18-10-2022, 04:05 PM
The morning really came, when Kamal indeed arrived in the huge green military truck. As always, Kali rushed towards the truck with flowers in her hand, her heart skipped a bit as she saw Kamal was looking down from the truck with his familiar innocent smile.
Kamal became famous already within his regiment for his courage and daredevil attitude. All his colleagues greeted Kali as sister and picked her up in the truck for a stroll. The carriage was filled with laughter and cheers. It was a short ride, but Kali felt it is going for ever as she was dying to spend time together with Kamal. She wanted Kamal alone for a few moments.
They left the truck at least a mile before their village and walked the whole road while returning. None of them mentioned what happen during their walk together, but Kali seemed extra red as they reached, and Kamal was unusually talkative and unmindful as he was looking at Kali at every opportunity.
The village celebrated the returning of their hero. Kamal already got a field promotion for his courageous act in the battlefield and even praised by the white skinned general personally. The whole village gathered together that night surrounding the community fire and was grasping every word, every description Kamal was saying about the war. They felt that the act of war was happening in front of their eyes and their blood started to boil. The night was cold; even then nobody left for inside, instead they replaced Kamal with themselves and started visualizing the war in vivid imagination.
Kali laughed with every silly joke Kamal told during his deliberation, looked scared when Kamal described the flight of deadly Mitsubishi, but above all she seemed soaked in love. The wavy light of the wooden fire created a beautiful painting of a happy big family surrounding the entire village as its member.
All good things end quickly, so did Kamal’s leave. He left for the field again, but promised to return with at least a whole month’s leave this time, so he could finally marry Kali. Kali turned red, but her eyes followed the disappearing trail of the big carriage that took away his Kamal to a distant land. Her eyes kept on following the road even when the truck was long gone.
From the very next day, it became a regular routine for Kali to wait for Kamal in the road side with fresh picked flowers. But this time she could find a more practical way to send them to her love. She waited for Kamal in every carriage, and when she could not find him in that, she run beside it so she could give the flowers to every extended hand of soldiers. When her hand was empty, then she quickly returned to replenish them. She handed over every flower with a silent prayer in her eyes, “Please tell my Kamal that his Kali is waiting for him with flowers in her hand.”
Days passed in months and to years, but Kamal never returned. Few army men arrived at their village with ‘Missing in action’ notice, but Kali never left hope. Every morning she handpicked fresh flowers, waited patiently beside the road on that square rock, with a hope that this truck will surely bring Kamal back, Kamal will laugh and will pick her up in the carriage. She kept on giving every soldier a flower each, to carry her message to her love, to Kamal. For day and night she waited, and became the part of landscape itself.
Decades passed by, the war and the army changed its name and banner, but two things never changed: The waiting of Kali for Kamal’s return and the military truck carrying many more Kamals to the battlefield. Kali could now hardly stands straight, but still she holds her hands straight with the bouquet of flowers, the trucks surely stops beside her, and few lucky soldiers receives the flowers from her hand. The love of Kali and devotion for Kamal turns her into a legend now, and it is told that whoever receives flower from her hand, will return to her Kali unharmed from the battlefield.
It was during the Indo-China war, the road suddenly became very important due to its strategic location. The road became the busiest one, and throughout the day and night military carriages started running towards the border. Along with the road, Kali also became very busy, now for day and night. Without fail she attends every convoy with the expectation of Kamal’s arrival with flowers in her hand.
That year the winter seemed merciless. The temperature of the war was at its peak, but the nature was exact opposite to that. The windy chill froze the entire Kali jhora and the hills surrounding it, but the flowers kept on blooming for Kali to pick them up. The villagers requested Kali to stop her obsession, at least till the weather got better, but by that time she became a symbol of love, hope and luck. A simple village woman became a goddess of hope to many,
The village will remember that night like the night they spent with Kamal. The blizzard covered the entire road with thick snow, and even the four wheeler military trucks, wrapping barbwire in their wheels could not manage to get past the snow. That night the whole village could not sleep due to the bite of the cold and was waiting for the night to be over.
The unmistakable roar of the truck stopped beside their village. Few of them could see the shadow of Kali slowly proceeding towards the truck. It was exactly the same truck that brought their son back from the field of battle years ago. They could even hear the sound of laughter and cheers as Kali reached the truck. The singing of joy and enthusiasm filled the chilly winter with warmth of love.
The villagers stepped outside their houses to see Kali boarding the truck with a bunch of flowers exactly as she did years ago. The heavy truck slowly disappears from their sight carrying Kali in it. And with it the wind increased, it’s howling and chills pushed the resident of that village inside.
The next morning, once the sky got clear, they found Kali on that small square rock, frozen in the snow along with her flowers. She looked so beautiful even in that condition that she almost looked like the frozen flowers in her hand. A mystique smile in her face shows that she was in peace when her life left her body to ultimately join with Kamal’s.
Kali remains as a symbol of hope and a promise to return for many of the soldiers. They made a small temple surrounding her final resting place and covered it with flowers. The nature also covered the entire area with flowers, which sometimes froze from the toughness of the weather, but never lost its glory. The army men covered her tomb everyday with fresh flowers and pick up the old one to distribute among themselves with a hope to return. "
I know the ending of the story even before it began. But something sweet melancholy tune was in the story that made me engrossed for the whole time. I left the shop to return to the temple once again. During my travel I heard many stories similar to this, only the names were different, but the pain and the sufferings were same. But I found something new in this, it was hope. It was something new. It gave me hope last night and it will keep on giving to countless others after that. And for that I am grateful to the goddess of ‘Frozen flower’.
