Fiction
Ravinder was a fighter. But that was once upon a
time. When youth boils in the blood like
a witches’ brew, it’s easy to be a fighter.
Time, however, puts out the fire beneath the brew eventually. Experience, rather than time.
You keep fighting with monsters for years, monsters some of whom
are real, some illusions and some others are like Quixote’s windmills. Real monsters have varying motives. Some want to capture positions of power, some
want to swindle money out of the system, and some others want to appear great
by belittling others. Motives abound in
the world of monsters. Monsters are the
most motivated creatures, mused Ravinder.
And you keep fighting them all through life. Fight for your dignity, for your principles,
or sometimes even for your survival. And
then comes a time when you give up fighting.
You get used to the arrows. Your
skin becomes thick enough to be a shield.
Why can’t the world be a place of cooperation rather than
competition, mutual support rather than mutual screwing?
“Because the world is always young,” said Arjun who had come to
pay a visit. “The old will have to
retire like this,” Arjun pointed at Ravinder’s leg. Ravinder was on bed rest with a fracture in a
leg. He had met with an accident.
Boys in metro-haste on a zooming bike had no patience for a snail-paced man
with a stoop.
"What happened is for good, what's happening is for good
and what will happen is also for good," said Arjun quoting Krishna of the Gita. Arjun was Ravinder's colleague.
"Dhritarashtra was physically blind and Duryodhana’s
blindness was not in his eyes," said Ravinder. "But don’t ever
think that the Pandavas possessed all the light. Arjuna fattened himself
on the thumb of Ekalavya. Bhima was
sidelined unjustly. Draupati was not insulted
for her own mistake. Whose mistake
descends as phenomenal wrath on us today?
Multi-tier attack has become more common today than in those days of
thumb-swallowing and sidelining. The Gita needs to
be revised. By Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu whose mother would not fall
asleep irresponsibly."
"You are that Abhimanyu," said Arjun. "The
secret for penetrating the chakravyuha lies dormant in your breast. Covered
with layers and layers of protective shields you donned for each arrow that
came."
If you lie down, people will walk over you. Ravinder knew
it. You can't blame people for doing that.
Come back as Rama
Forgive us for what we've done
Come back as Allah
Come back as anyone
Krishna nee begane baro
Hariharan was singing on the TV channel.
No. No one is going to come as anything. We are our
own redeemers.
"What if I don't want to be Abhimanyu?" asked Ravinder
looking wearily into Arjun’s eyes.
"Don't join the battle. Withdraw from it if you're
already in it," said Arjun.
"Run away?"
"You can't run, man. Your leg is broken."
Arjun laughed. "Stay on the side. And observe. You'll learn.
Learn the miasmic patterns of the battle. Learn the odour of blood and
the stench of greed. Learn the lurid colours of futile quests. Then
you won't have to run any more. You won't have to fight either."
"Abhimanyu will become the Buddha."
OMG! This is really beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pankti.
DeleteThis is inspiring... purifying....
ReplyDelete"Abhimanyu will become the Buddha."
"The chakravyuha will be an illusion."
I am deeply moved by the thought.
I'm grateful to you, Namrata, for inspiring and purifying me with your comment.
DeleteThe story is a timely reminder (always timely) that this life is but an illusion. Minute interpretation of Abhimanyu's story! You are really dissolving into subatomic particles, sir! This is really the fiction of superior order. A stage very difficult to reach for the ordinary mortals ( I'm one). Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, M, for taking it at a literary level. It I am to be grateful to life for all the variety of experiences it threw in my path, stories such as these are the real reasons for the feelings of gratitude.
DeleteReally a different take and I loved the approach.... :-)
ReplyDeleteGlad you did, Maniparna.
DeleteLast lines are touching...!
ReplyDeleteHonoured by your presence here, Murthy ji.
DeleteVery nice.. I truly believe in being a Buddha as the ultimate goal :)
ReplyDeleteIf you become the Buddha, nothing will matter after that, Roohi. Neither cold nor heat. Neither capitalism nor socialism. Neither job nor unemployment. :)
DeleteSo true.. Nice to meet u friend and read ur stories :)
DeleteWhat a nice post sir!! I loved the way you have concluded in the end - Abhimanyu will become the Buddha. The chakravyuha will be an illusion....
ReplyDeleteAbhimanyu does not become the Buddha, Hemant. Abhimanyu learns to cheat, to swindle... Did you read Asa Ram baba's latest news? I'm thinking of writing a blog on that.
Delete