Life Is Short
NOWThe police jeep fled through the parking lot of the
IDFC bank, stopping near the entrance. SP Rohan jumped out the car, and went to
the officers that were already on the scene.
"What's the status, officer?", asked the SP.
"We have a male body, sir, mid 40s. Shot by one of
the robbers at point blank, dead instantly. He is the one we have to thank sir,
as he was the one to call the police and notify of the robbery. All of the
robbers are under arrest now. Sad thing, he had to pay for it with his life.",
replied the officer.
"Any ID?"
"No, sir. Just the phone was found which he made the
call through."
The SP took the phone and looked at the homescreen.
The picture of a woman was there, with the name Pinky. Must be his wife, he thought,
and dialled the number.
A woman picked up on the other end, "Haan Jeet,
boliye".
The officer gulped. Yeah, it was a tough job, but he
had to do it. He spoke as softly as he could, "I am sorry mam, but there is
some bad news."
A
DAY BEFORE ' AHUJA HOUSEThe 3 kids returned from school. Raavi seemed tired
and went to her room immediately to change. Pinky went to the kitchen to
prepare the lunch. While, Raashi and Sunny seemed to have something in their
mind. They went to the sofa and started whispering.
"Sunny, tum to jaante ho na PlayStation kya hota
hai?", began Raashi in a low voice.
"Haan, Raashi di aapse jyaada jaanta hoon in cheezon
ke baare me.", retorted Sunny in a low voice, "Waise hum dheere kyu bol rhe
hai?", he asked loudly, forgetting that he needs to whisper.
"Abe dheere bol", Raashi warned angrily, but too
late. Pinky had already heard him.
"Kya hua Sunny baba?", asked Pinky loudly from
kitchen.
"Kuch nhi, paani maang rha tha. maine de diya apna
bottle", Raashi lied, and glared at Sunny.
"Acha theek hai bolo kya hua?", asked Sunny.
"Mere kaafi friends ne PS par games khele hai. Mujhe
bhi kaafi acha lagta hai. Tumhe?"
"Mai larka hoon, mujhe to obviously video games ache
lagte hain."
"Kya kahte ho? Mumma se baat kre?"
"Mumma maanegi?"
"Mushkil to hogi. Isliye hume emotional atyachaar ka
istemaal krna hoga. Aur mumma ko impress bhi. Chal jaldi se change kr lete hain
khaane se pehle."
Pinky served lunch and all the 3 kids sat on the
table, eating quietly.
"Mumma aaj aap kaafi ache lag rhe ho!", Raashi said.
Sunny nodded quickly.
"Kya smarty, kuch chahiye tumhe? Aaj maan ki bari taareef
ho rhi hai?", Pinky commented.
"Kya mumma, aap to humesha mujhe galat hi samajhti
ho. Ab ek beti apni maan ki taarif bhi nahi kar skti bina galat iraade ke?",
Raashi stopped eating and crossed her hands.
"Chal chal drama queen, bol bhi de. Mumma to roj
aisi hi dikhti hain, aur kabhi to tareef nhi karti tu.", Raavi taunted.
"Mumma aap dids ko bol do hum dono ke beech me na
bole warna acha nhi hoga.", Raashi snapped.
"Acha Raashi ki bachi, kya karegi? Kar ke to dikha"
Pinky interrupted, "Bas bas ho gya tum logon ka.
Raavi, tum khaao. Acha Raashi, sorry. Tu bas taarif kar rhi thi. Thanks. Ab
khaayegi, maharani?"
Raashi started eating and said after a minute.
"Waise ek cheez to chahiye thi mujhe", Raashi said
in a low voice.
Raavi rolled eyes, "Dekha mumma, ye sahi me nhi
sudhregi."
"Haan wo pata hai mujhe. Ab kya chahiye aapko Raashi
ji?", Pinky asked.
"Dekho, sirf mujhe hi nhi chaahiye. Wo to sunny bol
rha tha isliye mai'", Raashi started but Sunny cut her in the middle.
"Ye jhoot bol rhi hai. Wo to inhone hi mujhe kaha ki
hume ek PS lena chahiye."
"Jhoota sunny, tune bola".
"Nahi aapne".
