The sound of claps and applaud filled the auditorium
as Misha walked up to receive the much coveted Swarna-Kalam award. In
all the sound, cries and cheers, Misha’s mind was in total silence. After
receiving the trophy, her mind transcended into a totally different plane. In
the absolute silent world, Misha stood, lonely. Among the thousands of faces
seated in the auditorium, she wished to see only one face, smiling proudly at
her, at her achievement, which she totally dedicated to that long lost face.
Along with three other poets, Misha had received this
award for her collection of Poetries.
Not that she had ever waited for this moment, but she had written,
written like crazy, words flew like ocean and filled the leaves of her life; the
words, the only friend she had.
And all the words, along with the trophy, she wanted
to wrap in gratitude and offer to the person, for whom all the words were
threaded like a flower garland.
Each of her poetries was part of her chronicle of a
fairy tale, a tale where she alone staged herself. Mihir was never there,
although Misha knew none but Mihir, loved none but Mihir. She penned the first
words in her diary when Mihir entered her life and throughout the five long
years when she had Mihir around, her diary was filled, each day, with a poetic
saga of the yearning and love she went through, not even knowing if Mihir was
walking the same path.
Years passed and today, as Misha stood there on the stage,
she did not have the slightest clue about Mihir. She had lost him decades back;
only that she herself had remained there
and decades after, she was still there. And one day, when she had nothing new
to write, she made her chronicle be read by the world and this award was a
compliment to that.
Only if, along with the others present today, Mihir had
the slightest notion, how a saga of the love someone had nurtured for him, had won
the endorsement of the world and was felicitated, was celebrated.
Mere
hisse mein koi jam na aayaa na sahi
Teeeri
mehfil mein mere naam koi shaam toh hai
Tu
kahin bhi rahein
Sar par
tere ilzaam toh hai
Half the globe away, Namita, with a tray of medicines
and syringe, entered the well lit room in the Mariana Nursing home for Neuropathy.
Today, she also had the morning newspaper in her hand and a special smile on
her face. She placed Mihir comfortably on the reclining bed and before starting
with the daily medicine schedule, she placed a loving hand on Mihir’s forehead.
She then placed the newspaper on is frail hands and gave him the wonderful news
to light up his life a bit, “Look at this news today, Mihir. Something which
you have forever waited for, all your life. Here is Misha, accepting the Swarna
Kalam award. She recievd it yesterday, Mihir..”
Photograph: from Internet
'Shayari' verses: From Ghazal written by Sabir Jalalabadi
