My letters to Ma!

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Dear Ma,

They say that I can’t see you ever again. They say that you have become a star in the sky. I don’t believe them. How can you leave me, Ma? Who will make biriyani and the other tasty dishes for me? This cook makes such distasteful food. I go to bed hungry most of the days. Can’t you see that I can’t eat properly? Who will make me fall asleep? Can’t you see that I don’t get sleep at night? People say that I am suffering from insomnia. No, Ma. I am suffering from your separation. Who will protect me Ma from every danger? How can I live without you, Ma? Please come back to me. This paper is getting wet with my tears. Don’t make me cry so much. I won’t do any naughtiness, God promise. I will always listen to you. Please come back to me. If God has taken you away from me…then please tell God na that I need you so much. You used to tell that God listens to children always, then why God is not listening to my prayers? I don’t know where I should send this letter. So, I am keeping it beside your photograph. Please come back to me, Ma, please...

Jhum

After 12 years,

Dear Ma,

Thanks for being with me always. As I am going through the letter which I had written to you more than a decade back, I realize that my letter has not went unread. You have always been with me, Ma every single second. I could feel your soul guiding me every now and then, taking me out from every difficult situation, encouraging me when I have lost faith in myself, placating me when I need a healing touch and preventing me from every danger. I am inclined towards spirituality today just because I realize that there is something far beyond the physical existence. My soul can always feel your soul. I am trying to be a better writer, every single day. I know you are proud of me and you want me to work harder. I promise, I will. I have taken good care of Dad and Dida. They are well but you know, they miss you a lot. They find you within me as I am your lookalike. Everyone tells me that I look like you, speak like you and think like you. This is the best ever compliment for me. You live within me. Thank you for being with me always, Ma. Our bond will never perish. I love you more than anything else.

All my love and respect, 

Your daughter, 

Jhum

P.S. Jhum is my nickname and I had written these letters to my mother who expired when I was twelve years old. Although the letters are unsent, I know, deep in my heart that they are not unread. She is with me always. She is the one, who helps me to get back on my feet everytime I fall in life.

A stranger's love letter!

It was a sweltering April afternoon. Natasha felt irked with the constant blabbering of the passengers in the train. Right at that moment, she got a savior. A small boy of around fourteen years old was selling second hand books in the train. Being the crazy bibliophile, she stopped the boy and started surfing the books that he carried along with him. She was filled with childlike exhilaration on spotting a wonderful collection of love poems by Pablo Neruda. She instantly took the book in exchange of forty rupees. The boy smiled at her and went away.

Natasha was happy with her new possession. The scorching heat and the chattering of passengers could not bother her in the same fervency now. She opened the book and noticed the name of its original owner: Sandeep Sen. The handwriting was neat and beautiful. Natasha read the name and paused for a minute to contemplate about how the first owner of the book could be like. May be, he was also a book worm like her.

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She finally pushed aside her thoughts and leafed through the pages of the book, reading a poem from here and there. As she was busy with her task, a paper escaped from the book and fell on her right foot. Natasha picked the paper at once. She unfolded the paper and saw that it’s a letter. The exhilaration that was ingrained in her face transformed to shock as she gazed at the first two words of the letter. She could not believe what she was seeing. The first two words of the letter read My Natasha.The curious mind of Natasha urged her to read the entire letter without ogling at only the first two words of the letter. 

 

My Natasha, 

Today, as usual, you did not look at me or spoke to me once before leaving for your office. I wonder why you cannot understand how much I pine for a loving look and a caring touch from you. I know you do not love me. Our marriage is just a compromise for you, to save the honor of your family. You still think about that worthless guy who left you one day before your wedding. I know you loved him and your heart is tainted with scars. But, at least don’t be so blind that you cannot see the profound love that I have for you.

I know I don’t have a charismatic personality. I am boring and not at all attractive. But, I can tell it with sheer confidence that no one in the world can ever love you more than me. I have loved you since childhood. You have never even cast a single glance on me, but whenever I went to your house to take tuitions from your father, I used to steal glances at you. You haven’t told me anything about you, but I know each and everything about you starting from your likes, dislikes to your fears.

I bought this book today “100 love sonnets by Pablo Neruda” not because I am fond of reading, but because I learnt that this is your favorite book. So, I will carry this book with me always. It would make me feel that you are closer to me and will give me the hope that one day, you will understand my love for you.

Yours,

Sandeep

Natasha’s eyes welled up as she read the letter. She knew that she was not the Natasha whom Sandeep wrote this letter. He has written it for his wife whom he loved dearly and who did not love him. However, Natasha could feel the anguish of this stranger named Sandeep so deeply. She contemplated about how much this person loved his wife and wondered about the fate of the couple. Natasha wondered what made Sandeep sell the book which made him feel closer to his wife. 

Whenever Natasha reads this book or sees it lying in her bookshelf, a plethora of questions and thoughts grasp her. Despite not meeting or talking to Sandeep ever, he is the stranger Natasha could really never forget.

Books~Nourishment to my soul

IndiSpire:

Reading books has reduced dramatically in today's youth. Kids who read books are treated as socially incapable nerds. What is your take on this topic?

Yes, I definitely agree that today's youth seldom reads. They think watching a three hours movie is way much better than spending an entire day with a novel. Then, there are the variety of gadgets and smart phones to spend time with. These gadgets have a wide range of games which can kill an entire day without notice. Then, how can we forget about social networking and instant messaging applications? Amidst such tantalizing distractions, when will a youngster even think of picking a book? And even if he does, he will be taunted by most of his friends no doubt. 

The habit of reading also depends on a person's upbringing. Some parents compel their children to read right from their childhood. As far as I can recollect, my mother used to read to me various fairy tales every evening and my father used to narrate me a story every night when I was below ten years. As I grew up, I naturally had an inclination towards stories and books. I felt reading to be an adventurous trip as my soul could visit unknown places through the pages of the book. But there are many families who never encourage their children to read anything apart from their academic books. Those children, when they grow up feels alienated in a book fair or a book shop. I actually feel pity for them as they have never tasted that oh-so-good-feeling which I get after diving into a beautiful book.

Playing games on smart phones, chatting with random strangers and browsing through the news feed of Facebook 20 times a day is definitely a good time pass. But the time is spend so uselessly. Spending extreme amount of time in social media can make you harbor feelings of envy and self-doubt when you will see other's life to be better than yours. Playing games for a long time will surely stress your eye and cause pain to your fingers. Now if you spend at least half the amount of your free time in reading a good book, you can let yourself transcend to a different land with some interesting characters. You will not brood over the problems of your life when you will read a book as your mind will stick to the fictitious land you have entered.You can travel the world and meet so many people without actually travelling and meeting anyone. Reading will also boost your brain power and will impregnate you with nuggets of wisdom. Reading definitely shapes a person to be a better human being and books make the world a better place.

If I talk about myself, I can't imagine a world without books. I am sure I won't survive for more than a month if I am allowed to dwell in a land without books. Books nourish my soul and keeps me sane. They never let me feel lonely ever and makes every day of my life interesting. No matter how mundane my day is, fifty pages of an interesting book is enough to make my day thrilling or romantic or funny, depending on the genre of the book.I am a writer and books are the driving force to my writing. If writing is my soul's medicine, books are the nourishment to my soul.

This world will be a really beautiful place if every person takes up reading. However with the advent of eBooks, there can be a change in this trend soon. As every single person has a tablet or a smart phone, if books can be easily downloaded, who knows one day most people will read in their tab while listening to their favorite music.

Hope that day arrives soon!