Meaning of Life

Meaning of Life 

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My health seems to be failing of late.

Now a days I don’t feel good about almost anything. A bizarre feeling always sticks in my
mind that something is missing somewhere. It happens as I don’t have much commitment
and obligations. Some unknown dissatisfaction clings to my mind.
Very often, I wake up at dead night for no plausible reason. Having strolled for sometimes,
I stand by the open window to breath fresh air. Desolate mid night road give rise a sense
of emptiness in me. A muffled sound of cry comes out of my thorax.
All routine affairs appear to be useless.
I don’t have any cognizable problem, then why this dissatisfaction. I thought over it but
could not make out anything.
Now a days, I miss my ancestral home. Whenever memories of my ancestral home dawns
in me it hurts. My inner self squirms out for visiting my ancestral home where I left my
innocent childhood memories.
‘Meher Kunja’ i.e. ‘Mehers’ Lodge’ is my ancestral home, named after our family father.
It is built on a wide open area amidst evergreen trees all around. Two storied building
surrounded by chest high balcony with the ground floor. A kitchen with adjacent dining
space, one bed room and a guest room are on the ground floor. A big size bed room along
with bath and a small kitchen are built at the middle on the roof keeping open all around.
The house mostly remains under lock and key.
None of my blood relatives reside there. All are out at distant places for earning their
livelihood.
I also spent almost my whole life outside in different cities for the same reason.
Commitments and workloads kept me busy all through. City lives are full of activities and
keep people busy all the time.
Everyone in the city are on the move, busy for work and business contact. Moving forward
and going up the ladder is the meaning of life there.
For me, all those are past now.
I have plenty of leisure time, I try to brood over my past life and feel the urge of taking
stock of life- what I dreamed and what I got.
But, alas! All are in shamble, what I planned and what I have achieved don’t tally. Still I
have miles to go I feel. But my time is running out fast.
A sense of unfulfillment gradually instills in me.
So, I have decided to fall back to the root that is my ancestral home now and in this full
fury of monsoon rain.
The sky is totally overcast with sporadic gusty wind. Continuous thunder with lightning
flash is streaking across the sky. All set for the rainy season to set in with full strength.
The aura suits me, I thought. This time I am prepared to feel the full force of rain sitting in
desolate ‘Mehers’ Lodge’. It’s a perfect ambiance to sit in meditation to feel and dip into
myself.

It was late noon as I reached home.
Lonely ‘Mehers’ Lodge’ standing amidst mahogany orchard on three sides with a ill-kept
green grass lawn in front.
Normally I stay upstairs whenever I come. A bed room at the center of the spacious roof
having waist high steel railing fixed all around the edges of the roof.
This visit is after about eight months gap. Me and my boy servant started dusting and
cleaning the room for night stay.
Old time building, the roof is higher than typical one story height. Besides, the house is
built on a five feet high floor, so, in that comparison, one story roof is minimum one and
half story high. Mahogany branches, adorned with fresh green leaves are fluttering in
sporadic gust signaling the imminent rain. Someone can easily touch the branches standing
on the roof.
It’s almost dark in early afternoon with black cloud covering the sky. Current is just gone.
Stage is set for a fury and frenzy of nature, waiting only for an inkling.
I’m also prepared.
-You may go placing the easy chair on the balcony.
Even if I don’t specify, I know that my boy servant will place the chair on the western
balcony of the ground floor.
Normally I sit there. About five feet high and seven feet wide balcony surrounds the building
on three sides less the front which has six long stairs whole lengthwise. Balconies are
covered with slanting roof like single frame thatched house with Bengali tiles engraved on
it. Once seated on west balcony, I can see the long narrow metaled road going to the
horizon from my front side gate.
I can see the world sitting here.
Going down and climbing the stairs has become taxing for me. There is a strong desire to
go down but my legs seem reluctant.
-But no, I have to go down the stairs, come what may. I have come prepared this time.
I reclined on the chair totally relaxed.
Lying relaxed totally outfoxed opening all niches & door
No race for silver mace no reverie no more.
Me- body and mind all
immersed in biding your arrival.
Incessant rain making monotonous sound with rain water gushing out all around, branches
shaking in the gust, the spectacle of sight and rhythmic sound has made the mute nature
talking. All are busy expressing themselves.
Whatever is old and worn out and all dirt are washed away with rain water. All seems busy
to avail this chance to give vent to all pent-up feelings, washing away all woes and worries
and start all over again.

