VISWANATH
“Pak troops violate ceasefire twice; 1
jawan, 3 Pak soldiers killed”-That was a small write up on the first page of
the paper and I am the Father of that jawan. My son mihir had died in a heavy
exchange of fire in Keran sector in north Kashmir, 6 months ago. People come to
my house to express their condolences and also to congratulate me for fathering
such a brave son. I had always dreamt of the time when my son would make me
proud but those dreams always had him alive in it. Now that he is
dead what do I do with these congratulations and condolences?
He was 18 when he said he wanted to be a soldier
and no sir! I was not happy with it. He was a bright student. Why would he want
to become a soldier??? I wanted him to become an engineer or a doctor or
anything else but a soldier. It was his mother who forced me to sign the
application form and now look at her.
There she was lying on the deewan, looking at
her son’s pictures. Once her eyes used to make me forget everything…such
beautiful eyes she had and now? There is nothing now in those eyes..Nothing! I
keep gazing at her and suddenly I realize that my cheeks are wet…My daughter in
law, Aakruthi gives me a kerchief to wipe them.
Aakruthi…I am scared to face her. I feel as if I
have done her wrong by marrying her to my son. To be a widow at such a young
age…People think she is very brave. Yes, she is…Definitely but I have seen her
cry every night of these 6 months, clutching her daughter.
RISHIKA
Jeez! It is scary to sit on the parapet wall and
see hyderabad from the 34th floor of Vasanth vihar. I never
realized Hyderabad was so beautiful. I wish I could stay for a little while
more. But I don’t have much time. I have so much to do and so less time.
My mother..She is all I have. My father had left
us when I was 8 and so there were only 2 people in my life now…Her and avinash.
I ll miss my mother a lot. I wish I had done something to make her proud of and
I wish I had done something for him to remember me. But it’s ok may be I still
have time. I look at the large hoarding of Amitab bachan on Kaun banega
Crorepathi.
I remember how I used to curl up in her lap as
soon as I was home from school. I used to wake up with her bhajans in the
morning. The scent of agarbathi in the air…She still tries to maintain the same
schedule..Waking me up in the morning, giving me my lunch box, kissing me
goodbye..Tears roll down my eyes and I look at the report concluding I have
intestinal cancer…I cry and I cry a lot but then I realize that I am not the
first person to die and neither am I the last….
FAROOQ
With
one look at my house, I leave it to tend my field. My father used to tell me
how important it was to stay as a farmer. He used to tell me that only two
professions matter for a country- A soldier, to protect the people and a farmer
to feed them. I grew listening to Lal Bahadur Shastri’s slogans of
Jai Jawan Jai Kisan but now, after seeing countless summers and winters I have
realized that they were mere words to please people. After all slogans can’t
fill my family’s stomach. I have lived to see my neighbors die of hunger,
commuting suicides for not being able to pay the debts and I fear that my
chance would soon be up. My ‘ghehoon’ crop isn’t fairing well. The gods are
showing no mercy.
Later that afternoon I drag myself to shahukar’s
place, hoping that he would lend me more money. Shahukarji is a nice man. I
enter his abode to find him with his son, chote sahib. They were busy watching
TV. Chote sahib was talking about some game where people can win money.
‘Baba?try tho karo na? Agar 6 sawalonn ka apne
jawab dediya tho kam se kam 1,60,000 tho milenge!’Shaukaar took a sip from his
hookah, “nai bitua..yeh sab kaika kasht? Bhagwaan ke kripa se sab kuch tho hai
na?tho fir?’
I kept listening to their conversation and I
donno what came over me and I said”sahib?mai koshish karta hoon. Mujhe bataenge
ki kya karna hai??’
KAUN BANEGA CROREPATHI
STUDIO
It’s the last day of KBC season 5 and only three
contestants remain. The last contestant had won 80,000 and he had hugged amitab
bacchan before leaving the set.
Amitab bachchan had come to the center of the
set and the camera zoomed on his face
A. Bimaar B. Anaar C. Ek D. Sau
Aur aapka samai shuru hota hai ab!
EPILOGUE
There is 1 hot seat and 3 contestants. People
whose life may depend on this one question. These are Indians who are in need
of money equally but only 1 can sit on the hot seat. And readers it is for you
to decide who should sit on the hot seat..Whose need according to you surpasses
the remaining two???
VISWANATH
A. Bimaar B. Anaar C. Ek D. Sau
There is 1 hot seat and 3 contestants. People whose life may depend on this one question. These are Indians who are in need of money equally but only 1 can sit on the hot seat. And readers it is for you to decide who should sit on the hot seat..Whose need according to you surpasses the remaining two???
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