Small gesture...

This lane has been over crowded today than when they came here last. They were peeping through all those colourful windows of each shop, having a glimpse of what’s new on display. Their hands were full with shopping bags, but not their appetite for shopping.
Both of them were giggling & trying to rush and be the first to get the hands on something favorites of theirs. This was Diwali time and most of the street shops displayed the lights, lamps, diyas, sweets etc.

“Don’t you need anything?”, she asked to this sweet girl with her, trying to hold her small hand tightly scaring to loose her grip in this busy rushing lane.

“Would you buy for me those stars?”, the girl pointed to a pack of neon stars & moon.

“But those are not the stuff that has to be put for Diwali, you can have this wonderful Diya or this China lightings… Wow! Look at these candles so beautiful & artistic. Would you like to have these?”, she suggested her.

“No, those stars seem beautiful to me, I would like to have them”, she pointed at them again.

At the home later…
“Have you packed your bracelet, rubber-bands, clips?.... Why don’t you take these shoes instead of those sandals? Let me see what else you kept in your bag?”, digging inside her bag...she was murmuring most of the things herself, than asking this little girl.

“When do I have my train?”, the small girl wondered.

“Tomorrow evening… but make a point you won’t trouble your grand dad during the journey”, she was teaching her.

“Now put your remaining things in your bag.. Come on ..soon”, she smiled looking at her, rubbing her hand on the girls hair at the same time.

“Not now I am doing some work”, speaking this the girl rushed back to the bedroom.

After a long silence…she peeped into the bedroom to get the latest. Maybe the sixth sense invited her to this room. She observed a wooden stool on the bed and the small girl on it, trying to reach the ceiling to put those stars & the moon there.

“Ouch”….the caring arms caught her… she would have fell to the ground.

“My God!.. Have mercy!!… what are you doing here with this stool on bed? You would have broken your leg if I were not in time.”, she sounded harsh on her.

They together then filled the whole ceiling with those night glowing stars & moon.

That night….
The room was dark & those beautiful stars & moon started glowing on the ceiling. It seemed that they both lay under an open sky, gazing & admiring the wonderful world God had created.
“Twinkle twinkle little star
DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE?
Up above the world so high
Like a DIAMOND in the sky”

Cuddling her she said, “Oh! sweet sweet girly… it is HOW I WONDER WHAT YOU ARE?....”

“hmm, those lines are for you. You are the diamond in this whole universe”.

That line from this little girl made her eyes wide open in disbelief, this effort only to make her feel so loved so precious. She admired this small gesture of hers throughout the night.

The girl jumped from one berth to another in the train compartment. So playful & so happy. She bought some chip packets, chocolate, water for the little girl. Kissed her holding her tear back.
And they waved goodbye to each other.

She lay on her bed again that night… alone….staring those glowing stars & moon on the ceiling, the little girl left for her... echoing those words again and again….
DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE?....
LIKE A DIAMOND IN THE SKY……
Remembering this little girl and her unique yet so wonderful and lovable gesture, she closed her eyes with peace and a smile.

Some small gestures are so charming so unforgettable……. Isn't it??

Bano

Clad in a maroon saree she sat on floor having nothing to say. The face was humble and it looked that she belonged to a decent family.
“Yeh Bano hai, memsaab, Kaam chahiye isko”, the woman who accompanied her said. She has brought Bano to my aunt’s place to fetch some job for her livelihood.
“Yeh kahan raheti hai?”
“Pata nahin, yeh mujhe raste me milli. Iska koi nahin hai, isko ap apne ghar rakkho”.

My aunt felt helpless, she already had a domestic help. She called my mother, if she needed her & can provide her a shelter at her home. My mother who is blessed with a generous heart can never say no to a needy.

She took Bano home.

Bano, was ready to work but did not remember how to do those jobs.

“Bano tum ko roti pakana ata hai?”
“Roti? pakaoungi”
“Accha chaye bana kar dikhao”
“Memsahab mere saruraal me sirf doudh ki chaye banti hai, bahut sari gaayein hain…”
“Accha……. Tumhara sasurral kahan hai”, enquired lovingly.
“??????????”, she had no answer.
“Ghar kahan hai tumhara?”
“Yaad nahin…..”, she walked slowly & sat on a corner, with empty look.

It was about a week now Bano could not recall where she belonged to. She was loosing memory slowly. At times she could recall few things but could not convey exactly.

She now seems to be lost in herself. She started eating food less. We took her to the doctor, who prescribed few medicines. Bano was loosing most of her memory, she could not even locate where the toilet was. Started using the corners of the courtyard.

We made desperate attempts to talk to her to find out her home address so that she could be sent to her loved one. Now it was obvious that due to her memory loss she had forgotten her way home. But all our attempts were in vain.

We decided to take her to old aged home. The administration was strictly ‘no’ for it, giving an excuse that they have a space of 40 beds & they have accommodated 100 inmates, they cannot help us. They are sorry.

We took her to another women’s shelter. They had another excuse to refuse. They said that they can only accept her if she is brought by the police. So they requested us to hand her to the police. This was out of question. We could never do that, handing a helpless, innocent woman to police. We had no clue to your situation, except to return back home.

We fed her with hand, pat her back, stroke her hair & lovingly asked one day, “Do you want to go home Bano?”
She said “Haan... Gulbarga…..”
Finally, finally she knew where she belonged to!!

Next day we took her to the railway station. Bought her ticket to Gulbarga. Gave her some money and a note of our address and phone number, handed a letter addressing to whom so ever concerned, writing details about her and asking us to contact incase help needed for her. We informed the co-passengers about her, gave them some money & asked them to help her on her way back to her home. They willingly agreed.
We called the Gulbarga railway station master & informed him about her coming, gave the seat number and the bogie details and prayed that she reach home safely.