Pinky had to interrupt again, "Chup karo dono. Abhi
exams hone waale hai na. Koi PS nhi milega tum logon ko."
Both kids stopped fighting. After all, it was the
case of mutual benefit, so both mended fences and tackled the common enemy, the
no-saying-mother.
"But mumma, hum thora sa hi khela karenge.", said Sunny.
"Haan, meri to exams ki taiyaari bhi ho chuki hai",
said Raashi.
"Maine kaha na nhi, to matlab nhi.", Pinky picked up
the plates.
"Aap to kuch maante hi nhi ho, hum papa se baat
krenge.", said Raashi angrily.
"Haan wahi theek hai, mujhe is jhanjhat me phansao
hi mat.", said Pinky and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
A
DAY BEFORE ' AHLUWALIA HOUSE
"Abe uth jaa naalayak, school nhi jaana kya?",
Sweety shook Rocky. He woke up, dazed, and picked up his mobile. He saw a
message notification, so started to read it.
"Haan uth kar aur koi kaam to hai nhi, sabse pehle
mobile hi use kar. Bol to computer bhi on kar ke doon?", Sweety remarked.
"Are kya maa, message aaya hai bas wahi dekh raha
hoon."
Sweety turned to leave, but suddenly Rocky was up in
a flash.
"OMG, mai to bhool hi gya!"
"Ab bhala ye OMG kya hai?"
"Are maan, Oh My God. Are mujhe ek speech deni hai
parso aur maine kuch likha bhi nhi hai. Are mujhe to topic bhi nhi yaad hai.
Kaha likha tha maine?", he said and started looking in his notebooks.
"Haan, football ke player ne kis saal kitne goal
maare the wo yaad rhega, lekin speech aur topic yaad rakhne ki kya jaroorat
hai?", Sweety snapped again. She was fed up with the recklessness of the boy.
"Are kya maan, aap kabhi kuch nhi bhoolti kya?"
Sweety was just going to respond when Rocky
exclaimed.
"Mil gya! Topic hai Dad.", his mood suddenly went
down, "Are ab Dad pe kya likhunga?"
"Are itne ache bhale daddy ji hai, kuch likh nhi
sakta unke baare me?"
Rocky got ready and sat for breakfast. Ginny and
Lucky were already there.
"Dad, aap par speech likhni hai.", Rocky said.
"To puttar likh na mai kitna acha daddy ji hoon",
Lucky ji said with a smile.
"Haan bhaiya, daddy ji world ke best daddy ji
hain.", said Ginny.
"Aise nhi hoga dad, aap ko aise hi mai acha nhi bana
doonga. Aapko kuch ache kaam bhi krne honge.", Rocky said.
"Oye kya keh rha hai, mai ache kaam nhi karta?"
"Nhi nhi, wo to aap krte hi hain, lekin kuch mere
liye bhi kijiye. Dad, mujhe school ke baad football khelna hai, maan se kahiye
na permission de de.", Rocky's volume went down.
"Puttar, exams aane waale hai, isliye teri maan to
permission dene se rhi. To unse poochne se acha hai tu mujhe bura dad hi bana
de speech me."
"Dekhiye dad, ye galat baat hai. Aap kehte kuch aur
hai, karte kuch aur. Mai kya likhoon, ki mere dad hypocrite hai? Us din aapne
samosa khaaye to maine maan se jhoot bola tha, dekhiye ab aap cheating nhi kar
skte."
"Cheating? Kisne ki cheating?", Sweety came into the
room.
"Kuch nhi maan, main bas Ginny ko keh rha tha ki
mehnat kar, exam me cheating mat krna.", Rocky joked.
"Kya bhaiya, aap bas hmesha mujhi par bolo", Ginny
left the table, having finished her breakfast
Sweety turned to pick up her plate. Rocky folded his
hands behind her back but Lucky did the same. Rocky also got up, showing finger
to Lucky as if saying, not fair dad.
NOW
"Bad news, what bad news?", the tension in Pinky's
voice was very clear.
"I am very sorry to inform you mam, but your husband
is dead. The only consolation I can give is that he died a hero, he stopped a
bank robbery and got the robbers caught. Mam? Mam?"
