This short story is participating in Write Story from Picture India 2012 – Short Story Writing Competition.
Code: WSPI-2012-01
Photo credit: cepolina.com
I and my friend were walking on the street when we saw her, we didn’t notice her before on that street. We would have roamed that street thousand times before, however that was the first time we had observed her.
She was at the first floor, standing on the balcony, taking photo of herself. Her hair was loosen and floating in the air. It was like an angle standing there. We stopped for a moment on road and staring at her.
Then, all of sudden, she went inside and disappeared. We looked at the building, there was a sign board, and it was written as “Kumari Ashram” (I didn’t mention the exact name). We understood it was new, and probably recently they moved in that building. Perhaps that angel belongs to that “Ashram”. We were very curious to know about her, decided to go inside and inquire what that “Ashram” is actually, and what that girl was doing there.
We went inside, and there was a big hall. Since not much scope for sunlight inside, it was dark. However they have dim lights all over the hall and those were trying to fill the hall with some light. We saw a big framed photo on the wall. It was an old man’s photo, sitting in a yoga pose. We felt it was very pleasant inside. We were trying to locate that girl.
Then an old woman came; she looks gentle and friendly. We introduced our self as engineering students. We asked what that “Ashram” is and what they do there? She started explaining about that “Ashram” as non-profitable organization, helps poor people and gives training on meditation. It totally runs on people donations. Meanwhile we were trying to figure-out the girl exact location in that building. Once her explanation was over, we apprehend that they will give a week course, which is useful to students to overcome fears and stress, also they explain the secrets of life??? And it was free of charge. We asked who was going to give that course; she said that would be any person in that “Ashram”. We asked what time it starts as we have to go to college in day times. She said it starts at 5:00AM and ends at 7:00AM. We felt very uncomfortable as one of the difficult tasks to us was getting up in early morning. We had promised reluctantly that we would come next day and left the place.
We initially ignored it because of the timings, but after couple of days our curiosity on her made us to present exactly at 5.00AM. First day, they asked us to sit on the hall and do the meditation. We were about to close the eyes, but, they said we should not close our eyes!!! , instead they had spotted a bright “Dot” on the wall, told us to concentrate on it and do the meditation. I was surprised, what? What kind of meditation it is??? Anyhow, we sat calmly. It was very difficult to sit without talking, and just looking at the dot. After half an hour, they took us to the balcony and showed a place to sit, in fact we actually noticed that girl earlier in the same place. However, so far we didn’t see her there, we were wondering where she had been.
Some other woman approached us with a book. It looks like she was holding a syllabus book. She was enquiring about our life style, and asked few other questions. We answered all. She explained how that organization was formed, who was the founder etc. She showed us the book and said she was going to teach us from that book during these seven days.
First lesson, she told where we (all human beings) indeed originated and where we all go back after our death. We never felt so bored as like that day before, we silently sustaining that misery.
Next day, we were in dilemma whether to go or not, but we strongly determined to know about her at any cost, and decided to bear all those things. It was also like an adventure to us, helps us to overcome the boredom in our routine life.
In next day, no difference at all, sitting on same place for half an hour and staring at the dot and doing meditation, and after that listening all no (common) sense lessons.
We were patiently waiting for the day, and then at last it came; the girl whom we want to meet desperately came to give that day lesson. She was very beautiful and charming, wearing white dress. On the other hand, she was very simple, not wearing any ornaments, even ear-rings. So far, we understood that, whoever working in that organization won’t get married, they are like nuns, devoted their life to god. We felt pity on her. If she was not in that organization, she would have been doing engineering or medicine. We were not able to digest the fact that such a beautiful girl wasting her life in there.
She was explaining that day lesson. Though it was philosophical, there was no logic and sense in that lesson, we silently listening. Once lesson was over, we started enquiring her past, she is from Bangalore. She is very happy to be part of that organization and spend rest of her life in it. That day when we observed her on balcony, she was taking her photo for her parents in Bangalore. We tried to convince her that, it was not a good life for girl like her to live. But, she felt uncomfortable to take those advices.
Next day she came with same smile and pleasant face to teach the lesson. We again tried to convince her, telling how the life in engineering college, and how students will enjoy the chemistry between boys and girls etc. For a moment, she appeared interested, but in reverse she was trying to convince us that her life was better than ours. She told “whoever born to the earth shall return to earth”, so we should not spoil our life with anger, agony, selfishness, greedy or attractions, instead we should spread love and help others.
After hearing that, our thought was “Oh! God what a crap???” We used to have a debate about it daily for some time.
We don’t know, maybe we were attracted to her, or we were pity on her, due to some reason, we were bearing all those philosophical lessons. We didn’t want to leave her in that place. We were thinking as if we were doing a rescue mission and rescuing her from that place.
Days were going; it was our final lesson in the course. We were confident that, she was very much convinced with our advice, and she might like one of us and change her life.
Lesson was over, and then at last she said a word, which we never had imagined that it would come from her mouth. She said “With today lesson, your course is over, so did you understand whatever we told so far BROTHER???” She stressed the word “Brother” when she was telling.
Brother… Brother… Brother… that word was echoing in our brain for some time. We were muttering, so, lastly we are brothers to her. At least if she would accepts us as friends, that would be fine, but brothers… no way. We shook our head noting as we understood everything. She asked to come again, if we had any doubts. We thanked her, and vanished from that place.
We never went to that place again as we don’t want such a beautiful girl calling us as “Brother”, in between she appeared few places and asked us to come again to do “Dot” meditation, but we didn’t.
Whenever we remember this incident, we laugh like anything.
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