It
was a spring season. Trees started getting new leaves; flowers blooming, fragrance
spread everywhere. Wherever one goes, one would find plants laden with full
bloomed flowers with bees buzzing around. Arun and Satish are two good friends;
the way they behave with one another makes people go confused. If one hurts
other, one does not take too long to reconcile. They seemed as if they have
been destined only to be with another in this world. However, luck has some
other ideas. There has been no single occasion where one went leaving other.
With passage of time, both of them realized they have to go towards different
direction as per demand of the situation they were. Before parting from one
another, they discussed all their secrets and promised many things.
“Satish,
I know you have given me your helping hands during all my trying circumstances,
so tomorrow you are leaving me here in the village. I’m very sad that I
couldn’t give you anything except my love. I wish May almighty help you in
realizing all your dreams. I don’t know for whatever reason I couldn’t have the
fate you have. I fully know you would become an established person one day and
you will definitely be coming home carrying prestige, reputation, honor and love
as well. So, if tomorrow I die, please help my children and show them good path
showing your example,” Said Arun in an emotional tone.”
“Hey,
what are you saying? No need to show such emotion ok! I’m gonna nowhere right;
I have been with you and will be with you forever. Tell me what happened to you
today!” saying Satish shook him and gave a warm hug. “Nothing, just wondering
how I have to wait for again five years to see you here, even I don’t know what
I will have become by then,” he further added. Next day Satish went to City for
his further study after shedding tears while leaving Arun the only true friend
he has ever had in his life. The fate began showing signs during all those long
five years!
Arun
had a marriage right two years after Satish left him. He sent him a letter
mentioning everything about his wedding. Satish used to reply him saying he
would come and joke with his new ‘Babhi’. It has been a long time no mutual
correspondence was going on between the two. Satish was so occupied with his
research works that he had little time to keep in touch. Here Arun had to work
for entire day to look after his family comprised of his two kids, wife and his
ailing father. He lost his mother when he was twelve years old. That year was a
year of drought; crops failed to flourish and he had to borrow money from
others. Day after day his Dad’s health was deteriorating, it was very hard to
find job during those rainy days in the village. One day he met a man known as
‘Setji’. The man knew his condition and took no time to convince him about his
drug business. He was offered certain amount of money and the only work he had
to do was to keep drugs supplied by some group of people and sell them to
others. Finally, he after contemplating for sometime accepted the offer.
That
evening he all narrated to his wife in the evening. His wife refused it and
told him to return the cash. She knew once he starts the business, he would
also be addicted to it. Few days later his father passed away. Now all those
people involved in the business kept visiting to his home which was not
tolerated by his wife. There were always quarrels between both him and his
wife. Whatever his wife earns, he takes half earned money to buy drugs to keep
him satisfied. Out of frustration and depression, one day his wife took her two
children to far away to a relative. While returning both the kids were crying
looking their only mother leaving them behind. They both followed for some
distance and her relative took away. On asking she told her relative that she
had some urgent work to do and once the works get finished, he would come back
to take away her children. On that evening she put kerosene oil all over to her
body and burnt down herself. Looking her doing so, some neighbors rushed
towards her and put off the fire. They took her to nearby hospital. Soon later
her drug addicted husband reached to hospital. Next day she passed away leaving
her two poignant kids behind.
One day both the kids sat under their father’s
lap. They were under bright moonlight, cool breeze kept blowing. One of the
kids asked his father about the twinkling star in the sky, saying, “Dad, what
are these high in the sky twinkling blue, white, red and green?” He said these
were the mothers of many little children like them watching them play from the
sky. One day Arun went to hills to cultivate Jhum cultivation. Staying there
for a couple of weeks, he fell seriously ill. One of the villagers gave him
1500 Rupees to cure his illness. But he, instead of purchasing medicine, bought
drugs and some days later he also passed away. All of a sudden these two kids
became orphans. Was it their sins done in previous birth or simply got
irresponsible parents for their orphanage?
This
year Satish successfully passed out of his course and got a lucrative job. He
thought he would purchase a new lifetime gift for Arun and his wife from the
very first salary he would draw. However, before that someone told him what
happened to Arun and his wife and their two little children. He even knew the
message that some of people in the village were looking for people who take
care of orphans. Having heard the information, Satish rushed back to village
and called up an urgent meeting. In the meeting he almost abused everyone about
the incident. He said, “Had you all been helpful, Arun and his wife would not
have done these things, shame on all of you!” saying he wiped out his slow
dropping of tears. Thereafter, he started taking care of those two kids like
his own children and finally established them who went on leading successful
lives unlike their parents.
