I’m at my home in village from last 2 weeks, eating all my favorite dishes cooked by my mom, watching movies, playing with kids and doing a lot of things I once thought to do in my childhood.
Back in 2008, when I was in class 8th of S.V.M, Raxaul, I lived at Raxaul in a room on rent. Raxaul is a few kilometers away from my village. I used to come back to my home on Saturday and then go back to Raxaul on Monday in morning by bicycle.
I had to leave early in morning, so that, I can have time to go to my room, change to school uniform and reach school on time. Probably, this was why, I was always late to school on Mondays.
On the way, from where pitched roads starts, after a few hundred meters, a saint lived there. I don’t know what his name is, I never asked. I used to see him every time when I went through that road.
Always, He was standing there, waving hand to everyone who is passing through the road, to give some Mishri and a few leaves of Tulsi. (For those who don’t know, Mishri is a variation of sugar, it is considered as holy sweet, which is distributed after worship.) Everyone who takes Mishri, leaves a few cents into his plate.
The place on road where he used to stand (and live) was on such a position from nearby villages that, everyone coming from any side, comes at high speed. No matter how much he waves his hand, rarely, only someone who is very tired, used to stop and take Mishri and perhaps some water from nearby hand pump.
Maybe he used to stand up all the day there, waving his hand to get some cents in his plate for living, or maybe to offer some Sweet Mishri and water to tired passengers. I don’t care. Both choices look okay and perfectly fine to me. Sometimes, whenever, I went through that road, I used to stop and take some Leaves of Tulsi from him and leave some cents into his plate. I avoided taking Mishri, because that is something he needed to buy, while leaves of Tulsi come for free. Plus, I don’t like sweet things.
One Monday, I got a little late while leaving from my home, plus, my bicycle also started playing game. There was some problem with its chain and it was getting off from rear gear after every few paddles. I had to stop and fix it again and again. Time reached 10:30 am, I was still on road. Time to going for school was already over.
With all frustration, angriness and tiredness, I reached to the point on road where he used to stand. He was still there, with some Mishri in a plate and waving his hands with smile, forehead and face getting sweaty and blackish due to extremely hot sunlight of summer, bare footed standing and bearing the heat of pitched road and accepting all rejections from high speeded passengers on bike and bicycle.
I stopped there.
Looking at him, I felt it’ll be cruelty to reject him, even after a lot of frustration in my mind. I took a few leaves of Tulsi and dropped a few coins into his plate and paddled ahead like usual. But today, I decided to gift him a pair of sandals someday. Childhood thought. Maybe this was result of stories in books of school, or some faith in god, or whatever. But that was it.
A few days back after around 9 years of that day, I went through the same road. He was still there, same impassive face, same slightly white and black beard, beggar like dress and that same smile. Number of wrinkles on face has increased a little though.
After reaching Raxaul, I bought a pair of sandals along with other stuffs which I had to purchase. While returning, I stopped there and took leaves of Tulsi then gifted him that pair of sandals, which I had once thought to gift him in my childhood.
I asked him, ‘You stand up all day here, yet you get nothing but a few coins, why don’t you move to any temple or Mathh of nearby village?’
‘You see that pool on river with no reeling around it and curved road on both sides of it?’ He asked me pointing his finger towards a small pool which was at around 100 meters away.
I nodded.
'A lot of accidents occur there. Strange people come at so high speed that, they fail to follow up the curve and fall into river or sometimes hit the other one coming from opposite direction. Due to availability of huge space around road, they avoid speed breakers also. A lot of times reeling got constructed, but got broken with accidents by high speed heavy vehicles. I am here trying to protect them. Also, I want to live up by on earning by myself.' He replied with a smile the same impassive, self-satisfied, wrinkled face.
'But why you ?' I got curious.
'Someone has to sacrifice for goodwill. Remember someone has to.’ He spoke with a soft smile, and a hint of accomplishment appeard on his old face,that hinted, he had done what he wanted.
I silently nodded and came back to my home with a lot of thoughts and feelings into my head.