HOPE lives on  

Posted by Nitu in ,

[ Sometimes I feel hope is a meaningless delusion to bank on for living. Then my mind drifts around.. always returning back with some nameless souls, nameless stories, nameless lives which are being lived and written only on one thing..namely, HOPE ]

Kailash looks up to the sky. Every morning it is almost a ritual duty for him now a day. Last year the crop was not good as monsoon didn't arrive in time. He sees a few fragmented clouds getting heavier here and there. A smile crosses his lips. 'this time, Lord..this time'- he murmurs. Last year Narayan seeked his daughter Mamta's hands for Narayan's son. But Kailash couldn't commit it because of the poor crop.
Kailash summons his wife,"Roopali, can you come here?" She arrives. "look at the clouds"- his joy hasn't faded yet. "Our lands no longer will remain parched. We are going to have a good harvest this time. I am going to accept the marriage proposal for Mamta. The boy is good, suitable for our daughter. Aah Lord, she will make a beautiful bride." he continues.. Roopali smiles too. For 22 years Kailash's little joy, little hopes have been her source of living and happiness...

HOPE is happiness.

~~~~~~~~~
June in Kolkata is scorching hot. Baasu's feet are paining, the hands are burning. They have been sun burnt to a coal-black long before. Baasu gives in, "I can't pull it anymore." He decides to rest under a banyan tree. Even a little shade is a rare event in a city like Kolkata.
He mopes the sweats on his forhead with a corner of his lungi. For five years he has been cycling a rickshaw. For three months he hasn't visited his village home. Last time when he went he met a school teacher, his son Shantanu's teacher. The teacher reassured again, "Baasu, your son is exceptionally good in study. You should ensure your son's study doesn't get hampered due to lack of something. One day he will make you a proud father." Baasu is already proud of his son. Shantanu wants to become a doctor. The boy is of such a caring nature! He will make helluva of a good doctor. What a wonderful moment it will be when his own injury, bruises will be treated by his own son one day. Baasu remembers, as a kid he used to cry a lot when he got injected with a syringe. He still fears a needle. May be he won't fear anymore if the needle holder would be his own son. A smile appears on his tired face. He reassures himself, 'one day, one day..and that day is not far away..till then I will work hard on..no matter how much it pains..'
'Hey rickshaw, will you go?'- a female voice jostles his thoughts.
But he doesn't complain this time. Yes, he is ready for another pedaling..for another rupee..for another step towards his hope and Shantanu's dream.
He enthusiastically responds, "which way, madam?".........

HOPE is force, hope is courage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She regains her consciousness..opens her eyes slowly. She still feels the excruciating pain below the abdomen level. She has no idea how long it has been since she entered the labour room. For a moment she felt as if she was dead. Her husband Anuj comes by, holds her hands in his palms. His gaze is trying to say, I am glad and I am sorry at the same time. Her haunting memories starts invading again. She looks at him questioning. Anuj shakes his head a little, a painful gesture.. saying 'NO'. She frees her hands..he lets them go..Silence reigns the moments...A painful distressed silence..for second time she has delivered a still baby.
At last she looks back at him..two grieved eyes meet another pair of eyes.. equally grieved. She holds and draws his hands closer. A silent promise was born..'Together we will make it someday, I ain't give up. You won't too.'

HOPE is comradeship in distress.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Her mobile starts ringing. She almost falls off the chair while reaching for the cell. It happens,girl..it happens..she thinks. After all she has been waiting for this call for the entire day..no, for the whole seven months to be honest. 'Sweeti, I am coming home.' He sounded so excited two days earlier when they talked! She is excited too. For this time they are planning to seed a dream.. a dream of their conjugal life..a natural realization of their togetherness.

A familiar code lights up the tiny screen.
'Hello..' - a sound that never losses the sweetness even though it is thousands miles apart touches her ear (she believes it lands on her heart directly, bypassing the ears.)
'Are you boarding now?'- she can't hide her ecstasy.
He is supposed to be heli-lifted from their base camp to the nearest civilian airport at this hour.
He pauses. No response. She hears a heavy sigh instead.
'You are coming, right?'
'Honey, I am so sorry. I am not making this time. There is an emergency situation along the Siachen border. We need to be deployed immediately ..........'
He says many more things. But her ears go deaf..her tears inconsolably falls on her newly mehendied(hennaed) hands..
'...I will be home soon. I love you..' he manages to utter them as someone is commanding him to board a copter.. a copter that doesn't bring him home..but sends farther away.. to a death valley.
Sometimes she doesn't understand this patriotism..serving a country. All she yearns for is a warm cuddle in his arms.
