A Strange Connect!

All good things, tangible or intangible deserve an ear, they need to be shared and heard. Just as the aroma of moist sand rejuvenates my soul after the first rains, similarly the smell of books captivate my eyes and soul. Off late, it fell a captive to ‘The Lowland’ by Pulitzer winning author Jhumpa Lahiri. The chapters of the green cover talked of communism, the naxalite movement, of Kanu Sanyal…More vividly, the plot heralded on the value of relationships and how this subtle attraction affects individuals from the core…

In a previous article of mine, I had mentioned about my excavation practices with Udayan (a character from the novel). He was indifferent to luxuries, spent days and months in the suburbs, to be able to decipher a day in the shoes of an ordinary villager. His expeditions allowed him the privilege of having one meal a day, and defecating in open air. But to his family, he was the eyeball, an hour without his absence would seem to be sans oxygen to his family members. A younger child to his mother, he was too demanding, always wanting his mother’s company. And to his wife, he was a ticket to the external world...

I have always drawn a line of difference between the real and surreal world, but what’s magical is when reality projects itself as a canvas painted with colourful brushes. There is this character in real life, who doesn’t resemble Udayan, but if I want to compare the young communist with anyone else, it would be him. He is that sand in the eye that went inside accidentally and refuses to come out, elevating your irritation everytime. No, he doesn’t spend sleepless nights (not to my knowledge at least).But he stops by, to help a vegetable vendor dismantle his goods, when his cart stops all of a sudden. Out of the blue, he blurbs about how people residing in the remote villages survive eating ants, and they receive no aid from the government. He enquires about a tortoise he had once adopted about how is it faring now…Even seeks help on social media to check if anyone would be interested in adopting a deaf puppy...

When asked about his thoughts on hypocrisy, he proudly calls himself one. Also, he doesn’t forget to take an opinion from his friend on the Kolkata metro assault, saying how these inhuman behaviours from his hometown affects his soul to the core! Wait, there’s  more, he even halts while taking paces, if he spots a crying kitten. Some of his character traits also include feeding puppies when he is placed at his factory site; where he fancies clicking selfies with them, sometimes…To call him a stalker would be unjust, he isn’t really one. However, makes it a point to place his opinion when I post something  controversial, and deliberately gets extra conscious when I seek his opinion on a piece of mine…

Would Udayan show similar signs of behavior if he were alive today? Would he also refuse to comment on public forums if I were to seek an opinion? Maybe. Maybe not. However, I can vouch on one thing, both of them would stretch their hands towards the vegetable vendor, and help him place his cart, helping  him fight his daily hustles.