The Nest (Short Story)

I heard birds screeching and frantically fluttering their wings above the Parijat tree in front of the window of my study. I looked up from the computer I was busy preparing my office reports on and saw the branches of the tree shake violently. I rushed out of the house and headed towards the Parijat tree in the garden. There, I saw Petu, our pet tom cat jump out of the tree and do a vanishing act. I saw a couple of birds screeching and hovering around the tree; just then I chanced upon the remains of a nest and lifeless forms of two tiny fledglings lying at the foot of the tree. I picked up the two fledglings and headed towards the house to be greeted by my Aunt, who rushed to grab the lifeless forms from my hand and scream, “So, Petu did it again! That rascal does not allow the birds to nest in any of the trees and bushes in our garden! My heart weeps at the plight of these tiny creatures! Let the brat come home this evening! I am not going to treat him with the fish I purchased for him from the market this morning!” after declaring her intention, my septuagenarian Aunt, waddled like a mother goose to the backyard of the house to find a final decent resting place for the fledglings.

I am a young entrepreneur living in the suburbs of an old city. I reside with my old widowed Aunt in my ancestral home, a small cottage fringed with garden full variety of flowering plants and trees. My Aunt looks after the household ever since I lost my parents in a road accident. After completing my studies at the state university I spend most of my time trying to set up an organic farm on the ancestral farmland and the remaining time of a day, I spend at home taking care of all the accounts and official correspondence of the business.

Intrigued by Shami Aunt’s comment on Petu, I followed her into the backyard and while helping her to perform the last rites of the fledglings I asked her, “Boro Maa, you mean, this is not the first time Petu has broken a bird’s nest? What about the bird bath that Khoka got for you from the city pet shop?”

Annoyed by my rather naïve question, Aunt Shami retorted, “Shatu, are you ever mindful of the house, the family and the surroundings? Round the clock you are glued to your computer, telephone, mobile phone and books. Do you ever know what is happening in and around the house! Your younger brother Khoka is better than you. He spends only the weekends with us, but is so attentive to life in and around the house! I smell something burning…oh no! How could I forget the daal on the gas stove?” Aunt Shami quickly patted the loose earth in her hand on the tiny graves she had dug up and hurried towards the kitchen. Her rejoinder to my question reminded me of my brother’s visit last weekend when he romped around the house and the garden with his new camera taking photographs of any and everything. Before returning to his work in the city, he had given me an envelope and said, “Dada, you are so busy with your work that you hardly have the time to even look out of the window in your study. So, I decided to give the paper prints of these photographs to you instead of sharing them with you on WhatsApp, Facebook or Google+. Don’t forget to let me know what you think about them…”

I immediately went to my study and opened the top drawer of my desk to pull out the brown paper envelope Khoka had given me. I had made up my mind to set up the bird bath too in the garden, I opened the envelope and found photographs of the two tiny birds flying from the Amaltas tree towards their nest on the Parijat tree; the fledglings in the nest entwined in the branches of the Parijat tree; Petu on his prowl around the house. The photographs were a vivid depiction of the beautiful moments of life set for eternity. The beautiful moments of life in and around the house that I was completely oblivious of….

The Guest (Story)

“Hi Rakesh, How are you? What made you call me so early in the morning?” asked Vivek to his friend while replying to his phone call.

“Vivek, I am doing great. Do you remember Ramakant? Our school time hero?” replied Rakesh with a question.

“Oh yes! How can anyone forget our younger brother Rama, the hero, who used to steal mangoes and tamarind for us from Chaudhry’s orchard; what happened to him? Where is he now? What is he doing these days?” Vivek filled Rakesh’s ear with his barrage of questions.

“Ha ha. Rama is fine and he is a Physics professor in the government college, which is the only college in the town “replied Rakesh and explained why he telephoned Vivek, “Rama has to attend a conference at the University. You are living in the university campus, so I asked him to meet you and give you the sweater your Kamala Chachi, my mother, has knit for you. Is it okay with you?”

Without a moment’s hesitation Rakesh replied, “Rama is always welcome to visit me. Ask him to stay with me and he need not worry about his stay to attend the conference. I will not let him stay at the guest house. By the way, is Rama still the daredevil or he has mellowed...?”

Before Vivek could complete his query Rakesh in sheer excitement cut him with his emphatic response, “Vivek! There is a tremendous change in Rama; he is no longer the Rama you remember him as. Wait till you meet him and see for yourself! Ha...”

“Alright, so when is Rama to arrive here, I can go and receive him at the station.” replied Vivek with laughter echoing in his voice.

“Rama will reach tomorrow morning, attend the conference and meet you in the afternoon before returning home by the evening train.” replied Rakesh.

“I will message my department and residence address to you. Rama will have lunch with me. Living alone has helped me become a very good cook. I shall make his favourite mutton curry…”

Rakesh’s exclamation cut short Vivek’s plan, “Hold on Vivek, Rama is a vegetarian. I will give him your address and phone no. Do call me after Rama’s visit. Take care old chap; I will wait for your phone call tomorrow evening.” 

Vivek chuckled and entered the kitchen to check on the ingredients he needed to prepare a vegetarian lunch for Rama the following day.

