May 30, 2011

21 Days

Dawn breaks.

It has been some time he has not seen broad daylight but today he is anticipating sunrays. This day he will be meeting his fate which will take away his license to life.

He wakes up, loosely hanging his legs from cemented slab while staring away, thinking what went wrong, where he stepped mistakenly or maybe he was destined. Every morning he misses his children jumping over him to drop them to school. It’s been days he is away from them and everyone else.

While washing his face and shaving almost a week’s beard, he ached for his wife’s reflection in the mirror. But he is not home. After dressing in crisp shalwar kamiz, he looks at himself with a familiarity he knew sometime back. Slipping on his leather sandals reminded him that he promised new joggers to his little one; a promise which will take time to be fulfilled. He is interrupted when a monotonous voice asked him,

“Sahab chai piyen gay?”
He nods with assent.

Coming out of cemented walls, heading towards the van, he keeps dodging the harsh sun. It takes some time to settle in and move ahead. His eyes move around and he catches a glimpse familiar and loved faces.


Hearing the several footsteps and surrounded by black & white souls, he enters with his head hanging down, looking at the mosaic floor. He is unable to find the answers except for saying, that it is not him. It seemed to him that he went unheard. Indeed, he was.

When coming down from the aisle, his eyes meet his brothers’ and he steps up to them. After purporting for a while, as if nothing has changed, they embrace each other and the salt can be picked and tasted from the corner of their eyes.


Life has collapsed from his hands while innocent and guilty walk hand in hand.

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