The phone has slipped through the hands of Pinky and
the faint voice of the SP filled the quiet room. The kids ran to Pinky.
"Mumma, kya hua?"
Pinky didn't reply. Raavi picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
It was she who dropped the phone this time. She
could only manage to speak, "Papa nhi.." before she broke down.
A
DAY BEFORE ' AHUJA HOUSE
Jeet returned late to the house. It has been a
tedious day. The work has got hectic lately. He just wanted to have a cold
shower and to sleep.
Pinky took his bag. He took a shower, and the whole
family sat for dinner. They were all eating when Raashi couldn't control her
anxiety anymore.
"Papa, Sunny aur main soch rhe the ki kya hum ek
PlayStation kharid skte hai?"
"Beta abhi tum logon ke exams hone waale hai na?"
"Haan papa but hum manage kr lenge."
"Beta pehle exams ho jaane do, fir sochte hai.".
Jeet was already irritated from work, but tried to maintain cool with the kids.
"Please papa, hum sambhaal lenge na exams."
Jeet couldn't take it anymore, he already had a bad
day and he couldn't contain the frustration anymore.
"Beta mine kaha na nhi, matlab nhi.", he shouted.
Raashi stopped eating and crossed her hands, and
wore an angry expression. Sunny followed.
Jeet instantly regretted shouting and apologized,
"Sorry beta, but khaana to kha lo."
"Nhi."
Pinky requested too, but both of them didn't budge.
So, Jeet said, "Theek hai jaan, chor do. Jab bhookh hogi, wo khaa lenge."
This time Raashi was the one to shout, "Haan aapko
kya fark parta hai humaara kya ho. Aap kabhi humaari baat nhi sunte. Mujhe
aapse kabhi baat nhi karni.", she ran to her room.
Sunny also said, "Aap ache waale papa nhi ho", and
he also left.
Pinky started to get up but Jeet stopped her. "Rehne
do jaan, bache hai. Abhi gussa hai, thanda hone do to mai samjhaunga unhe."
Jeet tried to talk to both the kids after dinner,
but none of them opened the door. He just said, sorry for shouting, wished them
a good night and went to sleep. He was feeling bad for taking out the anger of
work on kids.
NOW
Pinky was not in a state to say anything. Raavi was
finally able to put some words together without breaking down, and told the
other 2 kids what happened. They couldn't hold the tears too.
Raashi felt too bad. "Aur unse aakhiri samay maine jhagra kiya. Maine kaha aap bure dad
hain. Wo to sorry bhi kehne aaye the lekin maine nhi suni. Maine kaha mai kabhi
baat nhi krna chahti. Ab to mai sahi me baat nhi kar paaungi kabhi.", she
started crying hysterically.
Raashi has taken many things for granted, like most
of us do. We can afford to fight with the people we love, because there will
always be a tomorrow when we can sort it out, right? Wrong. Not everybody lives
to see the next today. It was something Raashi realized now, a little too late.
Raavi took matters in the hand. She consoled Pinky
and said that we have to go to the hospital for body identification. She called
Sweety and Naanu. They both said they will reach the hospital ASAP.
A
DAY BEFORE ' AHLUWALIA HOUSE
The bell rang for the second time.
"Haan haan, aa rhi hoon.", said Sweety and opened
the door. She gasped. Rocky was standing there, with nose bleeding, lip cut,
and many other injuries over face and body.
"Haaye? Ye kya haal bana liya hai?"
Rocky entered and limped to the washroom.
"Kuch bataayega?"
"Are maan, bahut dukh rha hai, pehle kuch kijiye
na."
She asked him to wash himself first. Then she
cleaned the wounds with an antiseptic and applied bandages. Meanwhile, he told
the story. He had been playing football, while some other guys have come and
taunted his friend. They had begun to fight soon, and Rocky jumped in to save
his friend. Sweety got very angry.
"Tujhe permission di kisne football khelne ki? Aur
ja ke lad logon se. Taange kyu chor di, wo bhi turwa leta?", she said and hit
him on the back.
"Aah, maan, maaro mat na dard hota hai."
"Too bahut bigad gya hai, mai abhi Lucky ji ko
bulaati hoon."
