**A DIFFERENT TEACHER ** “Sandeep, beta kaisa hai??”, the question left me with a deadpan face seeing it coming from this unknown old aged lady. Even after my best try of exploring the very end of the memory box it was hard to collect her corrugated face. Though I didn’t recognize her, and was shocked to hear it from an unknown lady in front of this general store, I replied affirmatively to her question. Hearing my answer made her smile, smile like she was waiting to hear my voice from a time , smile which is marked by a different type of refulgence, smile that made me smile her back, smile that refurbish my state of shock in to overwhelming urge of knowing her. “Sorry aunty , but I am seriously unable to recognize you” I asked with a confused expression Don’t know but maybe there was pungency in my tone that made her react like in this abnormal behavior. She smiled again, and starts moving away after collecting her stuff from the shop leaving me befuddled with my question. The state of ecstasy was again revived to shocking one. For a minute I was standing there dumbstruck, thinking about my question and action I should take hence. I ran after her immediately, not because I want to apologize for my question but to know who she really is. As soon as I reached her, she asked me another question which increased the level of shock and my urge of knowing her. “Are you still afraid of Holi , beta. ?? She asked Holi, the festival of color and happiness, is one of the most beautiful festival has a different role in my life. When I was a kid, I was afraid of Holi like hell. The word Holi had that impact that it could scare a shit out of me. But how she knows it, definitely she has something do with my child hood. I was puzzled. “Aunty , but how do you know this” asked I “You are now a big boy , don’t tell me that this sweat on your face is because of this Holi thing. You still afraid of Holi” she asked smiling again “ No, I am not afraid of Holi. I only hate it and don’t perplex the situation, please tell me who are you?? “ All I managed to speak at that time “Good to hear that , my son is not scared of Holi any more after all he is now a big boy , otherwise I will have to protect you from the others just as like I used to do while escorting you to your parents who always wait for you on the last day of school. Everyone used to celebrate it and you always cried” she said “ Saroj amm” words disappeared in between “yes , saroj amma , you forgot me . They always do. They studied there for some time, and then leave, everyone remembers SACRED MOTHER SCHOOL , but no one remembers us .But you know what it really feels good to see you doing such great things in your life beta” she said with a heavy voice. “ saroj amma how are you?” there was a lump in my voice She smiled with a tear trickling down her cheek. Isn’t this strange that how people attach their life with your’s??. Saroj Amma, was not any teacher in our school but has taught me this lesson of unconditional love that day. “sandeep , papa aagae” the way she used to call me always made me happy. Isn’t this strange that how once the voice I considered the best changed in to an unknown voice but my face for her remained the same. Not every time people around us change, sometime it is us who change.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 13:54:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015