December 14
Time: 9 pm
Place: Bangalore

❝ Today my sister came from office, and I saw she wasn’t herself. There were some questions in her eyes. After some time she came to my room sat beside me and started talking.

She said “We don’t live; we just focus so much on tomorrow, career, future, money and all these things. And we don’t realise how fragile life is and maybe there is no tomorrow”.

Now it was getting serious and philosophical, so I looked at her carefully.

She said, “You remember the cute, nice, marriage card of my colleague I showed you the other day?”

I said, “Yes, it was creative”.

She said “He died in our office today and he was just 32. How could this happen? Bit more than a fortnight of his marriage, and he is dead”.

I looked into her sullen deep bit wet eyes and said “Yes life is strange, so is death. Poor fellow, tell me how it happened.”
She said “He went down to have lunch. There he had a heart attack and died after some time. And people are so insensitive; one guy told me that nobody came to help for some time. People don’t help until and unless it is their family. The ambulance arrived 15-20 minute late. Somebody could have dropped him in his car; maybe he could have been saved.”

She paused and started again “You know these were the early days of his marriage and he was so happy and excited, in the morning he was discussing taking leave tomorrow for pooja (a ritual post marriage) and was bit scared to ask for permission from the manager as he just joined office. ”

“You know we got to know about him after 2 hours when we saw his chair empty, how people can be so insensitive; everybody was online working as if nothing has ever happened. Nobody went to the hospital with him. Few people went to see him later, though. His seat, the Tiffin box was there, the same table, the computer all those notes stuck on the wall, only the chair was empty.”

“His phone was locked so they informed his parents so late. When they were putting him in the ambulance, the doctor said maybe he is no more, same time his newlywed wife called. Maybe she called to know if he got leave for tomorrow. Or to call him early today. We used to tease him as he used to rush back to the home early in the evening.”

“How many dreams died along with him? I pity the poor girl, his newlywed wife. Now society will eat her like vulture blaming this all on her. She will be cursed, hated, judged, blamed for this thing. She will be shattered to the core. Her dreams washed away, her happiness gone, on the top of that society will not let her be in peace even to mourn. Just 18 days back there was grand celebration the best day of her life everything was like a fairytale for her. But now society will not leave any place for her. Her own will become her enemy. Why does this happen?”

“I have seen only men dying of heart attack, and in such age it is unthinkable. Girls cry, fight but let it come out with tears; men don’t. They keep the emotions inside, so maybe that causes it. On top of that society expects you to be tough. ‘Men don’t cry’. Why don’t you tell what is bothering you? Why don’t you cry? ”

I just looked at her nodded my head but went into deep thought on many ‘Whys’. Maybe there are no answers or answers those I am not ready to see. I still wonder. ❞
~Prakash