She called Lucky ji.
"Haan ji Sweety ji, meeting me hu mai. Deal kar rha
hoon."
"Aap jaldi aaiye, isi waqt"
"Thik hai ji, mai cheque lekar aata hoon.", he
sensed her anger and left immediately for home after taking the cheque.
"Ye kya haal bana ke rakha hai bhai?", Lucky ji
asked.
"Kya dad, aap to samjho, aap bhi kya maan ki tarah?"
"Beta, thik keh rhi hai teri maan. Ye faaltu me
larai ki kya jaroorat thi?"
"Dad lekin wo log aise bol rhe the."
"Beta waise logon se larkar koi faayda nhi kyuki
baat unki samajh me nhi aati"
"Dad, mard baniye."
"Beta, mard hoon aur mard ki tarah hi bata raha
hoon. Ladai sahi baat ke liya kiya kar. Use mardaangi kehte hai."
"Chodiye dad, aap khud bhi darpok hain aur mujhe bhi
bana rhe hai. Aapki kabhi himmat hi nhi hui hogi larne ki."
"Beta maine bhi laraiyaan ki hai. Lekin laro waha
jaha tumhaari laraai se faayda hai. Lekin nhi, tum yaha to himmat dikhaaoge,
lekin sahi cheez ke liye larne waqt kisi ki himmat nhi parti."
"Kya dad aap bilkul faatu ki tarah baat kar rhe ho."
"Sambhal ke puttar, baap hoon tera.", said Lucky
angrily and walked out of the room.
Rocky lied down in his bed, "Khud to darte hai aur
mujhe bhi dara rhe hai". He wondered whether he should write down in speech
that his dad is a hypocrite and now a coward too. He chuckled and fell asleep.
NOW
Sweety ji was pretty shocked at the news too. She
tried calling Lucky ji, but a voice said his phone was switched off. Where is
he, he always disappears at important times, thought Sweety. His phone has been
switched off for hours, as she had tried calling him a few hours ago and then
also she heard the same message. She gave the news to the kids too, and the
three rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Ahuja family was on their way to the
hospital. Raashi was crying hysterically, feeling loads of guilt due to her
last encounter with her dad, which was going to be the last encounter she ever
had with him. Raavi tried to control her.
"Koi baat nhi Raashi, sambhaalo khud ko. Tumhe kya
pata tha ki aaj kuch aisa ho jaayega." She felt like crying too, but somebody
had to be the backbone of the family. Pinky was still silent, therefore Raavi
had to take up the job.
"Mai khud ko kabhi maaf nhi kar paoongi", Raashi
managed to say in between her cries.
"Mumma kuch to bolo", Raavi looked at Pinky, with a
longing expression. But Pinky couldn't manage to come up with anything but
tears.
Both the families reached the hospital nearly at the
same time. Naanu was already waiting for them. He took the situation in charge
and started talking softly to Pinky. Sweety also went to console Pinky. While
Rocky and Ginny tried to get the kids under control. Ginny hugged Raashi and
patted her back. Naanu asked at reception, and they all went to the morgue.
A man was waiting there for them with a policeman.
Both the families reached there with Naanu. Pinky wasn't in a state to do such
a thing, so Naanu went over to lift the sheet and complete the formality of
identification. As soon as he lifted the sheet, he let out a gasp in shock.
"Kya hua papaji?", asked Sweety.
No response. She walked over. As soon as she laid
her eyes on the face, she couldn't believe her own eyes. It was Lucky. She
fainted. Everybody rushed over to help her and everybody was perplexed. Ginny
started crying and Rocky froze like a statue. Ahuja family didn't even know how
to react. Suddenly the nurse came and said, "Sir, the patient is awake now. He
is saying his name is Jeet Ahuja and he wants us to call his family."
Nobody knew what to do. On the one hand, Lucky was
lying dead and Sweety was unconscious on the floor but on the other hand, Jeet
needed them too. Nanu came to his senses quickly and decided he will stay there
while Pinky should visit Jeet. He asked the kids to stay outside, thinking that
such a scene was not what kids should be exposed too. But the kids did not
listen, they went to the aid of their mother.
