PROVINCIAL LIFE

                               PROVINCIAL LIFE

SULTERING HEAT,BLAZING SUN RIGHT ABOVE YOUR HEAD AND TO TOP IT ALL MUGGY WEATHER, YES YOU GUESSED IT RIGHT I AM TALKING ABOUT THE MONTH OF JUNE. THIS IS HOW IT IS IN DELHI RIGHT? , WELL THERE WE ARE I BRING YOU THE TWO SIDES OF SOCIETY AGAIN WHEN SOME OF US SIT IN OUR AIR CONDITIONED ROOMS SIPPING COLD COFFEE ON OUR RECLINER CHAIRS AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WORK DAY AND NIGHT TO MAKE THE ENDS MEET. AND IN THESE PEOPLE THERE ARE FEW WHO ARE INCANDESCENT TO CONSUMMATE THEIR DREAMS.

TODAYS STORY IS ABOUT ONE SUCH GIRL "KALPANA". SLIM TALL WHEATISH A VERY ORDINARY LOOKING GIRL WHO NO GUY TAKES SPECIAL NOTICE OF AND GETS LOST IN THE CROWD EVERYDAY.KALPANA CAME TO ME AS A NORMAL PATIENT FOR THE TREATMENT OF GASTRALGIA AND INDIGESTION,IT WAS COUPLE OF YEARS BACK. I DID NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT HER. AS A DOCTOR I HAVE PATIENTS DROPING BY AND I HAVE TO ORCHESTRATE WITH ALL OF THEM AND FRANKLY SPEAKING AT THAT MOMENT WHEN THE PENDULUM IS IN ITS FULL VELOCITY YOU DONT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO LISTEN TO THE STORY OF AN ECENTRIC GIRL.

BUT OUT OF ALL THE PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS I HAD WITH KALPANA ALL I COULD GARNER WAS SHE IS THE ELDEST OF THE FOUR SIBLINGS, A DRUNKARD FATHER, A SANGUINE AND UNFLAGGING MOTHER WHO WAS WORKING AS A MAID IN A SCHOOL WITH MONTHLY INCOME LESS THAN WEEKLY EXPENSES OF FEW READING THIS BLOG, SHE WAS WORKING FOR A MEAGER 5000 BUCKS AND CONSIDERING SHE WAS THE ONLY BREAD WINNER FOR THE FAMILY THIS AMOUNT WAS DIMNUTIVE. AND BELEIVE ME THIS IS THE STORY OF MAJORITY OF PEOPLE BELOW THE POVERTY LINE IN OUR SO CALLED 'MAHAN BHARAT', WHERE ON THE ONE SIDE PEOPLE ARE BUILDING HOME WORTH BILLIONS AND ON THE OTHER SIDE YOU HAVE PEOPLE LIKE KALPANA WHO HAVE FAMILY INCOME LESS THAN THE AMOUNT OF FOOD THE RICH MAN'S DOG EAT IN A MONTH. ANYWAYS THAT IS NOT WHAT I AM WRITING ABOUT TODAY.

SO COMING BACK TO KALPANA IT'S NOTHING NEW THE SAME OLD STORY ONLY THE CHARACTERS SHUNT AND THE MAGNITUDE OF TORMENT REVAMPS AND MOST OF THEM HAVE HANDED OVER THEIR LIVES TO THE DESTINY AND HAVE CHOSEN TO LIVE AND DIE THE WAY THEIR DESTINY HAS DECIDED REMEMBER THAT SONG "JINA YAHAN MARNA YAHAN ISKE SIVAH JANA KAHAN" THE PERFECT MATCH TO THE SITUATION. BUT THEN SOME ARE CONGENITAL SOLDIERS, SOLDIERS LIKE KALPANA AND HER MOTHER WHO NEVER LOST HOPE AND DEAD SET ON TO CHANGE THEIR SITUATION

