കോലാഹലം

I was driving slowly and my mind was caught up in the memory of that five year old boy who lied on that bed to be inspected by me. "Promise me doctor," he begged. That was a broken sentence and he then looked into my eyes. Those exceptionally dark eyes glittered under a layer of tears. "What son? What should I promise?", I asked, running my fingers through his short, stiff hair. But he just repeated, "Promise me doctor, please! The valley of rainbow..." "You are ill little master," I said, "but it's just for a while. You will be alright soon." But he still clang to that rainbow valley of his. The mother  was standing beside us with an anxious pair of eyes, fidgeting. "Don't worry, he's delirious in fever. Maybe some fairy tale still lingers in his mind. It will be okay",  I told that woman. He kept on asking me that promise and when I saw he was so fond of that mysterious valley of rainbow, I promised to his relief...

When the police asked, all that idiot had to say was he was thinking! Although I kept silence, I was literally pissed off by that answer. He said, "I was thinking", and that was all. I would have instantly slapped on his face, had he not been lying on that bed with injuries all over his body, surrounded by medical team and police. I reached for my chest pocket which was torn apart by an enraged auto rickshaw driver. I tried telling him it was all that idiot's fault, but there was no one to listen to me. ('Idiot' was perhaps the most decent word I could find to call him that time.) As far as road accidents are concerned, our people hold a prejudice that bigger vehicle is always the guilty one. When a pedestrian is involved, it's always the driver who is guilty. No one asks whether the living organism in question was walking carefully, or he or she were obeying the road rules or so. You drove a vehicle means you were guilty.  The police left without giving me mu...

I did see the signs wayside Though I never knew you left them The road hitherto was not smooth And had stones and thorns all along Amid the turmoil of feelings I did see the signs you'd left In the ambiance of the woods, I waited for a sound But not a wee sweep of wind I could feel There were unfathomable ponds along Where I halted and looked onto for visuals I couldn't even recognize on the reflections My own silhouette over the ripples What kept me going I know not There were twists along the way For every unexpected twist it took You'd left your signs all along I were never too distant from you But it took me this long a journey to reach you I knew not you were waiting for me But I did see the signs you'd left