PARIJAT

EVERYTHING APPEARS TO BE IN A HURRY. THREE WHEELS CYCLE TROLLEYS ARE BEING LOADED. BELONGINGS ARE ARRENGED WITH CARE. BIG SIZED UNBREAKABLES ARE PUSHED INSIDE. SMALL VALUABLES ARE KEPT IN THE MIDDLE. CUSHIONS MADE OUT OF TORN CLOTHES ARE SPREAD IN THE END PART OF TROLLEY. THEN THE LABOUR COUPLE WILL SIT IN THE END WITH THEIR CHILDREN WITH PETS. IT COULD BE ANYTHING A SMALL KITTEN OR A PUPPY OR COULD BE A HEN. CHILDREN ARE HALF NAKED. MAY BE THE STOMACH IS HALF-FILLED ALSO. EVERYTHING REMAINS HALF FOR THEM. HALF NAKED, HALF FILLED STOMACH, HALF CLOSED EYES IN HOT AND BRIGHT SUN. BUT STILL THEY GIGGLE IN INNOCENCE. LOOK TO YOU IN STRANGE EYES WHEN THEY SEE YOU COVERED HEAD TO FEET. IT IS UNUSUAL FOR THEM. THEY SMILE AT YOU, IN A STRANGE WAY, SURPRISE MIX WITH SUSPICION AND FEAR. BUT THE INNOCENCE IN THE FACE IS SWEET, CLEAN AND BRIGHT. IT IS COVERED WITH DREAM, DREAM OF TOMMOROW, DREAM FOR ACHIEVEMENT, THE DREAM TO CONVERT EVERYTHING INTO FULL. THEIR DREAMS MOVE SLOWLY LIKE THOSE CYCLE TROLLEYS, STRUGGLING TO GATHER PACE IN THAT BUMPY ROADS. TROLLEYS ARE MOVING ONE AFTER OTHER AS THE LABOUR COLONY GETTING VACATED.

JOHN LOOKED TOWARDS THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED BRIDGE. HIS JOB IS OVER, HE HAS TO MOVE BEFORE THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY LEAVING THE SITE CLEAN. ALMOST TWO YEARS HE HAD SPENT HERE. LONG TIME, BUT IT APPEARS ALL YESTERDAYS, SO FRESH AND SO RECENT. EVERYTHING HAS COME AROUND IN A CIRCLE. THE FIRST DAY AND LAST DAY IT ALL APPEARS SAME .IT WAS CLEANING ON THE FIRST DAY AND CLEANING ON THE LAST DAY. BUT IT IS NOT ALL THE SAME IN REALITY.IT IS DIFEERENCE OF BIRTH AND DEATH THOUGH YOU FIND FLOWERS AND FRAGRANCES IN THE BOTH THE OCCASIONS .PEOPLE SING IN BOTH THE OCCASIONS BUT IT IS ALL DIFFERENT.DIFFERENT FLOWERS ,DIFFERENT FRAGRANCES, DIFFERENT SONGS, DIFFERENT MUSIC,DIFFERENT TUNES AND DIFFERENT EMOTIONS. FIRST DAY IT WAS EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM OF A NEW BEGINNING. LAST DAY IT WAS HEAVY HEART OF LEAVING SOMETHING. FIRST DAY IT WAS SONG OF WELCOME WHILE FEMALE WORKERS CONSTRUCT THEIR HUTS. LAST DAY, IT IS CACOPHONY AND RUMBLING SOUNDS AS MALE WORKERS PULLING DOWN THOSE HUTS.

