DO not go so fast today, he tapped the shoulders of his driver from behind, I somehow want to take it slow and savour the memories today, for this will be the last day that I can think of our younger days growing up together.
His eyes became misty as he recalled childhood days long dead and gone: of the days when hardship was a sibling, and the actual siblings were treasures priceless! Poor, they might have been, but they were opulent when it came to filial affection. The Poor, Little Rich Boys, they were dubbed byenvious neighbours who saw the seven brothers eat out of a wooden plate filled with steaming hot rice served by their loving mother; and the seven boys shared equally every tiny morsel of meat that happened to pay a rare visit to their plate!
They toiled together, played together, ate together and most importantly, they prayed together. And isn’t it said that a family which prays together stays together? The author of that memorable adage must have taken note of this family in question because theirs was a classic example of that saying.
Compelled to leave their ancestral village and settle elsewhere because of their acceptance of the Lord Christ and the Gospels, this family, along with several newly-converted families, had to pay a heavy price for embracing Christianity – they had to leave their hearths and their loved ones and relocate elsewhere!
The jungles were thick, inhospitable and menacing. Wild animals were the least of their worries because what stared them at their face threatening to do them fatal harm was the stark reality of having the herculean task to tame the wild vegetation so that they can at least embark on some sort of Jhum cultivation to enable them and their dependents to find sustenance in the coming months. It was a hand to mouth existence those days like all our forefathers faced and prevailed, and this family too, had to struggle, or else perish.
The new land they occupied was wild and unfriendly, but only to the lazy and the lethargic: under the thick foliage that blocked sunlight for most of the day, lay a fertile soil hitherto undiscovered by hands will to farm. The trees were felled, painstakingly hard to fell but fall the gigantic and the tiny alike did owing to the toils and labour of the hardworking and determined hands. Back-breaking, sweat dripping, arm-weary days resulting in multiple blisters on the palms that were so sore as to make it painful to even fold one’s hands together to form a fist, nevertheless, saw the overhang clear and rays of sunlight, life-sustaining sunlight, filter down to the earth below in the weeks to follow.
Slash and burn, rake and clear, hoe and sow… the days turned to weeks and to months. But their labour bore fruit as the seeds showed signs of life by breaking out of the land after the first showers of early Spring.
Go slow, he reminded the driver. I am in no hurry today, he said, and his mind went back to his childhood years.
As you sow, so shall you reap, they say. Likewise, this family sowed enough to harvest a bountiful yield and this ensured that the family never went hungry. But work and hardship was a part of their life, and they, parents and siblings of all age, did strive together to ensure that they could keep their stomachs full throughout the whole year. At the same time, their parents never failed to share with the children, nay, imbibe in them, the ways of life that the Lord Christ taught mankind. The young learned to pray and find comfort in the Lord from a very early age; the parents lived lives taught by the Gospels; and the parents never eased their efforts to bring more to the fold of the Lord, or letting those already in go astray.
Shall we stop here for a while, he told the driver who immediately pulled up by the side of the highway and watched his passenger get out of the vehicle, walk a distance to be alone.
He recalled the days in school: He attended school only after his parents realised that education makes a person better with greater chances of success in life. Moreover, his father argued, an educated man will surely make a better believer in Christ!
He attended school, not the Government-run school which provided free of cost to enhance the image of all Governments, but Catholic-run private school which provided good education but also depreciated the purses of parents. The parents were self-sufficient but hard cash was not something that came by just like that. And so, the family had to decide how to take care of his education.
Round the sizzling heat of the log-burning hearth one wintry evening, they say, parents, and siblings enjoying each other’s company like they have always done since childhood, sat and discussed how to solve problems they faced. The best times of a person’s life is found, not spent, during the days when one is in the company of parents and elders. And so, our protagonist reminisced and recalled that all brothers decided to contribute and sponsor his study in Dibrugarh, Assam.
He slowly walked back to his chauffeured vehicle with downfallen shoulders, his aides recall.
The skies seem to be laden with rain clouds this evening, he murmured to his wife as he stared out of the window,capturing the cloud-shrouded mountain tops in the distance.
He was lost in his memories as he recalled of the turbulent and trying years he spent in the wild, wild jungles trying to eke out a living, and later, struggling with his studies in Catholic schools and hostels: his friends in the hostels had parents and guardians paying weekly visits bringing them new clothes, home-cooked food items specially made for them, whereas, he had no one to visit him year long; his clothes were in tatters and he needed replacements, but there was no way he could because his parents and family were far off and even if they could visit him once in a while, he knew they could Hart afford to arrange new clothes for him. He suffered the mental agonies in silence, but at the same time, learned the powers of a smile: He could endear himself to his hostel mates and everyone seemed to be fighting the other to win over his friendship! His smiles, so to speak, got him to places, and he learned a valuable lesson outside his curriculum.
We were closest even though all the brothers were close to each other, he whispered to his aides as earlier in the day he walked out of the privacy of his office chamber to address a large gathering that he had to address given his position and responsibilities. The grief and sorrow he felt then after the tragic news was conveyed to him, his aides recalled, waswritten large on his face the few seconds that he let his guards down.
Go slow, he repeated, this is no time to make haste. I am burdened with fond memories that I do not want to spoil. Go slow, let me relish and relive my life gone by; enjoy at least in my mind the company of one I shall never ever meet again during my lifetime…
He recalled how he entered public office, how he came to be what he is, and he shed silent tears that could have deluged his world: You were one of the strongest pillars in my life; one of the most active unseen hands that contributed to my success; the prayer warrior who guarded me, led me and ensured that I walked in the righteous path that the Lord decreed.
He was silent. But his heart and soul were crying out threatening to break out in revolt as his pent up emotions ballooned. He could hardly swallow; he should never show tears in front of his minions: but he shed the tears of a thousand mourners, all unseen, unheard… but felt.
The evening sun was setting behind the western horizon, but the memories, recollections and nostalgia were as fresh as new.
We are there Sir, the driver declares.
Ahh yes, we have come! But I am yet to reach there to catch up with him, says the passenger as he alights to enter the hall and pay his respects to his elder brother, whose body was placed there awaiting his arrival.
– Sebastian Zumvu
