Beyond the borders of life

Destiny had it that a man who was not known beyond the boundaries of even his border town of Attari in India would become a well known figure in every household right from North Carolina in the US to the west of K.K. Nagar in Tamil Nadu.

He was grazing his goats in the border town and stepped into the foreign land unknowingly. The Pakistani army abducted him and held him captive. He was dumped in the jail along with petty thieves and even militants. There were many like him who were arrested for no fault of theirs. This was a routine exercise for the Pakistani Army. They traded these innocent civilians with hardcore militants languishing in Indian jails on occasions like Gandhi Jayanti or whenever diplomacy holds the higher hand. As a customary goodwill measure arising out of peace talks, Indian Government would agree to release Pakistani prisoners while Pakistan Government would release Indian prisoners.

Unfortunately, his time never came. He was sighted by a human rights activist. He poured his heart out before the activist. His agony and trauma needed an outlet to express itself. He was after all molested, abused and tortured by his jail mates and guards. He was even offered to join militancy and convert to Islam. Word spread thick and fast regarding his illegal confinement. The human rights activists in India and across the world took up his cause. His wife, who had resigned to her fate since the day her husband went missing saw a glimmer of hope. Political parties in India rushed in to grab the stakes in hand. Truth is such a powerful thing that spreads like fire and to suppress the Truth, it requires a bigger lie. Unfettered by the clamor of the human rights activists, the Pakistan Government branded him as an Indian spy working for the terrorists in Baluchistan. China and North Korea rallied behind the claim of Pakistan for silencing the voices of protestors. Mercy petitions were filed thick and fast, accusations and counter-accusations were leveled by both Indian and Pakistan Government officials. No one was willing to back out.

Life held no charm for him anymore. He was looking like a Buddha devoid of any emotions. The concept of God became a meaningless proposition for him. He lived in a world where there were no days and nights; only darkness. All he was worried was about his wife and his children. One glimpse of them would lead him to salvation, he thought. His pleas to meet his family members fell on deaf ears. His meaningless life on a single track changed track one day. He was summoned by the Guards with lot more respect. All these years, he could not make out who were the officers and who were the guards. Everyone meant the same for him. Only Death commands respect amongst even the staunchest of your adversaries. Death is the inevitable truth before which everyone bows their head. Such was the feeling he had when he looked at their faces. He was going to be hanged anytime he thought. The guards were kind to him. He was made to undergo medical tests and given new clothes. The guards even showed him a mirror and mocked him for looking handsome. He could only sympathize with them.

His eyes closed as he walked into what seemed like gallows. It was like a deep slumber that was going to take him to his final destination from where no man has ever returned. Something else was in store for him. The warmth of the morning sun greeted his closed eyes. Like a newborn child who struggles to open his eyes before the new world, he rubbed his eyes and could not believe where he stood. He was right there outside the jail premises and was made to sit in the office.

“You are lucky mate. The Pakistan Government has agreed to your mercy petition and has freed you.”

There was no one to receive him. He was dumped into a vehicle that took him to the Wagah land border. He bent over the window of the moving vehicle. The landscape, the misty mountains and the waving children across the window no longer moved him. All he could see in front of his eyes were his wife Kamala and his three children Pinky, Renu and Vicky. He remembered seeing them at the age of 10, 8 and 5. Pinky must have turned twenty now and must be of a marriageable age. Renu must be looking beautiful. Her eyes were the most attractive among the three and she was his most favorite child. Vicky must have grown arrogant and he must be fifteen now. He remembered his goats and chickens. He wondered what could have happened to them. He could not see anyone at the Wagah Border. He did not care either. All he could do was to get seated in a private bus that winded all its way to his border town. His eyes sparkled as he reached near his house. His house looked the same. His wife looked as beautiful as she was ten years ago. Even his children were playing and looked the same.

He raised his hands and shouted at them. All of them would spring joyfully into his arms, he thought. It did not happen. No one turned back. He shouted back. Even the fellow villagers did not seem to mind him. He was perplexed and livid at himself. He kept calling his wife and kids but no one turned around. Why was this happening? Was it a delusion? Suddenly, everything around him turned black and brought him back to senses. He realized that a black hood was hung over his face. The first sign of darkness that was a prelude to the impending darkness switching off the lights of his life. He was right there ready to be hanged and was back to senses. He realized he was not going to see his wife and children ever. He was going to die. No man knows when death will stalk him. But for him, Death came like an invitation. He felt like the chosen one and laughed aloud from the bottom of his heart; an ultimate state of peace and bliss that no man can imagine. The ground beneath his feet shook and he died.

[This is purely a work of fiction and not related to any living character, incident or place]

 

thanks for your comments
happy you liked my story

warm regards
suresh

 

Thanks for your comments and valuable feedback

cheers
suresh

 

i wrote this visualizing the emotions undergone by a prisoner who is wrongly framed but is to face a death sentence

thanks for appreciating my work

cheers
suresh