Chanda mama

He was a small child. A child living in the Fantasy Island just like everybody at that age. An island dominated by fairies & ghosts. An island decorated with flowers and littered with toys. An island, where trespassers were welcome, but only during the night, and that too for singing lullabies and telling the stories of Rajas & their Ranis.

He was passing through that phase of life when there is only innocence without any trace of treachery. When there are only emotions and no reasoning. Where it is easy to differentiate between grief and joy but it is irrelevant to think about its implications. Where you can start loving something to extremes without thinking about the end result. And so does our story starts.

He was lying on a charpai in a full moon night with his mother on his side singing him a sweet lullaby to sleep. He was staring at the moon. Intently. Very intently.

Chanda mama dur ke,

Pooa pakai gur ke.

Not paying any attention to the sweet voice of his mother which seemed so faint at that time. The moon seemed so bright and serene. There was an absolute aura of calmness about it. How can be anything so beautiful? So radiant yet so calm. So bright yet so soothing

Aap khaayein thali mein,

Munne ko de pyaali mein.

Suddenly a gush of dark cloud came into sight, coming straight towards the moon. Black monster eying a silvery elf. The beast neared. A chill went in the body of boy. The gloomy cloud had started engulfing the moon. The sight was terrific. King Kong holding the delicate Jessica Lange in his hands. Something shattered deep inside the boy.

Pyaali gayee toot,

Munna gaya rooth.

‘What happened?’ mother suddenly noticed the restlessness in his child.

‘Maa, I want the moon.’

‘When the clouds will be gone, you will again see it my son. It has not gone permanently’

‘No maa. I want it here. With me. Away from those sinister clouds.’

‘Ok boy. We will get it for you tomorrow.’

‘Thanks maa’

Now go and sleep, goodnight’

‘Goodnight’

Night gave way to morning and he was awake. Unexpectedly, he again started demanding the moon. The mother tried to persuade him but he wouldn’t listen. He would have his moon.

‘But son, god has made it for everybody than how can you have it for yourself alone?’

‘There will be thirteen more for others’

‘There is only one moon, dear’

‘Don’t fool me. There are fourteen. From crescent to full moon. Cant I have one’

‘Oh son, there is only one moon. What he does is change his dress daily. So he looks different on different days.’

‘Whatsoever be the case I want moon. I will not eat anything till you give me one.’ The boy looked obstinate.

Every trick to persuade him failed. He wouldn’t budge from his bed, just ask for moon. No food for last five days. He had fallen ill and his condition was deteriorating. But he wouldn’t listen. God knows from where he got such an obdurate attitude. He had never been normal, but this was height. God knows what he would do when he would grow up. But there wasn’t any time to think about all these, for his life was in danger. He was hardly able to move his lips. Doctors said that he has lost the will to live and so they couldn’t be of any help. Sorrow was in air.

He was on his bed. It had starting to be dark. He had started feeling dizzy. Suddenly he saw a shaft of light in the room. So bright was it that he could not fix his gaze on it initially. Slowly his eyes adapted to condition and he saw a very handsome man with an absolute aura of calmness on his face, staring directly at him.

‘Who are you, and what are you doing here at my room?’ he wanted to ask, but his lips had failed. They just quivered a little.

The man’s expression didn’t change. His lips gave a hint of a faint smile. Then he spoke.

‘Son, I am the symbol of unfulfilled desire in this world. I am Moon, Symbol of all those cravings for which people are so desperate, symbol of all those unsatisfied longings for which they are eager to give or take lives.’

‘Oh, I am so glad that you have come. I knew that you will, one day. I had read in one book that there is no object which is away from the reach of a person. Just long for it from the core of your heart and never give up, and you can win any thing you wish. Now I know that I have won’. The boy was so overwhelmed with pleasure that there was no sign of weakness in his body.

‘you are too young to understand all these things, but at the same time you are so stubborn that I had to come. I have not come here because you wished for me. I have come here to teach you something. To teach you the art of letting things go. Now listen carefully to what I am going to tell now, as you will need it for your whole life. Such type of problem will keep on coming to you even when you grow up, because there is a little bit of child in everybody.’

“The first thing to know is that there are some things which are not made for us. No matter how hard we try or how earnestly we desire. The best example is me myself. No matters how much earnestly you long for me, you won’t be able to get me.”

“The god has given the mortals everything except the control over their destiny. This power he has kept for himself to show his supremacy, which nobody can challenge. I am not telling that we should leave everything to destiny, or give on trying when we fail. We should keep on trying till we achieve it. But if we don’t get it despite repeated effort, then there is no need to kill ourselves on that issue. The more you will cling to it, the more will be your loss. It is like clutching the grains of sand in your palms. The firmer the grip, the more the sand-grains will come out of your hands.”

“It’s very good to dream about something. Success is all about daring to dream and working hard to make all those dreams come true. But don’t hold these dreams so near that their thorns start pricking you. Dreams are made of glass. Don’t lean over them so closely that when they break, they hurt your eyes and when they die, the smoke of their funeral start smothering you.”

“Look at me. I have been made to remind the humans of their frailty. I come in different shapes and sizes to tell you people that the intensity of your desire can be varied. I don’t come on New moon day to tell you one thing. That however dear an object may be to you, it is really possible to live without it.”

“I hope that you have understood my point. So don’t desire for anything which is not possible. And life has to go on, whatever may be the circumstances.”

With this he was gone. There was no one in the room except for his mother, who was staring at him perplexed. ‘To whom were you talking?’

‘With the moon! Didn’t you see?’

Probably it was a dream or some hallucination, she thought. She was too much worried by now. But suddenly she was startled to see a much unexpected thing. His son walking out of bed after five days, and that too without any persuasion. He walked straight to the balcony. His mother went behind him, too puzzled to speak anything.

Probably he was looking for the moon. Not finding the moon there, he seemed disappointed. His mother was more worried by now.

‘Today is the New moon day’

‘New moon?’

‘Yes, so there won’t be any moon today. You can see it tomorrow. But son, please eat...…….’

He was not listening any more. Only one line was coming in his mind.

‘However dear an object can be to you, it is really possible to live without it. Life has to go on, whatever may be the circumstances’

He saw his mother looking very worried, telling him something, he had no desire of knowing.

Her mother was perplexed.

‘What has happened to you son? I have no idea what are you talking about?’

The boy continued with his thought process, he didn’t hear anything.

‘However beautiful the moon can be, it will not be able to match the beauty of life.’

‘What! What are you talking son?’

‘Nothing Maa. I am feeling very hungry, can’t you give me something to eat.’