Cataract

"Dont worry, It will be over soon", Dr. Paresh said.

Asif was on the operation bed, scared to the core. No one would have thought that a game of cricket could have brought the kid to this state. Cataract due to trauma was the medical term described by the Doctors. The eye lens is a soft object, which can harden due to trauma, i.e. a physical injury. In this case Asif was unfortunate to have been hit by a cricket ball on his left eye. The Trauma slowly hardened his eye lens. Finally the soft eye lens turned into a hard mass, making him half-blind. Dr. Paresh would replace the hard mass with an artificial lens. He was brought back to present by a needle pressed below his left eye. He gripped the sides of the table to control the pain.

He couldn't understand how much time had gone but when he woke up, he could only open his right eye and the left eye was bandaged. He found Dr. Paresh standing next to him, smiling. The Cataract has been removed successfully he said.

Asif's right eye looked at the Doctor, he wanted to ask him something. He was happy that the cataract of his eye has been removed, but what about his heart. Can that be removed and replaced ?

The Heavenly Shower

The Brahmin was tired.... Too much of traveling happened during the day.

But it was also a sunday. He always made it a point to visit the local temple and offer his prayers to the lord. But today even though the temple was on his current path, he was tempted a lot to return to the shelter of his home. He looked out from his bus and saw clouds gathering in the sky. That made him even more lethargic. Also the hot day had made him sweat profusely and he was badly in need of a bath. How can he have a darshan without a bath? He decided that he will give the temple a skip.

As the bus approached the temple, he felt a throb in his heart. Of course god wants the pure mind of a devotee, not his body. He looked at himself. He was totally shabby. He felt his hair, they were completely ruffled and dry. Still he could not stop himself from getting down at the bus stop next to the temple. Determined, he walked towards the temple which was roughly a kilometer away.

Within a few seconds came the downpour. It was not a drizzle, it was heavy shower. He cursed himself for getting down from the bus. It was turning out to be a horrible decision. And even though the Brahmin remembered running for 2 minutes, by the time he was at the temple corridor he was drenched. From head to toe. The temple priest eyed him and muttered," You seem to be well -washed. Go on, the aarti has just started. You are on time".

After his prayer the Brahmin walked towards his home, enjoying the clear sky of the evening.

Violin Class

Asif was disappointed.....

Ammi could sense his disappointment in the way he approached his room and threw his bag away. After all he had waited for so long. And still for some reason he was not allowed in. He felt so insecure, so unwanted.

Unable to see his mental conflict, Ammi hugged him. "Whats the matter son" ? she asked.

" I am disturbed", Asif said, eyes moist and ready to burst.

Ammi kissed his forehead and said, " Beta, didn't you learn from your music instrument class" ?

Asif looked at his ammi in surprise, probing for an explanation.

Ammi said, " Your favorite violin. What it does do ? When disturbed, it creates music. Music that is magic. Magic that fills every ones heart with happiness. Create music, my son".

As Ammi was preparing rotis, she could hear Asif practicing his notes.

Attraction

"Here, have this Khatti-Meethi Gooli".

Ali-bhai has lured hundreds of children with this statement, but this boy was unfazed. This worked on most of the childred, he thought to himself. He could then go on and sell them wherever he could, there is such a huge demand. Ali-bhai then produced a Kit-Kat from his pocket. The boy still remained still. Ali-bhai watched him closely now. He was thin and pale, eyes had a stony silence in them. Ali-bhai started searching for something bigger in his pouch, and then finally pulled out the doll. "Come take it, he told". This time there was some reaction from the boy. Screaming loudly, Asif ran away, crying .... away from the attraction.

Ali-bhai muttered, "What a strange boy".........

Mother's Love

The cub was crying.

Her heart ached. She was a lioness, but the sight of her cub crying out of hunger caused her unbearable pain. She set out for the hunt. She stalked the plains for a prey. There was a small herd of goats grazing near the babool tree. Without wasting time, she launched her attack. The herd ran in all directions, only a pair of goats remained still. It was a she-goat and with her a baby-goat. This was easy for the lioness.

She walked slowly towards them. The baby goat did not understand the over looming danger and was calm. The she-goat however was terrified, but held her ground to protect her baby. The lioness sniffed both of them and then roared.....

The She-goat said weakly, "Please spare my child, eat me. You may also be a mother. Please spare my child."

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Hunger now satisfied the cub was now in a playful mood and played chase with the monkeys. The lioness too took rest under the shade, and smacked her lips and wondered, the tender flesh of the baby goat was really tasty.

Silence

It rained again..........

He loved watching the rain. It always made the environment cool. It also brought silence. Silence due to the empty traffic on the road. Silence due to the people, birds and animals that have taken shelter in their nests. The loud silence of the downpour....

Far away, she was also watching the rain, in silence..........

Flowers by the Roadside

What an insignificant, low life they have !

Asif was referring to the little yellow flowers that grew on the roadside. He often wondered why these flowers grew. Why they bloomed, why they stared at all the people that pass by the roadside. The flowers never did anything productive in their lifetime, they just bloom and then fade away one day.