But she is an wife of a soldier.
She composes herself..says,'I will wait sweetheart. Take care. I will pray for you. Always. Come soon honey.'
They disconnect.

HOPE is wait.

Pretty long post huh..But I hope you have read them all..yeah, yeah I am a hardcore optimist :)

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 31, 2008 at Saturday, May 31, 2008 and is filed under , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

21 comments

Hey, i reached till...........

HOPE is happiness..........HOPE is force, hope is courage.......... & then i lost the hope to read future ;-) ...........( Just kidding :))

nice post, bit long though :)

cheers!!!

May 31, 2008 at 3:14 AM

Sachin,

Glad that u hv finished :) Yes I am hopeless sometimes..particularly..On the weekend :)
Njoy..

May 31, 2008 at 3:34 AM

i read it whole and any apreciation will not really fit in ...
a great work and touchy soulful expressway
hope u won't mind am adding u in my fav's(without even asking :P)

May 31, 2008 at 4:19 AM

Sayani,

Welcome to my virtual abode.. I am flattered to the core :)
glad to be on ur fav list. ty.

May 31, 2008 at 4:55 AM

Brilliant and inspiring writing. I once knew a preacher who given the strident and unforgiving nature of many Christians these days made him a rarity but his basic premise on life had that the major difference between Humans and animals is our capacity for hope and faith.

May 31, 2008 at 5:36 AM

long one... but very apt...


like the examples u have given and makes me HOPE again :)

May 31, 2008 at 6:08 AM
Anonymous  

An extraordinary post.Exquisite piece of write-up

May 31, 2008 at 6:49 AM

Nitu,

I feel HOPE is basically a self-satisfaction or positive thoughts which makes you to breathe everyday just as your heart beats you to live in this world. In hope, you feel happy coz it brings happiness and new light of saying, I can or I will kind of attitude. Its a belief in you to fight back the negativity and live with strong emotions.
A human mind never rests, but keeps the physical activity less stressful to live another day.

So hope is within you which makes you or me to believe I can survive in this world if I workhard or believe I can live too.

May 31, 2008 at 9:18 AM

i am a hardcore optimist too! was quite a post!!

May 31, 2008 at 9:52 AM

will read later ....now i m bit busy...

May 31, 2008 at 10:35 AM

a soul-inspiring one nitu bebo!

ya didddd it again, i lurved every incident there- it really correlated to how we must indulge in hope n faith :)

keep them cumin in1

May 31, 2008 at 9:44 PM

@Beach,
Thank u. No intention of turning into a priest though :)
I like the non-ecclesiastical way.

@D sinner

Glad to reach ur soul :)

@Mishra,

Ty.

@Priya,

Yes, I agree. Since life is not a smooth sailing, we often need these postive vibes.

@Gunj,

So I m not the last survivor of the optimists gang on this planet!! Glad to hv u, comrade :)

@Nirmal

Sure. Hope I didn't frighten enough for ever :)

@Rantravereflect,
Ty dear. Hv u peeped at my profile? There is a surprise for u :)

June 1, 2008 at 3:07 AM

Relly likd d post.Yeah, I read dem all :). And, 'hope' ... its too much to explain here!

June 1, 2008 at 8:58 PM
Anonymous  

lovely reading this post...it evokes so much of inspiration & hope...indeed we all move on hope else life would be one dull story...facing the situation & moving along with it is the way to go & that's where help us to move ahead in life!

June 1, 2008 at 9:32 PM

"never lose hope is the moral of the story" :P..

lol..that was from a KBC ad..
:D

but still..a very good read!

June 2, 2008 at 1:37 AM

well.. there was nothing out of the world in the post but still it touched the heart..
nice work!

June 3, 2008 at 1:37 AM

Yupp long it is..but yes I HOPED to read all of it, and did:-)

Hope comes in so many forms..very well put!

June 3, 2008 at 4:16 AM

That was so uplifting!The way you have described hope in all its dimensions is so beautiful.

Thanks for such a wonderful post! :)

June 3, 2008 at 6:52 AM

@Debasish
Ty. Thats fine..best things are never explained :)

@Flyingstars

Ty. Yup, finally thats the ultimate truth.

@Rohit,

Aawww...did u know that I a boy b4 throwing the kiss???
I don't mind though.
N for the link? Why do u believe in give n take ? Sometimes u gotta
give only :) I don't mind exchanging..but i don't hv a plan to roll
out my list yet.
Ty for ur goody words.

@Aayushi,

Hey..this isn't fair..I hv written a damned long four stories post
and u hv packed them all in one liner!!!!!

Ty.. :)

@Amrita,

Yeah, the post theme was a pretty common mundane earthly..
But part of living..can't escape..
glad that at least it touched u. Ty.

@Crasiezt,

Thank u. Thnks god, i didn't put u off :)

@Sameera,
Thnk u..thnk u.

June 3, 2008 at 8:26 PM

surprising!! i read a post bout hope now...n here u write about it again...r all d pple in d world turning optimists???? he he..gud thng then:)

Hope is the last thing that dies in man; and though it be exceedingly deceitful, yet it is of this good use to us, that while we are traveling through life it conducts us in an easier and more pleasant way to our journey's end. -- François de la Rochefoucauld

June 7, 2008 at 8:52 AM

Manisha,
I think..yes. Good will hunting :)

June 10, 2008 at 10:12 PM

Post a Comment