Round 2 (Match # 4) - Soumendra Majumder vs. Pavitra Agarwal

*) - Blind Love

(Soumendra Majumder)

  

[I am writing a story on Mother's love focusing on the blind love concept.I am presenting the story in the form of a small conversation between a child and his mother,before going to sleep.]

In the beginning of my childhood,I once asked my mother,"Maa,what is love?"

Mother,with a mild smile,caressed my head,and replied,"Love?Love is that thing which makes the world one."

I got confused and asked her once again,"One?"

She now started explaining,"Like mother earth and her sons,work and worker,stars and universe,sun and moon,God and men......."

I interrupted,"Like you and me?"

Mother:"Exactly!The care that a mother has for her child is love-mother's love.It is a very beautiful relation that a mother has with her child.Scientists say that there are special hormones that stimulate the feelings within a mother for her child after childbirth,but for an not so much educated woman like me,I believe love is GOD's gift which HE gives to a mother to take care of her soul's part-her child."

I said,"Soul's Part?"

Mother replied,"Yes!A child is his mother's part.A mother gives birth to a child after keeping him inside her body for as long as 280 days,during which she nourishes the baby from her own blood and from the same food which she eats.So,the bonding between the mother and child is the strongest which can never be broken.The mother feels her child's every pain,works her best to keep her child safe,feeds him instead of all poverty,solves all his problems,loves him blindly..."

"Blindly?",I asked.

"Yes blindly.A mother's love does not discriminate between the gender of her child-boy or girl,the characteristics of her child-wise or fool,good or bad,rich or poor.A mother loves her child instead of all harshness,all objections,all prejudices.She saves her child from all distresses.She always takes the side of her child.But,also punishes him for his misdeeds and puts effort to make him follow the right path."

"So all mothers love their children blindly?",I questioned.

"Not only mothers but also fathers love their children blindly,but conditionally."

"Why conditionally?"

"Conditionally,in the sense,that parents should not be blind to judge the mistakes that their children do.Also they should not only love their children but also look after their health and safety."

"Why?Doesn't love include safety and health?"

"No, love includes the complete combination of senses-caring,deciding,protecting,loving and judging.But there are certain parents who just love their children without even thinking about their health,safety or without even judging their deeds."

"Why Maa?Don't those parents understand that if they don't punish their children for their mistakes,the children would become criminals,and if the parents do not take care of their children's health they would become sick?",I complained.

Mother replied to my statement,"Ok,let me tell you a story of a girl who used to live beside my ancestral house.This is actually not a story but a true incident which happened when I was a little child like you."

Then she began with her story :

"Just in front of my house,there lived a family of a man,his wife and his daughter-Leena.Leena's father was a rich businessman,but an orthodox fool.He believed that feeding his daughter the anti-polio drop will cause her disease and she will die.The blind love for Leena from his father made Leena gain polio and she lost her ability to walk.Even after this incident,her father never took her to a doctor believing that the medicines will also kill her,still not noticing the degrading health of his beloved daughter.Years passed and Leena lived without walking and also without any friend,because she was not allowed to mix with any one from her locality,as her father believed that other people will harm his daughter.So Leena was left totally alone until she met Sunil,her new caretaker,who fell in love with her.

Soon they married,though Leena was handicapped due to polio.But,some time later,Leena got extremely ill due to child-birth.This caused a trauma to her parents and they too fell ill.Even,Sunil left his job at the hospital to take care of Leena.But,in that process they forgot about their new-born baby.

Soon Leena died,leaving Sunil and her parents in a wave of grief.And the greatest sufferer was the baby,who was not even fed since the day Leena died.Sunil lost interest in life and commited suicide without even thinking about the baby.Also within some days her parents also passed away in grief leaving the child to die in abandonment."

"What a sad story is this!",said I.

After completing her speech,mother said,"What are the things that makes you think this story to be sad?Don't you think there's something bad in this story?"

