperately tried to fulfill its demands. It was no more beautiful and I cursed it. But I could not let it go anyway.