Jeet was lying in a bed, with bandage wrapped on his
head. He smiled seeing Pinky and kids. Raashi was the first to rush to him and
hugged him tightly. She didn't wanna let go, afraid she might lose him again. She
said sorry and just cried. But the tears came out of happiness this time.
Pinky smiled at Jeet. But they were all very
confused as to what has happened. So, Jeet recounted the happenings.
TODAY
' BEFORE ROBBERY
Jeet was working when suddenly the office phone
rang. When he picked up, the receptionist told him that a Lucky Ahluwalia
wanted to see him in the lobby. He said he will be there and hung up. He
wondered what Lucky paaji was doing here. He went to the lobby and found him
sitting there. Lucky came over to him.
"Kya hua Lucky paaji aap yaha?"
"Haan wo kal hi cheque mila hai client se bas wo
deposit karane aaya tha. Lekin dekh yaar ye log kuch technical fault bata kar
naatak kar rhe hai. Lekin yaar thodi jaldi hai, tu dekh na kuch ho skta hai?"
"Acha dijiye mai dekhta hoon. Itni si baat thi to aapne
call kyu nhi kiya?"
"Are dekh na aaj charge karna bhool gya tha, battery
dead hai phone ki. Acha mujhe ek important call bhi krna tha."
"Ye lijiye paaji, mera phone. Aur yaha kaafi shor
hai aur network bhi acha nhi hai, aap us side jaakar baat kar lijiye."
"Oye thank you yaara mai abhi aata hoon."
Jeet took the cheque to a deposit counter while
Lucky went to side. While suddenly, BAM, a shot deafens everybody. Three masked
man, pointing guns, asked everyone to lie down at their place otherwise they
will be shot. They saw the ID card of Jeet and took him to the cash vault. Lucky
saw this happening and he quickly entered the washroom.
Two of the robbers took Jeet to the vault and asked
him to open him. He refused so they put some blows on him. When threatened with
death, he opened it. They hit him with the butt of gun and he lost
consciousness. Meanwhile Lucky thought of calling the police. He could be
caught but he had to show courage. He dialled the police and notified them of
the ongoing robbery. They promised to come over ASAP. As soon as he
disconnected the call, a message got delivered. The robber listened and ran to
the washroom. Lucky ji hid and caught him from the back and struggled with the
gun. But the guy overpowered him and shot him. The phone fell beside the body. That
robber asked the others to leave quickly. But a station was nearby and police
arrived in time and all three were caught.
NOW
The whole Ahuja family was listening with silence.
Jeet also couldn't help but tear up when telling about the story. He said that
he is fine now and they should be with Sweety and kids now. So, all four got up
and left Jeet resting.
Sweety had regained her senses now. Pinky told her
the story. She could not still believe what she has seen or heard. She wanted
to cry, to die. But she knew that she had to be strong for her family. If she
breaks down, her family will too. She had to be a strong mother, she always
have been. So, she consoled the crying Ginny. Rocky couldn't take it anymore
and ran out. Sweety looked at him and wanted to go, but Naanu said he will take
care of it. He went behind Rocky.
He found him outside, in the parking lot. It had got
dark and maybe that's what Rocky seeked now, loneliness. Naanu understood the
delicacy of situation, so he just went and stood beside him, saying nothing. A
soft breeze swept their face. They stood like that for nearly 15 minutes. It
was Rocky who broke the silence.
"Wo darpok nhi the.", he sobbed.
Naanu looked at him questioningly. He told about the
conversation of yesterday, how he has insulted his dad. Rocky now understood
what courage meant. It does not mean fighting with a kid who is badmouthing
you. It meant saving people's lives and doing the right thing even if it means
risking your own life. Something that people hesitate to do. But not his dad, he
was a man. Using "was" for his dad was enough to push him over the edge. He
buried his face in his Nannu's chest, crying. Naanu soothed him.
"Haan beta, wo bilkul darpok nhi tha. Tumhaare pita
ne jaane kitne logon ko aur ek bank ko bachaya hai."
"Maine kya nhi kaha unhe, hypocrite, coward. Unhone
to apni baat bhi rakhi. Unhone kaha tha sahi kaam krna himmat ki baat hoti hai,
aur unhone wo kar ke dikhaya", he said.
