Talks, and the times!

Many a thoughts he had in his mind. From where to start and where to end. Music played, the old melodies as his mother listened to them with all her heart. In the beginning he was glad, to sit next to his mom; as they were sitting on different sofas in the living room. Rajan enjoyed the music, the tunes; as his mother remembered those days of simplicity and grace. How, to his mother, how to her friends in their college days; would all of this sound. The love songs, the actors, the films; he wondered as she kept on telling him stories of those days.

In the beginning he was very willing, to give her company just by being there, with his laptop on; preparing the excel sheets. He loved the songs of the bygone era, of Hindi cinema; but then, his mother increased the volume of the songs on the playlist and it started to disturb him. For he couldn’t fully concentrate on what he was doing. In the next moment, he picked up earplugs from the table and asked her to use them. His mother was surprised, that very moment.

Rajan’s mom would often tell him to spend time with her as well, because he was mostly carried away by his office work and when not that, he was busy with his friends. She knew it very well that to give time to friends was important too. At times, she couldn’t help it but complain about his easy going attitude at home; that it was even important to keep updated about the family members. How could one’s work sit on one’s mind all day and night; this his mother wondered and asked him about it, straight. Rajan couldn’t stand in front of her questions, he would say sorry and describe that he was working on a very important business project in his office. In addition, his company was having a tough competition with the others and also it was a tough time for the economy. “Mom, you know about the slowdown of the economy, and how it affects our company; I have reports to submit to my boss, studying the factors that should be kept in concern to safeguard the interests of our customers, who have entrusted their confidence upon us. I will just finish with it, in sometime.”  Rajan explained and soon, his mother picked up the earplugs to not disturb him any further and at the same time, enjoy the melodies herself.

Then it was a day, when his friends came home as Rajan’s mother had invited them, for she knew them as they had studied in the same school as Rajan's. She enquired about their jobs, their parents and it was a very lively atmosphere that day. It was one of those days, when his mother had no complains with anyone. She would prepare the lunch for the boys and girls and they would serve the chapatis and the curry amongst themselves. “There is never any burden, when children come to meet.”, mother would say this quite often. It was a jolly day led forward, when they talked about their experiences from different events, with one another. As it was evening, and Rajan’s friends were about to leave for their homes. They thought it better to spend some more time with Rajan’s mother.

As they were talking, a topic looped up to be given an eye to. It was about, how important it was to not leave one’s interests and hobbies in life. Rajendra, cited one incident of his friend who would often fight at home, when his parents won’t allow him to join the cricket coaching at a stadium that was very far from their home. So, they asked him to wait because he was very young at that time. They couldn’t let him go there alone, so they simply resisted. Then he grew up, did cricket training at an academy near his house, but later on he left it and put the blame wholly on his parents for not allowing him to play his game at a young age when he could have reached the greatest heights. For him, the greatest heights meant to play for India one day. And as he couldn’t, he had left playing the game of cricket ever since. Ratnanjali was sitting and listening to the story of Rajendra’s friend from him with great interest, and as soon as he ended the story, she spoke out.

She was soft in her speech, as she asked this question to everyone, “Like really? One has to play for India, and what about playing for one’s happiness? One could still celebrate one’s love for that game, even when one grows old. There’s no age for playing, but the spirit matters the most, I suppose.” Others agreed to her say.

Then it was time for mother to say few words to express how she felt about this matter. She said, “ I don’t think, if a person can carry a passion for years and at then at a point in time the comments of other people could lower his/her confidence so easily. To the extent that the person thinks so low of one’s own abilities and lets go of that talent and craft for which, s/he must had carved for long. It’s not about winning always, what matters is that you do a thing for yourself. It’s not important to be a winner in the eyes of people always, but in your eyes never let your soul die.”

Everyone nodded and it was that strong gesture from everyone. Then topics went on changing and mother showed great willingness to her interaction with Rajan’s friends. Ratnanjali at this point shared a story of her brother, who had run away with a girl when inter-caste marriages weren’t allowed in their village. Theirs' was a love story, when they had to part in the end. How her brother still loved that girl, and how much she loved him; this everyone had known really well. How they both wished, if they could have run away from the village together without getting caught in the middle of the dark night. Everything had been with the plan, just they got unlucky, when a friend of the girl informed her parents. Ratnanjali was sad on telling everyone about this story. How, she wished they could go away, live life together; but she knew this could have led to troubles in the village within the two communities. The situation came under control after the Panchayat in the village decided to send the boy out of the village for work for two years and the two of them were asked to never meet again, if they wanted to save themselves from even worse aftermaths. Ratnanjali’s brother and his beloved never met since that day, the Panchayat packed his bags and made him leave the village. In the days to follow, the girl got married to a man from her community and culture only. This news even baffled Ratnanjali's brother and he wanted to take revenge from his beloved’s family for crushing their dreams and forcing her to marry someone whom she didn’t love.

Everyone fell silent including Rajan’s mother. Then Rajan spoke, “I have heard this wonderful line, that ‘don’t fall in love but rise in love.’ Shri Shri Ravi Shankar gave volume to these words, decorated along to form a beautiful line. Moreover, it’s not merely a line to be said, but to be realized and felt by one’s heart. Your brother, Ratna; shouldn’t think of causing anyone harm or do them bad, he should let it be; because now things can’t be changed. Love never gets over, it wasn’t love if it was to end. Love always grew manifold, with hours, with days and so on. He shouldn’t limit it and take revenge, this would only lead to blunders and it will be in his failing to understand the spirit of love. If he could do but little to bring a change to the mentality of people, it would be with the success of love, by making them realize how wrong they were. People do bad to you, doesn't mean you do the same to them. There will be no difference between you and them, if you also react in the same manner"  Everyone looked at him, either in belief or disbelief; this was left on each one present there, to realize what love was. Rajan didn’t preach, but he expressed his heart open to everyone. Ratnanjali expressed her approval of what he had said, and told him that she would try to make him not let the love take such a bad form of anger, furies for them. Maybe, it was in his destiny, that whatever happened.

Sooner everyone left for their homes and mother was waiting in the living room at night and listening again to her favourite songs and that day, Rajan had no work to do. They sat together and talked on about life and living, it was really a memorable day for the mother-son duo, to express and feel what they had in their minds.
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27’ june’ 14
1:30am

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