By Ishani Tikku:
He stretches his arms before himself every time he enters fresh territory. A new ground should be a danger for him, but he remains fearless. Other times he gets by with a little help from his friends. He takes on challenges and considers himself equal to anyone willing to try. In his mind he was their equal. He never let himself down, he never let go. He worked and worked on language, and theories taught. He struggled comprehending every word, associating with an alien script by the touch of fingers on his arm. Never did he stop trying, and never did he give up. He struggled to move forward, his feet bare sores because of all the harsh objects that don’t form an image in his eyes. He bumps into every obstacle and curses at them annoyed and resentful. But perks up equally immediately at the beautiful wonder that is life. This could only be because he has understood it. His poetry is his breath and is what gives him air in the stifling world of darkness. One knows the beauty of his mind when they hear his poetry, full of thought behind every word and full of selflessness in its rhythm.
His will to work, power and dedication is admirable. He is given to his cause. History amazes him. The magnanimity of wars, the power of rulers, and kingdoms and courts are his passion. I wonder was he actually there at the time great men fought these battles. It’s almost like he saw it with his very own eyes. The zest in his voice when giving me a lecture on the French revolution is exhilarating. A time like that made me realized how living never stops, however grave your problem maybe and however big a tragedy you witness- life goes on with the same monotony as it always did. Most of us can think of nothing but ourselves in the most selfish way, but he doesn’t see obstacles in his life and sees no barriers. All he sees is the limitless horizon, his role in this lifetime being to help those in this country who desperately need someone to fight for them. He dreams of inclusive education in its true sense and not just a term, cleverly contrived in its 11th five year plan. He dreams of a better world with all the positivity he can.
Some of us wake up every morning with a painful expression as if we witnessed an apocalypse. A new assignment is a burden on our schedule, a favour from a friend is like a punishment and the shining sun on our face in the morning is a piece of terrible news, another wretched day! I learnt from someone the meaning of living, someone who can’t see the shining sun.
We hold hands walking down the road,
Us laughing at ourselves.
I direct him with my fingers,
He knows the feel of my hand,
He asks me why I wear bangles,
And so many silver rings.
He notices things that others don’t,
He loves it when I loudly sing.
We sit by the window,
Listening to the pouring rain.
Making plans we never knew,
Never do we abstain.
I love it when he reads poems
I love it when he laughs.
He accepts me the way I am-
A true friend alas!
We build castles in the air brick by brick
And stone by stone.
Plans of someplace else,
A place we’ve never known.
[box bg=”#fdf78c” color=”#000″]About the author:
The writer is a student of Masters in Social Work in Rural Development from TATA Institute of Social Science.[/box]