FranKophone

I : Do you know what is the greatest punishment on earth ? Me : Yes. When you are good, but not good enough.

It was planted in the center of the garden. Everything seemed to revolve around it. The flurry of activities in the day and the soothing breezes of the night. It had a knack to being stern yet kind, social yet solitary, cheery yet comforting, pushy yet supportive. Since it was everyone's favorite place to be, a small mud platform was raised around it. It found a place in the family photographs. Kids scribbled their first letter under the mango tree. It witnessed many unions and partings. It bore mangoes every summer. (Of course, it was a mango tree ! )   One not-so-fine day, the garden was reduced to half. No longer was the mango tree at the center of  life. It was spared but looked morose. The mud platform had long been demolished. It was past its prime. No fruits were borne. No one cared to water it. But it refused death. It knew its task was not over yet. It had to provide shade to the gardener who lay underneath it.  Courtesy : Google

An oppressed woman looks beautiful to the eyes of its predator. She has the most perfect face one can ever imagine. In her eyes, she wears fear. She masks it with kohl. Her nose is held high, lest someone suspects. Her mouth is gagged. She never wails or attracts attention. Her body is marked, ridiculed and trampled upon. In the most remote corner of her heart, she has buried all her dreams and desires. She has lost hope, faith and soul.

No longer do I look forward To wearing my new birthday dress. Impeccably wrapped gifts no longer excite me. I do not cut cakes with numeric candles glowing on it. I ignore most messages, pings and tweets, That remind me of my birthday. With each passing festival I see new trends in the market. Playing with colors or fire is not "my thing" now. I wish no one comes home with a box of sweets in hand. I wish not to be wished at all. I loathe parties thrown by friends, Their birthdays and their weddings. Their house-warming and their baby-showers and their successes. Sipping a drink in hand and Thinking. Reminiscing about chances I had but did not take. Wondering about how lost I am. Where did I lose it ? At fifteen - when I was blissfully unaware ? Or at seventeen ? When I did not know how to do it. Or at twenty one ? When I failed to realize what exactly to do. Sadly I stopped counting after that.

I wish I had a wish. To run wild in wilderness. To walk along hilly paths. To taste the berries of the forbidden tree. To smile for no reason at all. I wish I had a wish.

In the durbar of Akbar, there once appeared a polyglot.  After marvelous display of his skills, he challenged the mighty emperor’s court to instantly ascertain his native tongue. Birbal was up for the game. He came close to the polyglot, embraced him and in a flash of second, twisted his arm intently. The polyglot cried out ‘Bou lo, marigali’ (meaning, ‘O Mother! I’m dead’). He was identified as a native of erstwhile Utkal. Five centuries later, there has been no significant change. It is hard to identify the quintessential ‘Utkaliya’ of Moghul era or the ‘Odia’ of independent India, though they appear everywhere. They lack a distinct identity, in stark contrast with neighboring states like Bengal (where people swear by their Bangaliana) and Andhra (which, unfortunately, is undergoing a tumultuous phase currently). Why has this been so?  Why has this race (for the lack of a more appropriate term) been so meek and mild in ascertaining its own identity? The reason...

किसीको मुक़म्मल जहाँ  नहीं मिलता , कहीं ज़मीन , तो कहीं आसमां  नहीं  मिलता । 2014 has arrived and five days have already gone by.  Gone with the cold wave it seems.  Last year was good. Two good holiday trips, a weekend trip to Mumbai, getting a first hand experience of  'corporate healthcare' (as an attendant) and the usual drama - that is how I can sum up 2013. Well, let bygones be bygones.  A fresh look towards future solves many problems. As if they never were.  My wish list for 2014 : Not this year :(  Done. Sometime in March. Done. Sometime in February. Will continue :) Last but not the least - She'll be with me in April and May. Rest of the months - fingers crossed ! I hope the important wishes will be granted sooner.  And wishing everyone in the universe an incredibly fulfilling year.