Got my bike from the garage today... it looks new, and all repaired... now I can ride my bike after a while, since ma accident..
So decided to take a long ride, alone.
Plan was to meet up with friends at a friend’s place, a bit far from here.
Was loving the ride, and it started raining suddenly. This is what happened last time...
Its awesome to ride in the rain... and you tend to go faster and faster... and find yourself in the hospital bed shortly ( like last time)
So this time, I didn’t want to get carried away. So parked my bike aside. And ran for a shelter. Its kind of a little stitching centre. An elderly man is cutting some cloth.
He is got a gray beard, n topi, that tells me he is a Muslim. I said salaam...
He returned the salaam, and said "andar aajao, iss baarish ka koi bharosa nehi, allah jane kab rukega".
?
Its kind of veranda of his little house, where he is put his stitching centre...
"baith jao". The place was full of cloths, din’t know where to sit, found some place on the edge of the wooden bench.
" kal raat jo baarish hua, do ped gir gaye the peeche "
"jab barish hota hai to aise hota hai ki bhaaad aajaye, nehi to ek dum nehi hota...sukha sukha"
He is fully engaged in his work, and talking. " woh peela kapda dekho wahaan.... haan o'wala, dedo yehaan"
The power went off. He laughs, " arre yeh to honahi tha. humare desh main jab jab baarish hoti hai tab tab bijili jaati hai".
"bangloor se aaraheho?"
ji
"to mysore ko hi hoga?"
ji
" motor-icycle main itna door.....hmmmm.... ek zamane main mysore jaana mat lab itna door lag ta tha... hum iskool main the tho tipu sultaan ka mahal dekh ne gaye the. aaj kal to roz aa jaa sakte hain... duniya ek dum se chotta padgaya"
I was so silent and listening to him, its experience talking. and I was liking it.
" kaam karte ho ya pad rahe ho?"
"ji main kaam kar rahahoon"
"andhere main aankh hi nehi dikhtha"... bolte hai ki kal karoso aaj karo... mera to yehaan kal ka kaam aaj bhi poora nehi horaha hai, bijli ho tab na"
It shud be around 5 pm now, its not all that dark.
"munnniiiiii........ membatti la..." he called out
and a voice came from inside..." abbu aaj keliye ab chor do na, kal din main kar dena... membati mai kya dikhega"
he laughs "meri larki hai".
The rain is jus gettin stronger.
"ek garam chay hojaye barkhurdaar?"
me- smile- "ji"
" munnniii..... do chay la beta". " do nehi bus ek milega mehmaan ke liye..aap abtak 3 chay peechukeho". He laughs;" aarre ek aur dedena meri amma".
In a while a gal, should be 16 or 17 I think... came with 2 cups of tea...
My bike is enjoying the rain.. He is fully drenched..
"chay"... I looked at her.. She is holding the cup straight to me, but not looking at me... staring far at the rain...
Well!
Her eyes r blue
"chay bohat acha bana hai", that was me... she just smiled, yet din look at me.. Her looks are sharp outside..
" masha-allah, ab chay itna acha hai to abbu honeke naate, 3, 4 cup peeneka haq tho hume ban ta hai na.." saying this, he was walking inside with his cup..." namaaz badoge janab?"
" ji ... woh... mian... khar jaake padloonga "
So he went inside... his daughter, is still here standing near the door.
" aap karti kya ho? u doin school?"
" nehi main kuch nehi karti". She is got a major attitude I think. I shouldn’t have asked her. duh!
I decided not to ask anything more. She walked slowly towards the table and started folding the cloths there n said. :" ji main dekh nehi sakti".
* thunders, outside n in my heart too...
Those beautiful eyes we see, can’t see anything! I felt a sudden pain in my heart.
She said, that she can’t see from birth. She has not seen light in her life...
" arre aap chup kyun hogaye?" I din know what to say.
" par main khush hoon, i don ve any regrets " last year thak main blind school jaya kartithi, ab chod diya"
I am really struggling for words, I really don’t know what to say,
Just imagine, can we spend a single day with closed eyes?
We should thank God, that we can read these blogs now. For her, it won’t be possible...
When girls spend lots of thier time in front of the mirror on makeup, she won’t even know how she looks.
And she says she is happy with her life...
'm hurt yaar.
" hello ji, aap wahaan ho ya chale gaye?"
" ji... main.. nehi... matlab, yeheen hoon... woh.. aap chay bohat acha banati hai"
" ji shukriya, yeh doosri baar bolrahe ho aap"
I really wish if I cud do something and get her eyes sight back... “Why did u leave school?"
" pad likh ke karoongi kya... jitna badliya wahi bohat hai"
*silence*
*silence*
" aapko baarish acha lagta hai?.... mujhe bohat hi pyara lagta hai ."
" agar abbu ghar pe nehi hote to main bheegti bhi hoon". She’s got a smile now.
I was thinking how difficult her life will be, there is no colour, no light.
She also,’d love to dress up as a ‘dulhan’, 'd love to look beautiful; like any other gal.. 'd love to go out with her husband for a movie, for a dinner,’d love to go see the beautiful places in the world.
but....
but....
she cant even see the colour of her dress, cant see her husband... ah!
" barsaat ka jo khushboo... uska awaaz.... hmmm... ek dum mann pe chajata hai na"
.
I’d rather get going. I really have no control over my emotions these days... the other day I was shouting at a colleague of mine for no big reason; and I laugh like mad on silly jokes.
So before my eyes get wet...
" ji main nikal raha hoon... abbu se boldijiyega"
"arre barsaat to kam nehi hua"
" its ok.. allah hafiz".
God bless you dear
