Sarcasm of Cemetry
The car was moving at an average speed, the two sitting inside were talking to one another unaware of what is going to happen next, Chandni took a turn and unfortunately a bumper hit the car. There was a huge noise of bang and crash of the two vehicles. The busiest street of Delhi, suddenly froze. People gathered all around the car. Some gathered out of curiosity, some out of humanity.
Priya could still feel her breathe, she was struggling to breathe. She couldn’t remember exactly when did the car bumped into the bumper, but all she remembers was that they both were talking about the wedding plans that Chandni is going to make for her sister. She seemed to be excited and jovial about the whole arrangements. Priya, who was lying on the seat of the car, profusely bleeding and unconscious. She was able to feel the physical pain that her abdomen was feeling, like a continuous stab of a knife. She was unable to raise her hand but a strong will power was backing her. She wanted to get up and see if Chandni is there around her or not, but her energy was low, the shock of an accident took her in the level of unconciousness. Priya was partially in senses and partially her mind was falling unconscious, she was able to sense people gathered around her. Some were trying to get her out of the car and some were plainly watching. She could feel the numb arm of hers, and her brain signaled that her forehead was bleeding too. In 20 more minutes Priya fell unconscious again, She could partially feel that she is being taken somewhere, but not enough to figure out the exact place.
Inside her mind, the terrible clipping of accidents were going on, right from Chandni picking her up in the car from her home to the accident. Priya still didn’t know where she was and where was her close friend, Chandni. The accident brought shivers to her spine, but Priya, was unable to even react. She was somehow taken back to her life, it was a sort of recall that she was going through inside. Priya was detached from this outer world, but the lane in which she was being taken by her mind was still attached to the world.
“You could have died today or you might just die in a few minutes, or hours.” Said a voice inside her
Somehow Priya tried recalling back her life. The life that was changed when she got married. Husband, children, in laws all of them made her life beautiful, her lips smiled unconsciously. She was recalling the beautiful moments of her life that she had spent with her husband and her son. “I have been fulfilling all my responsibilities as a daughter, as a mother, as a wife and most importantly as a daughter in law” she wondered herself.
Priya has always been a woman living for others, her life has always been like an earth which revolves around her husband, her son and her in laws. She has been fulfilling all her responsibilities, for her life belonged to the future. She was amongst those who would leave her own opinions, ideas and choices for her loved ones. In this 20 years of her marriage, Priya got attracted to dancing for at least 20,000 times… she was a classical dancer before marriage and she left it after getting married because of her husband. Priya sacrificed her passion as easily as anything else. She submitted herself to her husband and forgot what she was.
“yes, but what about you?” asked the voice again.
“I have been there for my family always, and I carried my duties well.” She replied
“and what about the purpose of your life? Is it to feed your kids till they get married? To take care of your husband till eternity? To make sure that your in laws are happy with whatever you do? This was Priya as a mother, wife and daughter in law, but what about the Priya who was nobody else but only Priya? Was she born for this?” there was a pang of sudden stress inside her. It was Priya, standing and herself. There was an accidental tremble inside her, it occurred as if someone has opened the door and letting the rebellion storm inside. It also felt as if, somebody has uprooted a tress which has its roots far beneath the ground.
There was no answer from the other side. Priya has nothing to answer for the question thrown to her. Somewhere even she agreed that in the course of adapting herself, she left her existence far beyond in isolation. It was left at the place where she never bothered to visit.
“But I love to dance Shekahar” she protested
“No Priya, not here and ever.” After these words Priya never picked up her ghungrus. Each morning she used to clean them up with a cloth and recall her passion, but she never bound them to the place where they belonged to – her feet.
“You are not aware Priya, if you are going to be alive or not, but standing here, at a point which is equidistant from death and life, if you try to recall and answer my question, do you think you can? What was the purpose? Did you even enjoy your life?”
Priya, has always been there for her family members for them, she was someone who taken for granted because of the support that she provided them. Once, Priya, was out to meet her old friend from college. She got late to reach home.
“Mom? Why are you so late?” asked her son
“beta, I was going to meet my friend.”
“Mom, I am hungry.. Can’t you just come early? You know na I need food as soon as I come? Was the friend that important?”
“she was ill beta”
“so? I was hungry too. How can you be so irresponsible Mom?”
Priya quickly prepared the food for her son and fed him. She didn’t feel bad because certainly the mother inside her was too overpowering. Recalled Priya
“and what have you achieved? Respect?” there was pause on both the sides.
“We humans are too fragile in nature, we are so innocent that we get drawn towards love. Yes, like every other creature on earth we love too, but what we fail to understand is – till what limit? Love has to be selfless and that goes without saying, but, dear readers the very first thing that you could, you must do is to love yourself before loving anyone else. It is good to have an attachment, to attach your soul with someone ,but, how can we overlook and submit the true creation of god that is “us” in the hands of someone else? In this world, it is easier to love someone, then why do we forget that “we” have a life as well, why do we forget to live for ourselves in the course of living for others?
Priya was still in a state of unconsciousness, she felt as if in the state of mind like such.. She is meeting the Priya who was isolated and went missing when new Priya entered her life.
