A DAY WHEN TURNS SPECIAL..
Dharamraj was standing in his balcony; it was the time of late morning. He was having a look, a look over what has he created... decorated... His country, his capital, his place!
A sound forced him to roll his eyes downwards. A little boy just slipped on the road while running and got hurt. Immediately his eyes saw a young man, coming behind the boy. The boy was crying but that very moment stopped, expanded his arms and uttered... "Brother!!!". The young man lifted him and rubbed his knees, and further caressed the young tot.
With a smiling face he sat down on his couch... alone. Soon his smile vanished and some memories of his childhood flashed***
***The days in gurukul, basic trainings were going, no hurriedness no competitions, no rivalry only learning, reading, playing and a bundle of laughter. The little, little kids, happiness, innocence and childish acts. They were happy in a moment angry and sad in another.
The pandavas in gurukul...
A teenage boy was sitting on a rock deep down in his thoughts. This day was his birthday. He was looking sad because none of his brothers were looking like wishing him, every one seem to have forgotten. Still he was waiting. Arjun, who used to stick to him, he is now staying away from him, Arjun, who did not even willing to get down from his lap, is now not even allowing him even to touch him.. And so as his other brothers are avoiding him since the previous day.
Just a few time before when he went to his brothers... he recalled
"Arjun did I hurt you anyway? please tell my yongiee..." said the teenager to his little brother. The kid turned his face not answering him. "I am sorry..if I did so" said the boy. still no reply came.
"Don't you have at least one reason for loving me, or talking to me my dear?" Asked the boy.
"NO" the reply came. Defeated he just got up and walked another way sadly.
on the other corner... he saw his other parts of heart, "What are you all playing my brothers? won't you all take me in your game." asked he.
"No...Because you are boring and very serious and complain to guruji everytime." the answer came from his brothers.
And so He came and sat on the rock silently...
He was near to the tears. He was feeling so sad, lonely. he remembered how they celebrated his birthday the previous year with his father, mothers and brother..He felt a tear. He was shivering because of this chilling evening... Suddenly someone passed a shawl to him, before he could look back and see who it was, the someone clasped him tightly covering him with the shawl
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY BADE BHAIYA" said a child in his childish tone.
"What did you think, I won't wish you?" asked the child clasping him more tight.
"ARJUN,MY YOUNGIEE!!!." said he as he picked him up in his lap, Arjun immediately put his hands around his brothers neck like a garland and he saw his brother in tears. He wiped it and kissed on his cheeks...
"holding my ears bade bhaiya but my intension was not to hurt you we just wanted to surprise you...sorry." arjun was also crying. Yudhishtir could not utter a word and hugged him tightly as if a father was hungry for his son's love.
"I thought you'll never talk with me when you told me you don't have even one cause to love me." said Yudhishtir.
"I'll die if I do so..and i have thousand not one" said the little one.
Yudhishtir engulfed himself in his brother's love. Suddenly he felt a tug in his stole as he found Bheem who was with a bowl of kheer in his hand.
"bharata I prepared some kheer for you." said a chubby, pumpkin like sweet cute Bheem.. Yudhishtir fed every one with kheer.. Suddenly he saw Arjun proceeding his tiny palms towards him to feed him kheer, but his palms were too tiny to keep the food in his hand. Arjun and Yudhishtir fed each other and found themselves bathed with kheer...
Yudhishtir felt another tug in his stole as he found Nakul and Sahdev with a pouting face he immediately wanted to pick them up but Arjun did not want to get down.
"Arjun they are younger than you, give them a chance too" said Yudhishtir softly
"no" Arjun said innocently and gripped him more tightly.
"Arjun" said Yudhishtir
"no,i don't spare when it is a question of my bade bhaiya"
"ok,i'll take them and you will take me." Arjun obeyed him innocently and got down..Yudhishtir picked them up in his arm as Bheem and Arjun hugged him.
To this beautiful gang of brothers... someone was watching. Another teenage boy, little elder to Yudhishtir was standing there with a sad face. While patting Sahdev's back, Yudhishtir's eyes fall on him. The pious hearted boy could not see anyone one in trouble. He asked him for the reason of his sadness. The grown up replied,
"I have no brother here and how you all were celebrating, is reminded me of my family a...anyway" said he as he started walking to another way...
"You can also join us" said Yudhishtir. And then they all celebrated together!
