The Walls around us

 Posted on July 23, 2020 by Ruchi

We create the walls and then we get suffocated by them

In a far away village, and old man lay on his charpai ( bed made of ropes ). It had been a tiring day. His old bones cracked due to fatigue, and all he wanted was to sleep. Sleep evaded him today. A cold breeze blew in the courtyard, and brought along with it memories of olden days. Those days when his wife was alive. Like all woman of her generation, she too had been the epitome of sacrifice. She would be ready with all his needs, never questioning him even when he would be rude, which would be almost all the time. Why not, he was the Zamindar ( land – lord )? He was entitled to these privileges.

As happens, the next generation looked towards city life and slowly both his sons parted ways never to return back to the village. They were educated, held good positions and didn’t understand why living had to be made by robbing poor. He had a daughter too. The daughter whom he never thought of anything, and whom he wanted to nip in the wee hours of birth.

When God is the saviour, who is man to dispose? The girl lived a silent life, watched everything but never said anything. She would prod her mother to speak, and never understood the reason for her selfless devotion. Encouraged by her mother, she studied the left over books of her brothers.

The girl became a doctor but didn’t forget her village. She came back to give to her village. For 5 years, she worked tirelessly to inculcate health and education and woman and children. Until her own father felt threatened by her growing popularity. Had she come here to be the leader ( sarpanch )?

He started tarnishing her reputation, and tired of all, the girl went back to city never to return again. Few years back his wife died. He no longer had the power or anyone his own. He had driven everyone away due to his own ego, his life long beliefs, the traditions he grew up with. He had built walls around him and now he himself could not traverse them. He longed to reach to his children, yet he couldn’t reach them.

The above story may seem fictional, and totally irrelevant in today’s context. Yet, it is all the more relevant. What a man needs on his death bed is only a shroud and few acres of land to be buried. Yet all our life, we keep building walls around us to protect ourselves, our hard earned money, our emotions, our family and sometimes we build the walls so high that we only get trapped within them.

No one is more loner than the CEO of the top notch company.

President Trump wants to build a wall between US and Mexico. UK wants a brexit.

When covid spread, people became fearful of each other. Social distancing did not mean stop talking to each other or supporting each other. Yet at many places, doctors treating covid patients were thrown out of their accomodations.

The more walls you build, the more isolated you become. What do you think? Do leave your comments.