Veer Bhadra Sing is sitting in
the courtyard. He is just sitting. He has been doing nothing else but sitting
and waiting. The Sunlight is warm and he is enjoying it. It reduces the cold
that is entering into his bones. He is waiting for what?
Since when is he sitting alone
like this? For how long - he does not remember. It seems that for ages, he is
just sitting there; waiting something to happen. If someone asks him ‘what he
wants to happen’- he will not be able to say anything. He has not spoken to
anyone for a long time. Rather he wants to talk to but there is no one around.
The other day some people came to
his home and asked many questions. He could follow only half of them and could
answer very few of them. They were
asking about his age. How could he tell that? He is old – that much anybody can
see. He has lost his wife long ago and his two sons died due to some illness.
His daughters (two? or three?) were married to boys in nearby villages but he
has not seen any one of them lately. Have they all died? – He does not know.
Now only two of his grandsons are there; who come to village occasionally. They
never send him any money. Maybe, they too are poor like him- he thinks.
Those unknown people were also
asking about his home, his land, whether he has TV and what not. He wondered
whether they could not see themselves that he is poor and he is hungry. He has
nothing in home to cook for. Earlier his neighbors used to give him a rotee and
subjee – they in their own way used to take care of him. But now they
too have grown old. Veer Bhadra Sing has not seen any of them for many days
now. He is not sure whether they are dead or alive.
Hunger is spreading in his veins.
He wants to eat something – anything. He closes his eyes. He smells Chawal and
Daal. He smells hot rotee and his favorite baingan subjee.
Aroma of hot tea hits his nostrils. His lips make an involuntary movement to
sip that tea only to realize that he is sitting alone and hungry.
Everything around seems deserted
at first glance. Then Veer Bhadra Sing realizes that he has lost his vision and
hence cannot see what is happening around. He has not been able to hear
anything. Maybe the world around is as colorful and as live as was in his young
days – only his capacity to experience that world has diminished. Only if somebody spends two minutes with him now and then, things would change! But alas! Nobody seems to have two minutes to spare for him.
Suddenly Veer Bhadra Sing
realizes that he is waiting for death. But the Lord of Death is a brute. He
visits those who do not want him. And those who want him to come and pick them
up, he invariably makes them wait.
Veer Bhadra Sing feels helpless.
He wants to die, he desperately wants to die.
***
“Sir, a case of hunger death”,
Nitin calls his news editor.
“Well, what is it?” news editor
has no time for more details.
“Sir, I am in village Ashoh,
district Banda i.e. Chitrakut district in Uttar Pradesh. A man has apparently
died of hunger.” Nitin continues.
“Man, cut it short. Tell me one
thing. Is it significant?” News editor.
New editor has not time. He is
working in a ‘cut throat competition’ environment. He is weary of this young
generation recruits who think that media coverage can bring in social change.
“Sir, he was an old man.
Apparently he was alone; nobody to take care of him.” Nitin is not stopping at
all.
“Old man! What caste he belongs
to?” news editor asks.
“Caste? Sir….. Well, I do not
know.” Nitin is suddenly apologetic. “But Sir, this shows our apathy to old
people. Does it mean once people cross their productive age; we should just let
them die? What is government doing – with crores of rupees being spent on
‘old age pension’ scheme? What are NGOs doing? What is society doing?” Nitin
continues.
“Listen Nitin. You have a 30
second byte”, News Editor is clear of his priorities.
“Sir.. but listen … “ Nitin wants
to say something.
“If you get caste of the man, if
you get political equations covered in right manner, you will get two minutes,
two full minutes.” News Editor emphasizes.
“Come back to me in five minutes”,
barks News Editor.
Nitin is aghast.
Two minutes!
Nitin thinks bitterly of his
profession, of the insensitivity of his clan, of his compulsions to be part of
the rat race, of his ruthlessness ….
He overcomes his weakness. This
is an opportunity for him, he can’t waste it.
Nitin knows that two minutes’
byte would give him a break. He has to catch those worthy two minutes which
might turn out to be the greatest moment in his short career. This will help
him to grab better job.
He turns around to the crowd and
throws questions at them.
The aim is clear:
Make a story worthy of Two
Minutes.