Yes... the big boy was Karna. All Pandavas called him sarv jyesht bhrata! In the late night, Arjun walked out of his room as he was not feeling sleepy and saw Karna who was crying...
"Why are you crying?" asked he.
"Because everyone calls me suta, lower cast, you all were calling me brother."
Arjun wiped his tears and hugged him tightly and answered
"a brotherhood does not depend on cast." Karna nodded to this and smiled...a silence prevailed between them..
"sarv jyesht bhrata pick me up I am sleepy" said a sleepy Arjun with a yawn as Karna picked him up and as he rubbed his back Arjun slept in his arms immediately Yudhishtir woke up in the morning and found both of them hugging each other tightly, sleeping in each other's arms...
"everything you love and respect in the world, loves you in return" he uttered and spread a blanket around them.***
The movement of ink pot over the table brought Yudhishtir back to the present day. He was again sitting alone today, but the thoughts in mind were different. Today he was cheerless as he remembered his deeds... the deeds which caused this war, such destruction, so heavy burden. Unwontedly only but again all those moments of dyuth saha, vanvas, Pitahma & Abhimanyu's deaths... all ran before his eyes...
Today was his special day, but another time none of his brothers wished him yet. And to top it all he recollected the memories of that day... his eyes became moist with continuously flowing water.
Arjun entered his room with a big shawl in his hands... grasped eldest the similar way he did earlier covering him with the shawl, clasping his shoulder tightly.
"Arjun you remember?" Yudhishtir asked...
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY BADE BHAIYA" The reply came as he understood the similar chain of thought imprisoned them..
"Arjun my youngiiee"
"why weren't you all talking to me?" he had tears in his eyes...
"sorry bade bhaiya we had no intentions to hurt you, we just wanted you to gift the beautiful day we had in gurukul" Arjun too was crying..."I'll die if I won't talk to you." as Arjun said that Yudhishtir enveloped him in his arms...after some moments they parted from each other.
The same laughter, same innocence, same love, and same affection they all had for each other after so many horrible incidents...
Then Bheem entered holding a big bowl of his hand made kheer. He was followed by Shri Krishna!
"Woww Bhrata BHEEM! Your kheer's delicious aroma pulled me here from Dwarka."
All faces lit up watching Him among themselves. He greeted Yudhishtir and gave him some white and yellow flowers with best wishes! He secretly wiped all Yudhishtir's tears and sat beside him. Yudhishtir took Arjun's big palms in his hands and said,
"You had such a little little palm youngie..." he turned... "Do you all know that he bathed me with kheer while feeding me", leaving a medium voiced giggle heard. Advance to that, he caressed Arjun's cheeks, noses, kissing his fore head, grasping him completely as a father who was hungry for his affection. Everyone was watching them. The moment Yudhishtir shed a tear, Sahdev and Nakul stood up to console him. Holding their hands on his shoulder... he narrated how Nakul, Sahdev was jealous that day of his brothers; they wanted to sit on his lap... and passed a broad smile. Everyone's eyes glittered.
"It's getting late, come on every one go to bed" every one nodded to his brother not willing to themselves.
In the midnight... 'a place was vacant in his bed. Arjun was not feeling sleepy and went out.He could not find Karna for making him sleep tonight because he had gone forever, he had gone so far that his hand could not reach him. he looked down at his hands, felt like no voice in his throat...
"how unfortunate am I. I will never get your patting again."
He looks at the sky...by that time Yudhishtir woke up and on not finding Arjun he too went out and approached him. Both looked at the sky with him. A blue star twinkled!
Yudhishtir asked "missing sarv jyesht?" while putting his hand on his shoulder.
Arjun nodded' "yes" and embraced him and asked, "How u came to know."
Yudhishtir just smiled and said, "Because I am both of yours brother!" "We both met with this day when we called him brother? I don't know why but i felt that if each and every small things are matching with that day,then why won't he come here for making me sleep..i don't know why it seems but my back had captured the touch of my brother when he rubbed my back.."said arjuna to yudhistir sobbing in his arms.."it is because we forget incidents and days not moments we have with eachother" explained bade bhaiya to his youngiee. Bade bhaiya saw his youngie's muscles constructed in the spasm of his vigorous sobs..he rubbed his back as he started falling asleep.."we sould get going youngiee or else i have to wake bheem up to pick you up.." arjun did not smile but stopped crying as he uttered,"i love you bade bhaiya." "I LOVE YOU TOO YOUNGIEE"