Pain and loneliness

Pain and loneliness:

Earlier I wrote a post on the song by Smt Asha Bhonsle : Swapnaatlyaa kalyaanno umalu nakaach kevhaa . In that poem there is a line:

Kadhi soshilaa uhnaalaa

Kadhi laabhalaa visaavaa 

I walked under the blazing sun sometimes;

At other times I was lucky to find respite!

Life is not always a bed of roses. While optimism and positivity are always essential, we need to acknowledge the dark side of our existence. In fact the role of optimism would prove insignificant if hardships did not exist.

Life is like that. When there are favorable circumstances years seem to pass quickly. But when fortunes change things can get quite rough.Talking about some ugly instances yesterday brought to mind memories of some tough days. The insults, pain, suffering, loneliness, despondency, darkness and uncertainty for tomorrow is hard to describe. When a poet of the ranks of B R Tambe expresses it in words, anyone who has experienced that pain himself or herself can relate with it .

कळा ज्या लागल्या जीवा मला कीं ईश्वरा ठाव्या

कुणाला काय हो त्यांचें कुणाला काय सांगाव्या

कळा ज्या लागल्या जीवा

उरीं या हात ठेवोनी उरींचा शूल का जाई

समुद्री चौंकडे पाणी पिण्याला थेंबही नाही

जनांच्या कोरड्या गप्पा असे सारे जगद्ंधू

हमामा गर्जनेचा हो न नेत्रीं एकही बिंदू

कळा ज्या लागल्या जीवा

नदीला पूर हा लोटे न सेतू ना कुठे नावा

नदीला पूर हा लोटे न सेतू ना कुठे नावा

भुतांची झुंज ही मागे धडाडे चौंकडे दावा

नदी लंघोनि जे गेले तयांची हाक ये कानीं

इथे हे ओढती मागे मला बांधोनि पाशांनी

कळा ज्या लागल्या जीवा

कशी साहूं पुढे मागे जिवाला ओढ जी लागे

तटातट काळजाचे हे तुटाया लागती धागे

पुढे जाऊं वळूं मागे करूं मी काय रे देवा

खडे मारी कुणी कोणी हसे कोणी करी हेवा

कळा ज्या लागल्या जीवा

Who knows the pain that my soul has endured but me and God?

Who else could care or understand ? Who else could I share it with ? 

Could simply placing the hand over the heart take away the heartache?

In the midst of the ocean there is water all around yet not a single drop for me to drink.

 Their words are empty and dry, without a drop of empathy. Yet they tout universal brotherhood!

Their talk is loud and meaningless,

And not a single tear is to be found in their eye.

Thrown in the midst of the raging river, I see neither a bridge nor a boat to cross the roaring flood waters.

Ghosts of the past are after me and everyone seems to give false hopes.

I hear the call of the wise ones who have crossed this river ( of life)

Yet I am held back by bondages in this life.

The stress of being tossed between the past and future is intolerable. 

These sufferings tug at the strings of my heart.

The taunts, the cruel fun that is poked at me and the envy I face from many torment me.

I can’t decide if I should turn back or keep walking ahead.

Show me the way O Lord !

Only I know this pain. And my God does.

How many of us have endured this phase of mind and come out of it ? Earlier this week there was news about a young doctor in Rajasthan who could no longer take the harassment from the family of a patient who died in her care. The patient died from severe hemorrhage resulting from a natural cause, not because of the doctor’s negligence. But they were in no mood to accept facts. The doctor was easy target to blame. Such was the pressure of these unfair allegations that the innocent, hardworking and conscientious doctor could not sustain anymore and took her own life leaving behind young children. 

The issue of protecting doctors from such injustice is an important issue and will take political intervention. But just as important is the fact that any individual facing such extreme circumstances needs to have someone who is aware of the vulnerabilities and keeps a watchful eye on them and supports them through the difficult period till they are in a safe zone. These young lives need understanding and a pillar of strength to survive. Let us lend a compassionate ear so they have someone who will listen to their story and keep their secrets safe. Even if we help one person in our lifetime survive such a critical phase we would make a difference. If we have been through the dark phase we should be able to recognize when someone else is grappling with it. Let us raise this awareness and remain alert for our fellow human beings. Or else universal brotherhood/sisterhood would remain an empty concept. 

Saree is a treasured Dhakai jamdani in the finest of cottons. The biscuit colored body has floral vine motifs in white hand woven into it. A bit of turquoise green provides highlights especially in the pallu. Border is narrow with multicolored stripes in brighter hues.