Life in Roti !!

We meet people,love some of them and lose some of them.This is what we seem to feel when we think of life after a life(death).

Well we frame the story(short though) like this-

Characters-unknown(it can be anyone) but let's name them.

1.Balwinder(Who left this world)
2.Jaspreet(Balwinder's wife)
3.Ramu(Balwinder's assistant)
4.Diljeet (Balwinder's father)
5.The mother(let's not name the strongest word-mother)

The premise of the story starts with me.

I am going thru my professional and personal hassles in my day to day life.And I live alone in the city D where people are either too emotional or too practical.On a certain day of last month, I returned late from office .It was Tuesday and weekly bazaar was on(Mangal bazaar).

I find it very difficult to cook for myself when I am tired,but the wise words always ring in the ears to have home cooked food.I thought it was good to have some fresh vegetables from the bazaar and some groceries which are missing at my apartment(visiting people made me realize this).So I just threw off my formals and wore Pyjama -Kurta and left for the market.

I bought whatever I wanted to and when I was returning I realized it was 10.45PM and I was now too tired to cook food.So I thought of getting some food packed from a dhaba(eatery) nearby.[I have been to this dhaba earlier but found the owner and his assistant to be too busy to serve me properly.The assistant was a weird personality with a dash of arrogance,but I guess the master's (Balwinder) culinary skills saved from the woes and the business was in good nick as a result.]

I reached the dhaba and to my surprise, found no customers.There were sad looks on the face of Ramu(assistant) and two ladies(another surprise) sitting near the tandoor(big oven/burner).I saw an old man with a tinge of grief in eyes.I was amazed to see the condition and started wondering what happened to this busy dhaba.Well ,knowing my inquisitive mind,I overlooked the situation and ordered my food to be packed.

The same arrogant Ramu,didn't know why, suddenly spoke meekly that Balwinder was no more("Sahab nahi rahe!...") as if he understood my questioning mind and replied without I making an effort.And suddenly there was that extreme silence.I understood the reason of that deserted look of the dhaba.

It was ironical,but the same Ramu was all modesty and pain.

Well,this is life,as they say.I ordered my food with a little agony and distress seeing the loss of the world-which has an old father,the mother with moist eyes and the that disturbing emptiness in the eyes of Jaspreet which used to wait for the husband every night to return from work.I got my packet of food after 10 minutes but I was definitely leaving that place with a heavy heart.

Days keep passing and it might sound cliche, but life keeps moving on track of sorrow,happiness,loss,grief,betrayal and most importantly death.I was again very late one day and left for that dhaba to get my meal packed.

Now,the dhaba seemed a little lively(only a little) because it had got its new set of customers(the customers are less emotional it seems,older ones had stopped coming due to change in taste,hand and definitely the range of food items.The new items had Tawa roti instead of tandoori roti,less spicy items without their daily dose of butter,tadka..and many other reasons which were much of philosophical pondering).

The new set of customers included more people like me who stayed outside home,students and some working guys.

Still I could see-Jaspreet would always prepare food with those emotionless eyes clearly stating her condition of long life ahead with complexities which occurs in absence of master.The old man Diljit's face can be read,which shouts out the cruel fate of seeing the death of son who was world to them.

The mother doesn't tell much but she always steps in whenever Diljeet finds Jaspreet not acting swiftly(say getting the rotis ready early,or giving a little frying to dishes)She would ask her husband not to chide the daughter in law in front of customers who are only a few in number.

And we find Ramu missing from the scene,it seems the family could not afford his wages and he has left the work.Now the trio takes care of the dhaba with a hope-that we must live!!

After all, life ends with death and a new life starts after it!!I am atleast making sure that whenever I have to get my 'roti' packed,it is from them.The roti there is full of 'life' !