Balancing life

-


 Yesterday while going back home from work, I heard a loud music. Murmuring Hindi hits of late 90’s compelled me to move in the direction of sound. What I saw just shook me hard. A little girl of hardly five, on such an amazing height, balancing her feet on a rope, handling a pole with frisky hands & eyes glued on taking tiny steps. 

Oops ....was a shriek I uttered as my eyes were watching her ‘feat & feet’ both. They say the world is changing. But I stooped to bow & ask ‘Where?’ This tiny tot of five performing in front of university market as if mocking the system of education, as if asking for the happiness of her part. Her parents were giving her a stern look & her feet were moving as directed. Every passerby was giving her a glimpse, but not a ray of hope she was asking for. People around were pitying & cursing her parents, but not asking for the reason ‘Why?’That’s the reason of anonymous agonies & pathos which remain unheard. 

While balancing & taking steps on the rope, there was a quivered smile on girl’s face as if asking “still balancing some lives are needed.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ਜ਼ਿੰਮੇਵਾਰੀ

-
Image
  ਭੂਆ ਦੇ ਮੁੰਡੇ ਦਾ ਵਿਆਹ ਤੇ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਗੋਡੇ ਗੋਡੇ ਚਾਅ! ਨੱਚਦੇ ਟੱਪਦੇ ਜਦੋਂ ਅਸੀਂ ਬਰਾਤ ਨਾਲ ਹਾਲ ਦੇ ਅੰਦਰ ਦਾਖ਼ਲ ਹੋਏ ਤੇ ਦੋ ਘੜੀਆਂ ਥਕਾਨ ਉਤਾਰਨ ਲਈ ਬੈਠ ਗਏ। ਮੁੰਡੇ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਆਇਆ ਵੇਖ ਸਾਰੇ ਵੇਟਰ ਕੋਈ ਨਾ ਕੋਈ ਡਿਸ਼ ਲੈਕੇ ਮੁਹਰੇ ਆ ਖਲੋਤੇ। ਮੈਂ ਵੀ ਆਪਣੀ ਭੂਆ ਨਾਲ ਬੈਠੀ 'ਜੈ ਮਾਲਾ' ਹੋਣ ਦੀ ਉਡੀਕ ਕਰਨ ਲੱਗੀ। ਉਸੇ ਵੇਲੇ ਇਕ ਵੇਟਰ ਜੂਸ ਲੈਕੇ ਮੇਰੇ ਸਾਹਮਣੇ ਆਇਆ। ਮੇਰਾ ਹੱਥ ਗਿਲਾਸ ਫੜਨ ਦੀ ਥਾਂ ਉਸ ਚਿਹਰੇ ਵਲ ਤੱਕਦਾ ਰਹਿ ਗਿਆ। ਦੋ ਪਲਾਂ ਲਈ ਮੈਂ ਆਪਣੇ ਅਧਿਆਪਨ ਕਿੱਤੇ ਚ ਵਾਪਸ ਪਰਤ ਗਈ......"ਅੱਜ ਫਿਰ ਮਹਿਕਦੀਪ ਨਹੀਂ ਆਇਆ! ਕਿੰਨੀਆਂ ਛੁੱਟੀਆਂ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ ਇਹ ਮੁੰਡਾ! ਮੈਂ ਇਸਦਾ ਨਾਂ ਕੱਟ ਦੇਣਾ ਹੁਣ। ਕਿੰਨਾ ਗੈਰ- ਜ਼ਿੰਮੇਵਾਰ ਮੁੰਡਾ ਹੈ!!"  ਮੇਰੀ ਭੂਆ ਨੇ ਮੈਂਨੂੰ ਹਿਲਾਉਂਦੇ ਹੋਏ ਕਿਹਾ," ਕਿੱਥੇ ਗੁਆਚ ਗਈ! ਮੁੰਡਾ ਜੂਸ ਪੁੱਛ ਰਿਹਾ।" ਮਹਿਕਦੀਪ ਤੇ ਮੈਂ ਇੱਕ ਦੂਜੇ ਵੱਲ ਕਿੰਨੀ ਦੇਰ ਅਣਪਛਾਤੇ ਬੰਦਿਆ ਵਾਂਗ ਨਜ਼ਰਾਂ ਛੁਪਾਉਂਦੇ ਰਹੇ। ਜਿਵੇਂ ਉਹ ਆਪਣੀ ਅਧਿਆਪਕ ਅੱਗੇ ਆਪਣੀ ਬੇਬਸੀ ਦੱਸ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੋਵੇ ਤੇ ਮੈਂ ਸ਼ਾਇਦ ਉਹਨੂੰ ਆਪਣੇ ਘਰ ਦੇ ਬੋਝ ਨੂੰ ਚੁੱਕ ਰਿਹਾ ਇੱਕ ਜਿੰਮੇਵਾਰ ਪਰ ਮਜਬੂਰ ਵਿਦਿਆਰਥੀ ਸਮਝ ਰਹੀ ਸਾਂ।  
Read more

Trip of Togetherness

-
Image
                                          Trip of Togetherness  It It has been almost a decade since I last visited Shimla for my M.Phil studies from H.P University @ Summer Hills. After 10 years, Shimla was entirely different when we talk in terms of weather. We headed for Chandigarh taking Duronto from Amritsar. Kids were over excited to meet queen of Hills for the very first time. We were also pleased for at least finding an escape from the scorching heat of Amritsar. It was all set & we were joined by another party from Phagwara. Here started the tummy full yummy meals leaks and it seemed as if we were owning the compartment. On reaching Chandigarh railway station, it was like a superlative degree when we talk in terms of cleanliness and I just wish that Plastic crushing machines may soon be installed in every hook corner of all cities. We took a tempo traveller to Kalka & reached hotel for only 3 hours sleep. In the wee hours we all got up to catch a TOY TRAIN to Shi
Read more

Broken smile

-
Image
  His legs were floundering and with trembling hands he was managing it hard to sell cotton ear buds amidst the heavy traffic at red lights. An old man with withered clothes, fully wrinkled face & swollen eyes was hardly moving from one vehicle to another asking people to purchase the packet of ear buds. But people were perhaps more concerned about waiting for green signal & booing away their vehicles than paying any attention to old man’s pathos. The poor fellow drifted himself aside while people were hamming their lorries to an unknown destination. Sitting on sidewalks, he thought that perhaps the permanent wax in their ears couldn’t be removed with the packet of ear buds in his hands. The indomitable spirit of that broken smile was heard saying that generation  of today prefer to have Ear pods than Ear buds.  
Read more