SLOWLY AND SURELY, THE SUN IS MOVING DOWN IN THE HORIZON. SAND IN THE RIVER EMITS A GOLDEN GLITTER. THE BREEZE FROM RIVER COMING FAST AS IT IS ALL VACANT. ALL THE LABOUR HUTS ARE GONE AND DEBRIS HAS BEEN CLEANED. JOHN CLOSED THE DOOR AND CAME TO THE BACK YARD. HE HAS TO LEAVE TOMORROW AND THIS HOUSE AT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE WILL BE CONVERTED IN TO BRIDGE MAINTENANCE OFFICE. THE BACK YARD IS RELATIVELY CALM. BREEZE IS SLOW AND PLEASANT. JOHN SAT IN THE CEMENT CHAIR AND STRECHED HIS LEGS. DUSK IS ARRIVING FAST, THE SUN HAS SLEPT. IT IS GOLDEN, FAST DIMINISHING GOLDEN. GOLDEN MIXED WITH DARK. THEN IT IS FAINT DARK. BREEZE IS FAST BECOMING COOL, PLEASANTLY COOL. JOHN LOOKED TO THE SKY. HE COULD SEE THE SOLITARY STAR FLICKERING AND SMILING. CLOUDS MOVE ON COVERED THE LONELY STAR. IT IS DARK. COMPLETELY DARK. JOHN COULD HEAR THE WAILING OF FOXES. CLOUDS ARE MOVING SLOWLY UNFOLDING STARS FROM THEIR TAILS. THERE ARE STARS, GLITTERING STARS EVERY WHERE WITH THAT CRESCENT GOLDEN MOON. IT IS SILVERY NOW, BRIGHT SILVERY. CRESCENT MOON WITH THOSE GLITERING STARS LOOK TO THEIR FACES IN RIVER WATER. BREEZE HAS STOPPED. WATER IS CALM, NO WAVES, AND NO RIPPLES. SILENT, SILENT AS HERMIT IN DEEP MEDITATION.

AIR IS FILLED WITH SWEET AROMA OF PARIJAT (NIGHT JASMINE} FLOWERS. THE TALL PARIJAT TREE IN THE CORNNER OF BACK YARD HAS STARTED BLOOMING. PARIJAT FLOWERS WITH THOSE WHITE COROLLA AND ORANGE RED TUBE IN CENTRE ARE SPARKLING LIKE STARS IN THE SKY.

JOHN LOOKED TO THE TREE .IN THE SILVERY MOON LIGHT WHITE PARIJATS ARE JUST LIKE THOSE BEAUTIFUL ANGELS FLOATING AROUND AND BLESSING AROUND. JOHN COULD SEE THE CEMENT CARPET UNDER THE PARIJAT TREE. THAT CARPET -------, CEMENT CARPET, SILENT CARPET, OUGHH GOD-----------.JOHN COULD NOT BEAR THE LOOK OF THAT CARPET. HE LOOKED TO THE SKY. REMEMBERING SOMEBODY. SEARCHING SOMEBODY. SOMEBODY FACE BECAME APARANT IN THAT CRESENT MOON. IT IS HAZY IN THE BEGINNING LIKE THAT MEMORY SLOWLY BLOOMING UP. HE COULD SEE HIS FRIEND JACOB, THE STEEL REINFORCEMENT FABRICATOR JACOB, SLOWLY GETTING DETACHED FROM THE CRESENT MOON, FALLING AND WHIRLING ON AIR BEFORE FALLING ON CHEST ON THAT CEMENT CARPET.

THE PARIJAT TREE HAS GROWN WITH THE MEMORY OF JACOB BLOOMING WITH FLOWERS SO SWEET, SO AROMATIC, SO SMILING, SO SHORT AS JACOB WAS. GOOD PERSON NEVER LASTS. GOD TAKES AWAY FOR HIS OWN REQUIREMENT. WHAT REMAINS FOR US IS MEMORY, THAT SHORT AND YET AGONIZING MEMORY. IT BURNS. IT HURTS. YES IT IS WORTH BURNING IN THAT FIRE OF MEMORY.

IT IS COOL MIST AIR OF DAWN CAJOLED JOHN TO OPEN HIS EYES. HE HAD SLEPT IN THAT CEMENT BENCH IN THE OPEN AIR THROUGH OUT THE NIGHT LOOKING TO THE CEMENT CARPET AND PARIJAT FLOWERS. IT IS STILL MISTY DARK, BUT IT IS FADING FAST. HE COULD NO LONGER SEE THE CEMENT CARPET. IT IS FULL WITH CARPET OF WHITE PARIJATS WITH THAT ORANGE RED TUBE. PARIJATS THE FLOWER OF SARROW HAVE DROPPED FROM THE STEMS. THEY HAVE TO GO BEFORE SUN RISE. THEY ARE FOR ONE NIGHT, SO SWEET, YET SO SHORT. FEW IN THE BRANCHES ARE SLOWLY CASTING OFF LIKE THAT VANISHING STARS OF NIGHT. BUT IT IS WORTH TO CHERISH THEIR MEMORY.

SLEEP MY FRIEND, JACOB, SLEEP MY FRIEND. YOU WERE SO SHORT AND SO SWEET LIKE THOSE PARIJATS AND STARS IN THE SKY. ONLY MUNDANE LIVES LONG!!!