COMING TO TODAY, IN JUNE GENERALLY THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS DARASTICALLY DWINDLES BECAUSE IT'S THE TIME VACATION OF SCHOOLS START AND PEOPLE HAVE HOLIDAY PLANS FOR THEIR NATIVE PLACES FOR HILL STATIONS AND WHAT NOT. THE DAY IS STILL FRESH IN MY MIND AS IT HAD HAPPENED YEESTERDAY. IT WAS 3RD OF JUNE I GOT A CHANCE TO DISCOVER KALPANA. AFTER PRESCRIBING MEDICINE I JUST CASUALLY INQUIRED HOW WAS EVERYTHING AND IT WAS THEN I GOT TO KNOW THIS SOLDIER, SHE TOLD ME, "IT'S THE SAME OLD STORY BUT THE THINGS HAVE CHANGED AND CHANGED WITH TRUCK LOADS. WE ARE NO LONGER A BUOYANT FAMILY. PREVIOUSLY MY FATHER USED TO WORK IN A FACTORY AND THE INCOME OF MY FATHER AMALGAMATED WITH THAT OF MY MOTHER WAS AMPLE TO GIVE US LITTLE HAPPINESS WHICH GAVE US A FEELING OF CONTENT." SHE TOLD ME SHE USED TO STUDY IN A GOOD GOVERNMENT SCHOOL AND RESIDED IN A BOARDING.

ON ONE USUAL DAY SHE GOT A LETTER FROM HER HOME THAT FLIPPED HER LIFE UPSIDE DOWN AND SHE SCAMPERED BACK HOME.  WHEN SHE REACHED HOME IT THE FLOOR UNDER HER FEET VANISHED. THIS IS WHEN SHE HAD HER FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH DOLDRUMS AND THAT WAS JUST A BEGINING, THE FREQUENCY OF INCIDENTS WAS SUCH HIGH THAT SHE EVEN STOPPED KEEPING A TAP ON THE NUMBERS. HER FATHER WHO ONCE ACCORDING TO HER WAS THE BEST FATHER IN THE WORLD TURNED INTO A BARBAROUS VILLIAN, ALL HE WANTED WAS ALCOHOL,ALCOHOL AND MORE ALCOHOL AND HER MOTHER WAS NOTHING MORE THAN AN ATM TO HIM, AND HER SIBLINGS WERE NOTHING MORE THAN BROKEN FURNITURE SCATTERED IN THAT ONE ROOM ACCOMODATION. ALL SHE SAW IN THESE 2 YEARS WAS VIOLENCE VILIFY AND MORE VIOLENCE, LIFE FOR HER WAS NOTHIING MORE THAN A PUNISHMENT. THE DIVERGENT PERSONA OF HER FATHER WAS MAJORLY DUE TO THE BAD COMRADESHIP HE DIVULGED INTO. HE STARTED DRINKING, LEFT HIS JOB AND ALL HE DID WAS BELABOUR HER MOTHER AND TAKE MONEY FROM HER MOTHER. THE DAY SHE CAME HOME BOTH THE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER SQUALLED THEIR SORROWS OUT IN FRONT OF EACH OHTER.

THE LAST FOUR YEARS SHE SPENT IN THE HOSTEL WERE THE BEST YEARS OF HER LIFE. SHE LIKE MOST YOUNGSTERS HAD AMBITIOUS FANTASIES, SHE MADE PLANS TO MAKE A BIG FUTURE, SHE ALSO THEN THOUGHT SHE WILL CONVERT HER LIFE IN TO A BEST ONE. BUT LITTLE DID SHE KNOW THAT BEFORE EVEN TAKING THE FIRST STEP LET ALONE FIRST STEP BEFORE EVEN TAKING BABY STEPS HER LIFE WILL LEAD INTO MISERIES AND ALL HER DREAMS WILL BE FLUSHED INTO GUTTER OF CRUELITY OF REALITY. BUT SHE DID NOT LOOSE THE COURAGE SHE TOLD HER MOTHER THAT SHE WILL LEAVE THE SCHOOL AND START WORKING TO HELP HER WINNING THE BREAD FOR THE FAMILY. BUT MOTHER DID NOT WANT TO PUSH HER DAUGHTER INTO HARDSHIOS AT SUCH TENDER AGE, HER VEHMENT MOTHER INSTEAD TOLD HER TO WORK HARD AND CHASE THE AIMS SHE HAD ALWAYS FANTASISED ABOUT.