We were sleeping so deeply maybe with so much of stress that we were feeling for her that we could not even hear a long ring of the telephone early morning.
My mother woke us. She was having a bright smile on her face, she was feeling so happy & a smile of victory was evident from her speech.

We couldn’t believe what she informed after that…….

“Bano ke bhai ka phone tha, bahut bahut shukriya ada kar raha tha hum logon ka, Bano khairiyat se ghar pahunch gayi”

“Kah raha tha Bano aath (8) mahine baad ghar ayee hai………..” We could see a tear just to fall from my mother’s eyes.

We all hugged her for her victory!

Bubbles of LOVE........

BUBBLES OF LOVE

She sat on her bed, reasoning why her life was at a standstill. One letter shattered her wonderful dream. Holding it she sat convinced she had no love in her life. Maybe she is not wanted by anyone in this world; tears rolling down her cheeks.

Her thoughts flash backed every second of her life contemplating things that she could have done & that she did not. Where was she wrong? Someone she begged gave her that answer….

Having a grave look on her face she was starring at the phone, that flashed a call from home. Picking she cried aloud “Mamma why this happened to me? I do not wish to live”.
A sober voice at the other end spoke with love & care, “No my child, have faith in God, HE does things with purpose”.
“I am shattered, Mamma, shattered completely”.
“Go out somewhere for a change, you will see things differently & would feel good. Do not overlook the small things that God has given you, treasure them, they would give you happiness & love…. Happiness will return to you definitely, my child ….” her mother lend a precious advice.

CHANGE? Change for whom and for what? Only to get convinced that love is not destined? Thoughts like these racking her mind. There was so much of turmoil inside her, she could hardly think of anything else in her life at this moment.

A waitlisted ticket was enough to give her another whack. Later in day she thought no matter what she needs to run away from this city, run away from the situation where destiny had put her today. She boarded the train to Bangalore. Her friend’s family was there to welcome her at the station. She put a hard effort to hide her gloomy look with a small smile and greeted them. The generous friend made everything comfortable for her stay at their home.

There was a sense of celebration at their home on her arrival; the air was filled with joy. Their little son was playing with the little girl that accompanied her along. The happy faces all around her forced her to smile.

Her friend convinced her that her stay at Bangalore would be a memorable one for all. Bangalore a city of gardens, hence Lalbaug was their first destination in a long list of places to be visited.

She was enthralled by the crowd there. The rows of pretty flowers, the fountain, the beautiful trees, the happy faces all around her made it a wonderful sight.

She was slowly getting charged, opening her senses to smile and trying to overcome her sadness. They bought ice-cream with fruit salad, wafer, chocolates and enjoyed. She clicked the crowd, the huge shed at the centre of the garden which looked beautiful, the pretty bed of roses and daises, the solitude lake at the end and the man blowing soap bubbles to attract kids at centre.

They walked around for a while & sat down on a lush green grass patch, talked and laughed. Their kids ran away to catch soap bubbles that the man was blowing far away. Her friend followed them to take care. She was left alone and now was slowly sinking into her old mood. She felt extremely alone. Why was she alone when everybody was smiling and laughing around her? She was in silent thoughts.

The kids were now running and chasing the soap bubbles. They returned to her with a box of soap liquid and started blowing soap bubbles around her. She observed this little girl, she looked naughty than ever, her face was angelic and she was smiling continuously. Sometimes she hopped around to catch the bubbles, blew them and run to hold them back on her blower than trying to blow another bigger bubble. Sometimes she blows them close to the little boy who was trying to catch them. She started jumping to catch them, at times higher than her friend and sometimes teased him with the balloons she had. This energetic little girl made her smile again.

She clicked the little girl’s picture, every pose she could manage to take. She waited for the right moment. The little girl noticed her efforts to take the picture and started running around her. Happy to have her attention on her she came back posing for the next photo. The little girl was now amazed with the amount of attention she was receiving. Posing and running back to her to see the photo captured in the LCD screen of the camera.

It was a wonderful sight. All her ruminations stopped, she was now laughing with an unknown joy at this little girl. The girl looked beautiful with her black hair, eager black eyes and a sweet, shy smile. As she composed the shot, she could not help laughing. The girl was adjusting her hair, giving a perfect picture, attempting like an already aspiring model!

The little boy also joined. They played around her and her camera. The girl started using the camera and managed to take few shots. Now it was time to leave. To her surprise inside she was feeling very happy and delighted.

As they were leaving, the little girl came running to hold her hand.

She asked, “Would you be my friend?”

A simple question. But one of the greatest moment of her life. She made a new friend.

She smiled and said, “Yes, my friend!”

They returned back to their city in few days. She much content to found a new friend in this trip and more with the thought that she is loved by someone in this world and someone who needed her so much in life.

The little girl loves to talk to her new found friend. Shares her small everyday stories, hugs her, kiss her and plays around together.

A month later she developed the film. The photos were one of the best of her collection. She showed them to her little friend. The little friend was impressed and overjoyed. She jumped to kiss her, hugged her & thanked her. Smiled and started her endless conversation with her, till she ordered her to stop and sleep.

She lay besides her looking at the angelic friend, who had suddenly changed her life and brought so much love. Lazily lying she thought if she would have observed this earlier, like she does now, she would be rejoicing over her life, long before.

Nature presents a variety of creations to us. But we hardly observe them. They give us great joy; fill us with tremendous hope, even if they come for short lived or as a smallest creation in our life.

She now rejoices over the fact that BUBBLES OF LOVE are destined to her!