Rakesh and Ramakant were Vivek’s cousin brothers. Their father was Vivek’s paternal uncle. They had spent their childhood together in their ancestral home in the town. After completing his studies, Vivek began working in the administrative block of the university and lived in the quarter allotted to him in the campus. The very thought of meeting Rama after twenty years made him happy.

Rakesh woke up quite early in the morning. He could not contain his excitement of meeting his cousin and in no time he completed arranging his house to welcome Rama for lunch in the afternoon and headed off to his office to complete his day’s work. Unlike the other days, today Rakesh was unmindful of his work and anxiously waited for Rama’s phone call. After a long and anxious wait, Rakesh’s mobile phone tinkled the much awaited call from Rama. Vivek asked Rama to wait for him at the conference hall as he would pick him up and drive him to his residence.

Rakesh parked his car in front of the conference hall and rushed to its main door.  The conference was over and the participants were moving out of the hall, just then he heard a youthful voice call out to him, “Rakesh Bhai, I am here...” Rakesh immediately swung to his left to see a slim young man in formal conference suit moving towards him. Their face beamed with joy and they threw themselves in each is other’s arms to make up for the lapse of twenty years. Rakesh held Rama at arm’s length to look at his young brother, “Gosh, Rama! What has happened to your baby fat! How did you slim down? Stop all the veg. food. You need to put on weight!” Rama laughed and replied to Vivek, “Vivek Bhai, I have reduced horizontally and gained vertically. I always wanted to be as tall as you and I see I have achieved it!” They laughed together and on the way to Vivek’s quarter they tried to catch up on lapse of twenty years.

“After a refreshing bath here is fresh veggie lunch for you. Rakesh told me that you have become a vegetarian by choice.” Vivek served a plate full of variety of vegetarian dish in front of Rama. “Wah Vivek Bhai! Bachelorhood has transformed you into a splendid cook!” exclaimed Rama admiring the lunch his brother had prepared for him. “Rama, because of you I have fixed a veggie lunch first time in my life. First have it, then comment on it, while I get the water jug from the kitchen.”

While Vivek was filling the water jug from the water filter in the kitchen he overheard Rama say, “May I be obliterated in flesh and blood. May I be eradicated in flesh and blood. May I be transformed in flesh and blood. May it be in harmony with the environment…” Shocked by Rama’s utterance, Vivek rushed out of the kitchen holding the half filled water jug in his hand. “Are you nuts Rama! What are you muttering?” At Vivek’s outburst Rama opened his eyes, placed his hands on the dining table and quietly looked at his brother glaring at him. 
Vivek sat  down beside Rama at the table and asked him, “Rama, what is this, what do you mean by your destruction in flesh and blood? Are you so depressed that you want to kill yourself? What’s the matter boy? Tell me, what can I do for you? I can’t see you sad. I remember you as Phantom and Tarzan jumping and swinging from the branches of the trees in Chaudhry’s orchard. Stealing pickle and candies from Nathhu bhai’s grocery store, what is this?”

Rama smiled and looked at his agitated brother in the eye and said, “Vivek bhai, this is neither a prayer nor a curse. I merely practice self affirmation when I have a meal.” Vivek was not convinced with the explanation and as if chiding his brother, said “What kind of self affirmation is this, confirming your own destruction?” Rama laughed and replied, “Oh yes Vivek bhai, don’t forget, a while ago you had said I am no longer the chubby kid you had seen me twenty years back; which means, with time I have changed both physically and mentally. In fact, each one of us is energy in form of life force."
Vivek looking quizzed by Rama's statement asked, "We are human beings, how can we be a form of energy?" 
Rama savouring the paneer curry replied, "Why do we need food and water or drink?"
 hence a life force Energy is the The cells and tissues I was born with are no longer part of me. The cells and tissues of my body are constantly replaced like the leaves of a living tree or plant. My life form is constantly transforming with the continuous replacement of cells and tissues with new ones. The food I eat fuels the process of living transformation. Each day, every moment I have a positive or negative experience that influences the life force or energy within me in the form of my physical and mental transformation. My conscious effort to dispel negative energy caused in me in the form of anger, inflated expectation, resentment, jealousy, hatred, vengeance, to name a few. This is possible through positively conscious efforts in the form of grateful acknowledgement, compassion, positively learning through the challenges, benevolence, reforms, camaraderie, bonhomie, goodwill that concordantly dispel the discord of the negative forces.  When I consciously affirm my transformation and try to transform all my negative experience to positive ones: I try to make a positive change in my mind and body that helps me to effectively harmonise with the environment. If I am unable to offset the affect of negative experience, it generates negative energy in me resulting in negative transformation causing mental stress, physical distress and ailment. Therefore, before having the food I affirm that let it fuel the transformation of the cells and tissues in me help me generate more positive energy to replace the negative energy in me so that I can harmonise with the surrounding, the beings and the environment.” 

Reading the puzzled look on Vivek’s face Rama laughed aloud and said, “Vivek bhai, you have so aesthetically transformed your negative energy in the form of any worry or anxiety into positive energy in the form of this yummy lunch for me!”