This is the month of November and within twenty days, I have my birthday.
Myself Leela, an ultra emotional creature in this world is not survival of the fittest. My husband always used to tell those humble words that overflow of emotions is not good and it should be kept under our own nervous control.
Just like whenever I think about my upcoming birthdays, I had a recall of my 21st birthday, when my mother gifted me a pair of bangles. These were not any ordinary bangles for me. My granny gifted these bangles to my mom and my mom gave it to me. Besides the feelings are concerned, these bangles spread its beauty in another way. The specialty of the bangles is those stones studded in the bangles in the shape of the lovely leaves of vinian tree.
I always get excited over the memory of these bangles, the best gift I got over. I opened the almirah and looked for those bangles but one of the bangles has its studded stones missing. I thought to get it repaired before my birthday and went out in such a chilly weather of Gangtok,
the extreme posting place of my husband. This bangle is one of its unique kind so I was more worried to get it back in its original form.
I was walking perplexed on the way thinking whether the jeweller will be able to make it as same as it was. My mind was baffled with the uncertainties.
The jewellery shop was one of the famous shop in this local market. I handed over the bangle to the jeweller asking with curiosity if he could do
anything with this deformed bangle. He said its difficult to make the same but he will try to repair it at its best. After his assurance, I left after taking his words of coming after a week.
Five days later, a news was coming over television that terror attack took place in the nearby market. It was the same market where I have given my bangle for repair. I panicked for now what could I do as all shops were vandalized there. I ran to the place where the shop was and found the charred ransacks scattered all over. Oh I lost my precious token of love.
Tears overflew my eyes and it took me weeks and months to overcome out of this detachment. One day my husband gave me a shoulder and said, “ I told you leela not to get so much emotionally engrossed gaining the ultimate pain which you can’t get over with.”
Two years later we left the city but the memory of those bangles still ached me from time to time. I saw this snowfall, the best landscape in front of my eyes. I was walking and saw young ladies selling strawberries along
roadside.
Twenty years past and we are again in the city of Gangtok which took something very precious to me. I went to a strawberry seller to buy some. She was a young lady with a charm on her face and an innocent smile. I was talking to her and at a sudden I saw her hand. How was it possible that she was wearing the same bangle which I lost years ago. In an
ecstasy, I asked her from where she got it.
She started sobbing and said, “ this is a beautiful gift and the last memorable thing from her father. Around twenty years ago, her father gifted her this but got killed in a gunfight with the police. Then I came to know that my father was a terrorist. Its bad to hear but after all a father is a father and this reminds me of him. But why are you asking so?”
I replied, “Because these bangles are mine”, and narrated her the whole story.
She started pulling out that bangle out of her hand but then I stopped her and said, “I know the pain of losing the memoirs of our loved ones and I don’t want to do the same to you. It was destined to be with you. Then you must keep it. I will be more happy”.
By this we exchanged silence and smile and left the place after purchasing strawberries. I believed the power of emotional balance. You don’t gain much if you don’t lose it.
–END–
