Andrea had
fallen in love with Pondicherry India
Life had not
been easy over the past months and she had longed for this retreat. Her father
and her boyfriend did not approve of her philanthropic lifestyle. While her
father wanted her to focus more on her career, Kevin wanted more from their
relationship. This time Pondicherry Pondicherry
It was
another beautiful morning and the sun’s rays kissed her good morning. She
looked out of the window to watch the sea waves hit the shore vigorously while
a resolute Gandhi stood frozen on a tall plinth braving the scorching sun still
guiding his countrymen. She felt a purpose today which strangely saddened her.
Couple of days ago, she had seen a small child in the beach continuously
flapping his hands while arranging his toys in a perfect straight line. His
teacher Jayashri informed Andrea that Xavier was an autistic child. That is how
Andrea came to know of Jayashri Special School Pondicherry
She got
dressed quickly, skipped the famous complimentary breakfast of the Ashram guest
house and strode to the nearest taxi stand.
“Welcome
Madam. Bonjour. You French or English? I know 5 languages!”, greeted an
overconfident auto driver who had edged out 2 others to grab his customer!
“Jayashri
Special School please. How much?”
“Standard
rate Madam. 75 rupees!”, he added matter-of-fact-ly.
“Outrageous.
I have been here for more than a month. The place is just 3 kilometers from
here”.
“No Madam.
Petrol prices going up every day Madam. We are already operating in losses, you
see. US
Andrea was in
no mood for bargaining. She decided to walk it much to the disappointment of
the autowala who couldn’t believe she had rejected his best offer!
She had
probably walked one-fourth of a kilometer when another auto stopped by her
side. “Need an auto Madam”, an old man probably in his late 50s inquired.
“Jayashri Special School Libya
“I don’t
quite understand what you said Madam. But I can take you there for 25 rupees.
It is only 2 kilometers from here.” said the old man, a little confused.
She wanted to
say sorry. But instead she got in and asked: “What is your name?”
“Anwar,
Madam! What brings you to Pondicherry
“Don’t know.
Coincidence I guess. Was looking at the list of places I could visit and Pondicherry
“Everything
happens for a reason Madam. Your visit will have a meaning more profound than
you can imagine.” Anwar’s words resonated in Andrea’s ears for a while.
“But sadly it
is all coming to an end. I am leaving tomorrow. Don’t feel like leaving this
heaven and returning to my mediocre life again. I hope to do something I can be
proud of before saying good bye!” Andrea was completely drenched in nostalgia!
“Will you take me to the railway station tomorrow? I won’t get such a good man
again!”
“Sure Madam. Wonderful
place Madam, Jayashri School
Andrea and
Anwar had struck a small conversation about the various kids in Jayashri Ashram
when Anwar hit the brakes and the auto came to a screeching halt. “Just 1
minute madam”, he pleaded. “Satya”, he screamed.
A small boy
with a bag of candies tied to his shoulder turned back at the cry. He came to
Anwar and offered him a candy. His eyes were wet.
“What the
hell are you doing? Shouldn’t you be in school?”
“No money to
pay the school fees, uncle. Dad came home yesterday night after 1 month. He hit
mom for 1 hour, burnt my hands with charcoal for trying to stop him and took
away all the money Mom had.”
“The drunk
bastard!”, Anwar’s eyes were red with rage!
“Anwar, can
you please give me money for my school fees as you did last month? Please. I
want to go to school. I want to become a doctor. I don’t like selling candies.
All my friends are in school. Please Anwar!”
Anwar looked
at his pocket. He had fifty rupees. “Just 450 rupees short!”, he thought! Too
bad he didn’t have another watch to sell this month!
The awkward
silence said it all. The boy understood. Satya was way too intelligent for his
age.
“My dad said
I will never become a doctor! Is it true Anwar? He said I will end up in the
streets. My mom told me that I should forget school. She said it is only for
the fortunate and the rich. How much will I earn selling candies? Can I make
enough to pay the fees next month?”
Anwar could
not answer. Satya didn’t want him to!
“Bye Anwar.
The bus stand will be busy right now. I have to go sell some candies!”, he said
trying to hide his tears. Anwar had felt so helpless only once before: when his
wife had died of cancer!
The boy’s
eyes disturbed Andrea. They conveyed a deep message beyond her comprehension.
She wanted to help him but had stopped herself.
“Madam, I
have a request. That boy Satya is a gem Madam. He is the topper in his class.
Studying is his passion. I will not be able to help him. But you can Madam. You
can!” Tears rolled down Anwar’s eyes as he violently wiped them off.
Andrea was in
a loss for words. She wanted to help him so badly. But all she could give him
was money. What if his father again took that away from him? How can she be so
sure? On the other hand, if she helps the children in the Ashram, she can at
least rest assured that her contribution went to the right hands. The eerie
silence was killing her. She was so torn between her feelings when the auto
stopped. They had arrived. Andrea did not get down for a long time. Anwar
didn’t say a word. The little boy’s eyes haunted her thoughts again. They
implored her. They intimidated her. They took her on a short journey through
the boy’s heart!
Andrea woke
up with a start. “Anwar, can you take me to the bus stand?”
Anwar’s eyes
were wet with emotion. He thanked Andrea and raced his auto as fast as he
could. They reached there in a
couple of minutes. The bus stand was really crowded for a Wednesday afternoon.
Were they all waiting for Satya’s candies? But then Anwar saw his bag on the
floor with all the candies scattered. He shuddered. He pushed through the crowd
nervously. Then his heart stopped. Satya was on the ground soaked in his own
blood. “Poor boy! He was completely blindsided by that bus. Such a young kid!”,
remarked an old woman. But Anwar knew. It was the bus that was blindsided by
Satya!
Andrea was
cold. Anwar dropped her back to the guest house. They had attended Satya’s
cremation. Andrea had never cried so much in her life. Anwar had lost his son!
Again! How can life be so cruel! Andrea will never be able to forgive herself.
“Should I
pick you up tomorrow morning, Madam. For the railway station?”
“Yes. Pick me
up. But not to the railway station! We have something better to do. This world
can’t lose another Satya!”. Anwar nodded silently and went off.
Every life
has a purpose. But sadly, the purpose of Satya’s life was to make Andrea
realize the purpose of her life!
- A short
story by Raj.
ncie plot nicely told
ReplyDeletelovely... :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sujatha and Sneha. Glad you liked the story. :)
ReplyDelete