“Life is so weird isn’t it? I slept at night thinking of what to cook, when to give medicines, what to prepare for dinner, so much of planning, but I don’t even know that the moment I slept at night, I will be able to wake up or not in the morning itself. We humans, plan a step ahead so meticulously knowing that the very next moment might be the one where I took my last breath.” Priya, laughed at herself
“Planning is essential, you can separate a human from planning your life ahead, but you know what the notable thing is? Which many of tending to forego, purposely because we do not understand the gravity of the same. The moment, your foot is hanging between death and life, you are being pulled both the sides and you are completely unaware of who is going to win you like a trophy, at the point of time you must be smiling. If you look back at your life you must get a feeling of fullness and not that of regret.” A reply came
Meanwhile, on the conscious level of earth, Priya was taken to the hospital in a fast moving van. Her forehead was bleeding and the basic first aid was provided to her in the ambulance itself. The car was left there itself and attempts to contact her son and husband were made.
Some 30 minutes later her husband picked up the phone and the news of her injury was said to him. He was informed that her condition is critical and has been taken to the hospital.
“you know, but I am little glad.” Said Priya
“glad? Why? You may not open your eyes tomorrow.”
“I know, but I am glad that, at least on the probable last day of me, not so my life I met Chandni who I was missing since a long time.”
“True, but what about your best friend, Mayuri? The one with whom you had school memories. How often had you tried to meet her? Or call her?”
“I miss her a lot, but she has been busy in her school work. She is a teacher now.”
“That doesn’t answer my question. 10 years back you accidently met her and after that you never bothered even to call her because you were too busy with your family. You might not be missing her, but Priya does. Today, if you happen to close your eyes forever, the chapter of your friendship will come to a sad end. She might not even be called on your funeral… do you get how short our lives are to waste?”
We all make friends in every walk of our lives, some of them remain to be friends and some get a step closer to us. Our life keeps on walking and so do we and often we lose the touch. But, before that we make memories together, it could be a trip or just an outing of shopping, it could be a house party or just sitting together sharing problems. Once we depart, we turn our heads ahead. The gap between the two roads widens up and gradually we lose their site even before waving them a good-bye they vanish. This parting and departing is bound to happen, but someday, just try bumping into an old friend without prior notice, meet up or just pick up your phone and talk.. You will suddenly realize that your routes might have departed, but it is not that hard to stop and take a U- Turn and spare a few minutes of your life.
Priya was now at the hospital. Her papers were being prepared and she was lying on stretcher away from the anxiety of the outer world she was happily sealed inside. In the entire span of her life, this was the first time when the mirror of Priya was kept in front of her with no curtain and no wall in between. It was for the first time that she was seeing her own reflection in a different way. Her husband with her son finally arrived to the hospital. They were completely drenched in sweat and anxiety of life. The reality of “life is short” has struck them, the way it has struck Priya. The only difference was, Priya found herself and they were on the verge of losing her.
Fear of losing a loved one is certainly the world’s most painful pain, it is like you took the person for granted so much that you forgot - nothing lasts forever and now when the epiphany stands in front of you, you can only crib, cry and complain. Because while he or she was living, you never bothered and now at the time of departure you are realizing what hollowness in your life are you going to face ahead for a longer period of time.
She was being treated by the doctor with the tools that looked so inhuman. Her wound was cleaned up and careful examination by the nurse was done. Priya’s parents arrived too, since they were living in the same city. It is so weird that, while the person is happy and healthy, nobody has got the time to see and talk, but outside the operating theatre, one can see all forms of human hopes targeted only, and only in saving the person.
“What if you don’t die today?”
“it will be my rebirth, I will be thankful to this accident.”
“and what if you die?”
“I shall regret why this didn’t happen earlier. I am not afraid of death, because death eases you from the stress that one faces. Death, is a momentous movement.. you don’t know when from the lap of life you begin to walk towards the death. What I am afraid of being .. not being able to live at all. I had gotten so many days, months and years of this beautiful life, but me, didn’t understood and I took it for granted. Now that, my life is on the stack of leaving me … I want to live again.”
The condition was critical, declared the doctors. Everybody wanted her to be back, but it was only Priya, who knew that she won’t let her come back if she got the gift of her life once again.
“what happened to Chandni?”
“ah well, she died on the spot.”
“oh god.”
“even if I die after the conversation, I will be thankful that I am dying opening my eyes in spite of them being physically close. But, I wish I could have a last talk with Chandni.”
“last talk?”
“yeah, I wanted to thank her for being there for me always. For being so helpful to me.”
“why don’t you humans understand that, the death is inevitable and life is so ruthless that it won’t give you a second chance?” – “the matter of fact is, why don’t you live your day like there is no tomorrow?” – “why do you all need an occasion to express the gratitude? You never thanked her while she was alive and now you are stumbling in regret.”
“that’s true, we must understand that life is with us but it belongs to nobody and thus, we must start everything ‘today’. Because you never know, tomorrow is going to see you or to take you away forever.”
The doctors were making an attempt to save her, the condition was still critical, but a little better than earlier. Priya desperately wanted to live. A Few minutes passed and there was a movement on ECG, one was able to see Priya moving a little. Her fingers were moving and she was making attempts to open her eyes.. slowly she opened her eyes. She was able to see her husband peeping from the window with tiresome hopefulness on his face. She looked at him and smiled acknowledging his prayers, she closed her eyes till the endless.
She died with her eyes open and yet physically closed.