Abbu understood the turmoil in Asif's mind. Only he knew that the flowers bloom irrespective of the weather conditions, and that they smile and pass on their fragrance to the people who pass by the roadside.

Dinner

"I don't want dinner today" Asif told stubbornly.

He had just been on the losing side of a fight with his ammi. He went back to his room and closed the door shut. It was 9.00 pm. Ammi continued preparing food and served to all others in the house. From the corner of her eye, she watched Asif's room. It was tight shut, and no light came out of it. Once everyone was done, she gathered all the utensils and went ahead to clean those. The time was nearly 10.45 p.m.

Slowly Asif's Door creaked open.

Asif did not step out, but a faint voice came out, "Ammi, give me some food".

Practical Person

"Don't cry my friend". Asif consoled Anwar.

"What to do, I cannot control my grief. Such a big loss for me", Anwar said.

"Come lets drink a glass of water", Asif told him. They then discussed about the preparations for the upcoming exams, and soon forgot about their previous discussion. As they parted, Anwar asked, "How come you never show your emotions" ? Asif laughed at it and said, " Well, I am a practical person. I don't carry emotions".

Next day morning before going to school Asif left his pillow cover to dry in the sun....

The Little Bird

Asif's fascination for birds never faded away. He loved all types of them. Even when studying, sometimes he used to peek through his window and gaze at the pretty birds playing near the mango tree. He always wished that he had a bird of his own.

One day Asif was playing marbles in the courtyard, when the beautiful little bird came chirping near the mogra shrub. Asif watched the bird curiously, and admired the beauty. It was small fat bird with blue freckles near its neck. It seemed to be aloof of Asif's presence, who now was squatted on the floor, watching it silently. The bird hopped from one shrub to other sucking at the nectar provided by little flowers. Asif now wished that he could have this lovely bird with him. Slowly he approached the little bird.

But alas it flew away, in search of a new flower.

Lift karaade !!

"But it is so far" !! Asif exclaimed!

"There is no option, if you want to make the Bus Pass, you need to go to the Bus depot". Disappointed, Asif dragged himself towards home. The daily expense of 50 paisa for the bus to school was affecting his monthly allowance, and he did not want to burden his Abbu anymore. The Bus pass was a cheaper option, saving Rs. 7 per month. But he was wondering how he would reach the Bus Depot which was built at a desolate place away from the main road. He could take an Auto, but that would consume Rs. 10. He saw the narrow road leading to the bus depot as he passed through the main road many times, but soon he forgot about the potential savings and continued to bear the daily expense.

It was only when teacher announced that new books need to bought due to a syllabus change, that Asif started thinking again. He decided that he would walk the treacherous path and get the bus pass. So, he did.... He got down at the main road and entered the narrow path. The road seemed to extend to the horizon, the Tar had been laid almost a decade ago, and the monsoon has left it in patches. After an hour of walking he saw his destination. "Another 1o minutes," he said to himself. It actually took him another 20 minutes. But he was there, just in time before the depot office closed for the day. He finally got the bus pass!

Happy with the achievement, he started his journey back, calculating the books he could buy with the savings. Peeeeeeeee Peeeeeeeee !!!! His thought were interrupted by the horn of a motorcycle, "Boy, do you want a lift to the main road" ? the biker asked him. Asif nodded, and before he could frame his thank you sentence, he was dropped at the main road. He barely manged to thank the biker before the biker sped away in the opposite direction.

When he narrated his day to Abbu, Abbu hugged him and said, "You have learned an important lesson, Isn't it ?? No Journey can be complete without the first step".

Later in the night when Asif was fast asleep, Abbu bowed and said, "Allah, thank you for helping my child".

Cuckoo

kuuuu....kuuuu

Asif slid his textbook away and carefully crept to the window. The mango tree was lush green, and it was difficult to spot the source of the sound. Abbu saw him and asked, "What are you doing beta" ?

"Shhhhhh..... Abbu. I want to see that bird", Asif eyes still fixed on the mango tree.

Abbu said, "Its a Cuckoo, difficult to spot, the song echoes all around".

Finally Asif was able to spot it. A small black bird, the song seemed to flow effortlessly. He wondered how such a small bird could sing so loudly and beautifully.

Watching the Cuckoo sing became a daily affair for him. The pleasant song seemed to bring coolness to the hot dry mornings of march and april. As the months rolled by, dark clouds came in from the south. The Cuckoo's song grew louder and louder....and one day it stopped. Asif waited for long hours by the window to hear the song, but it seemed to have disappeared. Finally Asif concluded that the Cuckoo was dead!

As time went by the last of the mangoes fell of the tree, the leaves turned brown in winter. On the other side of the window, Asif returned to his usual life, forgetting everything about the Cuckoo. And as the time rolled by, one february morning he woke up with the same sweet song. He thought he was dreaming, but he crept to the window and saw the tiny black Cuckoo..... kuuuu......kuuuu

"Strange, I thought it was dead", Asif said. Abbu hugged him and said, "It was not dead. The Cuckoo sings only during the spring, once the season goes away, it waits for the next season to come".