“Farewell Ma!” said Shashank, with tears in his
eyes.
Subhadra was in a state of complete silence. She
watched her Abhimanyu board the train, and leave for the battlefield, the
starting point of his life, studded between two nations having a tumultuous relationship.
She seemed to say, “May you follow your father’s
footsteps…”
Ex-Major Suryakant Bakshi was a very competent man
during his age. He was an authoritative, commanding and dominating personality,
but possessed a soft corner for peace, harmony and tranquillity.
During a major outbreak in the Kashmir Mountains,
Major Bakshi was leading the Indian defence. Just when the firing was about to
cease, a bullet found its way to Major Bakshi’s heart, and he toppled off a
treacherous edge. His body wasn’t found. He was declared dead the next day.
But he was not.
The bullet had whiskered just close to the heart. As
for the fall from the mountain, he had fallen flat on snow, and had lost his
right hand.
Although Major was alive, he decided not to disclose
the secret. Since his family was entitled to a regular pension, and he himself
had turned into a good-for-nothing due to his broken hand, he decided not to
reveal himself and be a liability, but rather let his family enjoy the fruits
of his pension. From that day onwards, he began to work in a small restaurant
in an entirely different sector.
As Shashank settled himself in the train, he recalled
his childhood words – “Ma! I will join the army like Bauji. I will surely find
him waiting for me in the mountains, and then, we’ll fight together.”
As the train arrived in Nowgam sector, Shashank gave
one final thought to his innocent promise. “My father’s a soldier. He cannot
die,” he said to himself.
As months passed, Shashank became a regular customer
for a nearby hotel. He even befriended the hotel waiter, a tall, old, bearded
man, who was too gentle for his appearance.
In his first year, Shashank’s exploits and immense
potential made him the talk of the regiment.
He had successfully defended against two rifle attacks, and his ability to
withstand pressure had earned the praise of his seniors, leading to his
promotion.
One night, ex-Major Bakshi suddenly woke up from
sleep. He heard his inner, sensitive sixth sense signalling him to go home.
“Something is wrong with your wife, Major,” it seemed to say. Never before had
such a thing happened after the beginning of his hotel life. A gust of fear and
worry swept past his mind. His soul began to waver away from his self. He made
up his mind to visit his abode of love for once, just to see his dear wife…
The next day, Shashank got a letter stating that his
mother was suffering with a bout of chronic fever…
The same afternoon, two tickets, each for Berth 7
and 8, were booked for the Kashmir-Delhi Express.
As Shashank entered the train and located his berth,
he found a familiar face sitting on the opposite side.
“Bahadurji!
Kaise ho!”
“Oh! Shashank, you’re here?”
“What
a coincidence! The same train, the same compartment! Truly, the world is so
small. By the way, where’re you going?”
“Nothing special, beta. To my place, near Delhi.”
“I too am going to depart before Delhi arrives.”
As the train began, both men began to think of the
most important woman in their lives, without a single speck of idea that their
respective women were actually the same woman, playing different roles.
Shashank broke the silence, “Bahadurji, I’m always
filled with awe, when I see you working so efficiently with just one hand. If
you had the other, you’d have done miracles.”
Bahadurji replied, “If a person learns to lead his
life without a family, what big deal is a broken hand to him?
Shashank was stunned. “What! Don’t you have a
family? You live in such hazardous conditions, without anyone to care for you?
Bahadurji did not reply.
Shashank continued, “How you manage your life is
just miraculous.”
Bahadurji replied, “It’s not miracle, beta. It’s
Destiny. Nothing is greater than Destiny.”
“Not even God?”
“Even God cannot stop Destiny. Everything that has
to befall has to befall someday.”
As the journey clock ticked on, both the men found
themselves too close to each other, in terms of thoughts, feelings and ideas.
They were surprised to know how similar they were in their opinions. Their
relationship now just needed a name.
As the train stopped at Kishangarh, both men got up
to leave.
“Beta, even you live in Kishangarh?”
After a pause, Shashank replied, “Yes… Do you mean
that even your home is here?”
Such was the surprise that their expressions made
their feelings grow four-fold.
As the two men bade a goodbye, half of their worries
were dissolved in their soft feelings towards each other.
When Shashank finally arrived at his home, he found
another figure standing near the window.
“Bahadurji, don’t tell me that this is your home!”
said Shashank, in a humorous tone.
“Of course, it is! Look at my wife, there she is!
She’s beautiful, isn’t she? How I longed to see her after so many tears of
separation! By the way, how come you are here?”
The next two minutes saw a soothing silence sweep
over time. It was as if time had stopped altogether. Fate had finally found Shashank’s
father, and it was someone with whom he had shared his worries for so long – a
guardian, a friend and a well-wisher. He found his arms gradually making way
towards his father’s shoulders.
“I’ve waited for you so long bauji! Since my childhood, I wished to see my father alive. And
now, let me be a son first, a soldier later.”
Before the ex-Major could realise, his son embraced him
with a shower of emotions, as a lost relationship finally found its way to unification…