"I found that the parents lost Leena due to their blind love,which was wrong,since they never gave her medical treatment.Also,Sunil was a fool to marry a handicapped girl."

Mother (laughing) replied,"Don't get rude,but you are correct.Being such a small child,you understood the meaning of parental love,which Leena's parents could not understand being grown up adults.They forgot their duties of judgement and forgot the truth-that they are no gods,but they are humans,who cannot cure diseases all by themselves,they need doctors to treat diseases.Leena's parents thought that by keeping her away from other kids will make her character good and not feeding her the polio drops will protect her from foreign intervention.This orthodox thinking of them caused Leena to lose her life.And to the top of this,Sunil also forgot his duty of taking Leena to the hospital and that also due to his blind faith in only his love and not thinking practically about medical treatments.And also Sunil's calousness towards their baby killed the baby,very sadly.

All of them forgot their duties because their eyes were shut by blind love without judgement so they lost their each and everything."

"Maa,I cannot understand your words...."

"Ha...Ha...Ha!Dear you couldn't understand?Don't worry.Nothing wrong will ever happen to you because I and your father are always beside you to protect you,guide you,judge you,care you and always love you.",she calmed my confusion down.

After that she kissed my forehead and caressed me to sleep.

[End]

Rating - 51/100

*) - जन्म दिन

(Pavitra Agarwal) 

 

पिन्टू का जन्म दिन था। अभी मामा का फोन आया था,खुशी से उसका चेहरा दमक रहा था ।

अचानक उसने मम्मी से सवाल किया -- "मम्मी सुबह से मामा , मौसी और यहाँ वाली बुआ का फोन तो आ गया पर चाचा ,ताऊ और दूसरी बुआ का फोन क्यों नहीं आया ?'

मुंह बना कर मम्मी ने कहा --"उनका तो कभी नहीं आता ।'

 "क्यों नहीं आता मम्मी ?'

 "बेटा जिनको प्यार होता है वही जन्म दिन  याद रखते हैं और फोन भी करते हैं ।तुम्हारे पापा के घर वालों को तुम लोगों से प्यार ही नहीं है तो फोन क्यों करेंगे । उन लोगो को तो तुम्हारा बर्थ डे याद भी नहीं होगा ।"

 "अरे बच्चों के मन में क्यों जहर भर रही है...बेटा मम्मी से पूछ जैसे वह हर साल याद करके अपने भाई,बहनों को बर्थ डे विश करती है आज तक कभी तुम्हारे चाचा, ताऊ ,बुआ आदि को विश किया है ?.. फिर उनसे उम्मीद क्यों करती है ?"

 "हाँ मम्मी पापा कह तो ठीक रहे हैं ।"

 "क्या ठीक कह रहे हैं....किया  करें न फोन, मैंने इन्हें रोका है क्या? "

 "हाँ मुझे याद नहीं रहता....पर मैं शिकायत भी तो नहीं करता ।...तुम्हारी यहाँ वाली बुआ तो हमेशा  हम सब के जन्म दिन पर फोन  करती  हैं , पर  क्या तुमने या तुम्हारी मम्मी ने  जानने की कोशिश की है कि  उनका या उनके बच्चों का जन्म दिन कब होता  है ?... बेटा प्यार पाने के लिए प्यार देना भी पड़ता है पर तुम्हारी मम्मी की समझ में यह कभी नहीं  आया ।'

 "आप ठीक कह रहे हैं पापा , हमें भी उन्हें विश करना चाहिए या फिर शिकायत नहीं करनी चाहिए ।'   

Rating - 50/100

Judge's Comment - Liked the style of Laghu Katha and short story. However, both entries are half baked ideas needing proper execution.

Result - Soumendra Majumder wins the match by 1 point and enters Round 3. Smt. Pavitra Agarwal is eliminated from Freelance Talents Championship. 

Judge - Pankaj Vijayvargiya (Author, Musician & Entrepreneur)