My Friend

It was the window, just the window. But today I saw lot of sadness, emptiness. I never ever felt this way, looking out was always fun. It was never so empty. It was always the window of joy, friendship & pleasure. What was different today?.

I saw green trees, bus stop, school students, dogs and lot of buildings, Just the same.
Then what was bothering me so much? Ah! What was wrong?
And then I saw Ashoka tree.
Looked brown with no leaves.
He was my childhood. Me and my dida used to play around him. That time this place was row house with cute little garden. He used to stand in the corner and we used to play around. My dida used to say that corner is our home and the tree is shelter. We used to play for hours and hours around the tree even in the hot summer vacations. Bhatukli was the favorite game and the tree was dolls house indeed our home too.
We got our row house reconstructed in our adolescent time. We shifted to building from row house with no garden at all. Our garden was parking lot with almost no trees around. Some were cut and some died in harsh constructing days.
He was alone standing fighting for his life. Tucked in cement flooring but alive. Ones there were lot many roots around, me and dida used to tumble down but now it was all cemented plane surface.
I never liked him. He was never the part of my life. I actually remember me saying to my dad “…Wish we could cut down tree for extra parking place plus as it’s odd to see tree coming out from cement..”
I never cared about him rather I never loved him.
Then why he made me sad today?
May be it is what it is, the truth of sadness. The fact that someone touches our life without our knowledge.
When we see the lovely moon we forget the background which is making him blaze. We forget darkness we forget meaning of all the things. Do we really understand life? Can you name all the things that influenced you to be you? We learn we enjoy and very easily we forget.
That’s not our mistake. We have been taught like that. We have been taught to go behind the fame, blaze, super powers. We remember our teachers, parents, friends.
But do we remember trees, street dogs and stones.
We describe the best friend by how he was helpful in your good bad times.
But what about all these things whom we don’t call friends..
What about that breeze which passed around you when you were giggling with friends. What about that bench who has heard all your teen gossips and kept the secrets with no gain. What about small sparrow that use to eat with you when we were small. Supporting and asking nothing in return.
Just like my Ashoka tree. He was game partner to me when I was in kindergarten. He was schoolmate when I was in school. He was my buddy when I was in college. He was just standing there without asking anything. Showing love in silence.
And today i felt it for the first time. Now he is not there to hear me. But i want to say my dear friend "I love you". Thanks for being with me in sickness and health.