LIFE IS LIKE A DERBY YOU HAVE TO RUN PASSING OBSTACLES AND HURDELS BUT THE HOSE THAT WINS IS THE ONE WHO NEVER STOPS, AND PASSES THE HURDLES EVEN WITH A BROKEN LEG. TODAY KALPANA HAS LEFT THAT SCHOOL  AND NO LONGER STAYS IN THE HOSTEL RATHER SHE STUDIES IN A LOCAL GOVERNMENT SCHOOL, SHE IS IN HER 12TH STANDARD PERSUING ARTS. SHE KEEPS ON STRIVING FOR A PART TIME JOB TO RELEIVE A LITTILE FINANCIAL TIRBULATION OF HER MOTHER. BUT BECAUSE OF LACK OF SKILLS LIKE FLUENT ENGLISH AND COMPUTER SKILLS THE OPPURTUNITIES IN OUR SO CALLED "MODERN SOCIETY" ARE LESS. SHE TRIED HER HAND IN TEACHING NEIGHBOURHOOD CHILDREN BUT DUE TO LACK OF SPACE AND NEIGHBOURS SHARING THE SAME FINANCIAL STATUS THE IDEA WAS RELINQUISHED. JUNE AS YOU ALL KNOW IS VACATION IN THE SCHOOL  AND HER ONLY PLAN FOR THE HOLIDAYS WAS TO FIND A JOB WHICH SHE COULD LATER PERSUE WITH HER STUDIES AS WELL SO SHE IS TRYING FOR A SHIFT IN MC DONALDS. HER FINGERS ARE CROSSED FOR THAT JOB AS IT IS ONE OF THE LAST HOPES SHE HAS IN HER HAND.

SHE IS A STRONG GIRL NOW, HER TEARS HAVE DRIED AND THE MISERIES IN HER LIFE DONT BOTHER HER ANYMORE BECAUSE SHE IS NOW USED TO IT, BUT THE FIGHT WITH THE DESTINY IS STILL ON AND THE SPARK OF DREAMS IN HER EYES IS STILL AT THE FULLEST. ALL SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE WILL WORK DAY AND NIGHT TO SEE THAT ONE LITTLE  SMILE AND SIGH OF RELEIF ON HER MOTHER'S FACE AND WANTS TO BEAR THE COMPLETE BURDEN OF HER YOUNGER SIBLINGS. EVERY PASSING DAY BRINGS TROUBLE AND STRUGGLE SINCE LAST 2 YEARS AND SHE DOESN'T KNOW HOW LONG IT WILL CONTINUE, ALL SHE KNOWS IS THE DREAM SHE HAD ALWAYS THOUGHT OFF ALL SHE KNOWS AND SEES IS THE HARDSHIP HER MOTHER HAS DONE SINCE LAST 2 YEARS AND ALL SHE WANTS IS TO GIVE HER MOTHER SOME REST FOR REST OF HER LIFE AND BRING BACK THE HAPPINESS WHICH ONCE EXISTED IN HER FAMILY. I AM SURE THAT ONE DAY I WILL AGAIN WRITE A BLOG ABOUT HER BUT THAT TIME HER LIFE WOULD HAVE TAKEN A COMPLETE TURN AND HER SHARE OF HAPPINESS WOULD HAVE BEEN BESTOWED TO THIS FIGHTER. I WISH HER GOOD LUCK AND PRAY FOR HER SUCCESS