"Haan beta haan."
It was decided that Naanu will take the kids home.
Both Jeet and Sweety were kept for overnight observation and Pinky stayed
there. Raavi too convinced her to let her stay to give her company. Naanu took
the four kids to Ahluwalia house. He put everyone to bed, Rocky at last agreed
to lie down. Naanu tucked him in and got up to leave when Rocky spoke.
"Naanu, mujhe kal school jaana hai."
"Par beta?"
"Naanu, please aap kal maan ko school 10 baje le
aayega, please."
Naanu nodded and left. Rocky closed his eyes, but
his mind was far from sleep. He replayed the last scene of him with Lucky over
and over in his mind. If only they would have gotten off on good terms. If
only! Regret is the worst thing anyone can have, it hollows one from inside. At
some time later, he himself didn't know when, he fell asleep.
The next morning was heavy. Rocky woke up and didn't
know where he was for a moment. But everything filled his head the next second
and the pain returned. But the body pain was no match for the pain he was
feeling. He was up at time. Funny, he thought, that he was on time today
without his mother nagging him to get up. But the thought was not enough to put
a smile on the face. He left the bed. Everybody was sleeping. He got ready
quietly. He put butter on bread by himself. It was the speech day today. He
couldn't believe it was only the day before yesterday when he was laughing with
his dad on this very dining table. Felt like ages ago. Food seemed to form a
lump in his throat, he couldn't seem to swallow it. He put the bread down, took
his bag, and left for school.
He was very quiet in school. Friends just thought it
was the stage-fright. They didn't ask and he was grateful, as he didn't know if
he was capable of answering them.
"Hey where is your written speech? Have you memorized
the whole thing?", a teacher asked.
He began to think of something to say. He had no
written speech, nothing to memorize. But he didn't need a written speech, not
today.
His name was called that instant, and so he was
spared from answering, He climbed up the stage. His eyes wandered, searching
for his mother. He had a worried look on his face for a second, but then was
relaxed. He saw his mother sitting with his Naanu, Pinky and Raavi were also
there. He began.
"Dad. There are countless things I can tell you
about my dad. Some of them good, some of them bad, some are funny, some are
sad. But I can summarise all of that in one word. My dad was a hero. He was my
hero. You will notice I am using 'was' for him. Just as it happens, an incident
happened yesterday."
He told about the misfortune. Everybody seemed to go
quiet. Even some nuisances, who don't shut up ever, got quiet and listened to
him. He continued.
"And that's what happened. And you know what, I
regret fighting with him at the last meeting we ever had. I called him names,
like hypocrite and coward. And he had proved me wrong, and what wouldn't I give
to get a chance to say sorry to him? How sorry I am and how much I respect him.
But I can't. Why is it that we love to express ourselves when we are angry or
disappointed, but never show appreciation? We kids complain to parents, about
them or something other, but hesitate to tell them how much we love them? Why
don't we express our love to them when we get so many chances?"
Everybody looked at him quite seriously. Some
females had tears in eyes.
"I will tell you why. Because we don't realize how fragile
life is. We always think we will get a tomorrow to show our appreciation. Well,
I suggest we keep complaining for tomorrow, but never forget to show our love
in the today and now. Life is short and we have a few loved ones. Don't waste
time arguing with them on petty things; don't waste time fighting or ignoring
each other. Because that may be your last interaction ever. Who knows? It's my
dad who taught me these lessons and today I can say, I understand you Dad. So,
I can just say this in return, you will be missed Dad. Thank You."
Pin drop silence, and then the auditorium got filled
with roaring applause. Everybody gave him standing ovation and cheered for him.
He got down from the stage and went to his mom. Sweety had tears in eyes, but
one could just make out a glimpse of smile on her face. Rocky said "I love you,
mom. And I will never let you be or feel alone." to her and hugged her. Sweety
could see that her son was mature now. She could sense the presence of her
husband in him.
Life
is very short to argue and fight. Count your blessings, value your love ones
and move on with your head held high and a smile for everyone. Love your parents and treat them
with love and care. For you will only know their value when you see their empty
chair.
THE
END
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