All are immersed in the melody of music created by unending dropping of rain.
But, Alas! why all sounds seem like crying.
I rivet my attention rapt to take a close hearing.
The sound of crying is not coming out of a single voice! The sound is coiling out from a
number of sources.
All are crying separately in own way and own tune. Lyrics are different but music is same.
All are crooning. Total reign of melancholy.
I turn my attention on my thorax.
Same music, same cry.
Why this cry, what for is this cry?
Suddenly I felt some soft and loving touch on my face, forehead and cheek. It’s enchanting
and mesmerizing. My eyes got closed putting me in a state of trance.
I smelt an unknown aroma. I woke up in my trance, felt a bit disturbed.
With a strain of annoyance, I tried to open my eyes.
Wow, something exquisite. Some extraterrestrial heavenly deity incarnate right in front
of me. It is intoxicating, not possible even to take a blink.
I felt goose bumps all over my body. I fell in love at first sight and forgot to close my eyes.
What a magical love! Love between Heaven and Earth.
We are on a boat- only me and my heavenly love. Our boat is moving in a river flowing
through serpentine turns and bends. No boatman nor oar, the boat moves with the slow and
steady flow of the river.
We are moving- where and why none of us know. My only urge is to satisfy the heavenly
love.
My eyes are riveted on her. All my thoughts and yearnings are relating to her and for her
only. But she has fixed her attention only towards the horizon betraying no feelings
whatsoever. But everything of her has an enticing attraction.
Sun dipped in the horizon, moon popped up dispelling the darkness. Boat docked at so
many known and unknown berth. I kept her all along grasped in my bosom and did
everything in my power to please my heavenly love.

I took her onboard through all twilight zone road.
Spending overboard, exhausting all my hoard.

But she did not turn towards me for a moment nor even gesticulated anything.
I hoarded my boat with as much treasure as I could gather with one hope in mind- to please
my heavenly love.

Journeyed pole to pole,      trekking through plain, hill and knoll
For you, collected to my best,    not caring about vice and virtue test.
Never heeded, I’m wretched,
“What you wanted and what I fetched”.

I am totally exhausted and about to lose my physical strength. I can’t even move an inch
forward and there is no way to recede and almost unable to move my eyelid. My own self
seem burden to me.
I tried to push open my eyelids with last drop of my strength.
All are blurred but felt her presence.
What an attraction, what an exponential pull. None can ignore it.
Suddenly gentle breeze started flowing on my face bringing some mesmerizing aroma.
I understood that our boat having toured thousands river now is at last at the confluence of
meeting the ocean.
Now is the time of consummating mating, total fusion. What a moment! I felt my heart beat.

In my thorax, you throb and sit, with all your kit,
Crooning ceaseless dit, with every beat.
“Let’s return my love, where you will ever bide.
Here in this cage, whatever you chase;
Are all mirage, elusive and maze.
Your abode isn’t here Honey; it’s on the other side’.

This fusion will bring all mundane agony, all pang of unrealized dream to an end. I could
feel that she is turning her face. Ah! this is that ever sought juncture for knowing the
meaning of all these venture.
I tried my best to take a look at her eyes. Ah! what a moment of fulfillment.
But alas! why darkness is engulfing everything and I fell in swoon.

Tangled in tug of war since birth, between Heaven and Earth
To live better, here and after, all I did-vile or virtue
Only to run the chores, to be sure and true.

I failed to pay fealty to one and all, wasting my works in total
Heaven and Earth will take their worth, leaving only me mortal.

Woe is me, now I see, alone I’m left out to me, here
Heaven and Earth, in respective berth, content with own share.

Oh my Soul! Lord’s mole, you are part of Paradise
And will go back, sans any smack of vice.

Earth will take its part and fill up its dirt.
Alas! Who am I and why here, nobody put that bare.

Now, in glance of Grim Reaper, trying to sum and shiver
What He desired and what I delivered.

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Category: English, Short Story

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