I picked up a blue orchid beside the temple, placed it on the square rock, picked up an old one and started my journey forward leaving the love of Kali and Kamal behind with a promise to return.
...........The End.............
Kamal became famous already within his regiment for his courage and daredevil attitude. All his colleagues greeted Kali as sister and picked her up in the truck for a stroll. The carriage was filled with laughter and cheers. It was a short ride, but Kali felt it is going for ever as she was dying to spend time together with Kamal. She wanted Kamal alone for a few moments.
They left the truck at least a mile before their village and walked the whole road while returning. None of them mentioned what happen during their walk together, but Kali seemed extra red as they reached, and Kamal was unusually talkative and unmindful as he was looking at Kali at every opportunity.
The village celebrated the returning of their hero. Kamal already got a field promotion for his courageous act in the battlefield and even praised by the white skinned general personally. The whole village gathered together that night surrounding the community fire and was grasping every word, every description Kamal was saying about the war. They felt that the act of war was happening in front of their eyes and their blood started to boil. The night was cold; even then nobody left for inside, instead they replaced Kamal with themselves and started visualizing the war in vivid imagination.
Kali laughed with every silly joke Kamal told during his deliberation, looked scared when Kamal described the flight of deadly Mitsubishi, but above all she seemed soaked in love. The wavy light of the wooden fire created a beautiful painting of a happy big family surrounding the entire village as its member.
All good things end quickly, so did Kamal’s leave. He left for the field again, but promised to return with at least a whole month’s leave this time, so he could finally marry Kali. Kali turned red, but her eyes followed the disappearing trail of the big carriage that took away his Kamal to a distant land. Her eyes kept on following the road even when the truck was long gone.
From the very next day, it became a regular routine for Kali to wait for Kamal in the road side with fresh picked flowers. But this time she could find a more practical way to send them to her love. She waited for Kamal in every carriage, and when she could not find him in that, she run beside it so she could give the flowers to every extended hand of soldiers. When her hand was empty, then she quickly returned to replenish them. She handed over every flower with a silent prayer in her eyes, “Please tell my Kamal that his Kali is waiting for him with flowers in her hand.”
Days passed in months and to years, but Kamal never returned. Few army men arrived at their village with ‘Missing in action’ notice, but Kali never left hope. Every morning she handpicked fresh flowers, waited patiently beside the road on that square rock, with a hope that this truck will surely bring Kamal back, Kamal will laugh and will pick her up in the carriage. She kept on giving every soldier a flower each, to carry her message to her love, to Kamal. For day and night she waited, and became the part of landscape itself.
Decades passed by, the war and the army changed its name and banner, but two things never changed: The waiting of Kali for Kamal’s return and the military truck carrying many more Kamals to the battlefield. Kali could now hardly stands straight, but still she holds her hands straight with the bouquet of flowers, the trucks surely stops beside her, and few lucky soldiers receives the flowers from her hand. The love of Kali and devotion for Kamal turns her into a legend now, and it is told that whoever receives flower from her hand, will return to her Kali unharmed from the battlefield.
It was during the Indo-China war, the road suddenly became very important due to its strategic location. The road became the busiest one, and throughout the day and night military carriages started running towards the border. Along with the road, Kali also became very busy, now for day and night. Without fail she attends every convoy with the expectation of Kamal’s arrival with flowers in her hand.
That year the winter seemed merciless. The temperature of the war was at its peak, but the nature was exact opposite to that. The windy chill froze the entire Kali jhora and the hills surrounding it, but the flowers kept on blooming for Kali to pick them up. The villagers requested Kali to stop her obsession, at least till the weather got better, but by that time she became a symbol of love, hope and luck. A simple village woman became a goddess of hope to many,
The village will remember that night like the night they spent with Kamal. The blizzard covered the entire road with thick snow, and even the four wheeler military trucks, wrapping barbwire in their wheels could not manage to get past the snow. That night the whole village could not sleep due to the bite of the cold and was waiting for the night to be over.
The unmistakable roar of the truck stopped beside their village. Few of them could see the shadow of Kali slowly proceeding towards the truck. It was exactly the same truck that brought their son back from the field of battle years ago. They could even hear the sound of laughter and cheers as Kali reached the truck. The singing of joy and enthusiasm filled the chilly winter with warmth of love.
The villagers stepped outside their houses to see Kali boarding the truck with a bunch of flowers exactly as she did years ago. The heavy truck slowly disappears from their sight carrying Kali in it. And with it the wind increased, it’s howling and chills pushed the resident of that village inside.
The next morning, once the sky got clear, they found Kali on that small square rock, frozen in the snow along with her flowers. She looked so beautiful even in that condition that she almost looked like the frozen flowers in her hand. A mystique smile in her face shows that she was in peace when her life left her body to ultimately join with Kamal’s.
Kali remains as a symbol of hope and a promise to return for many of the soldiers. They made a small temple surrounding her final resting place and covered it with flowers. The nature also covered the entire area with flowers, which sometimes froze from the toughness of the weather, but never lost its glory. The army men covered her tomb everyday with fresh flowers and pick up the old one to distribute among themselves with a hope to return. "
I know the ending of the story even before it began. But something sweet melancholy tune was in the story that made me engrossed for the whole time. I left the shop to return to the temple once again. During my travel I heard many stories similar to this, only the names were different, but the pain and the sufferings were same. But I found something new in this, it was hope. It was something new. It gave me hope last night and it will keep on giving to countless others after that. And for that I am grateful to the goddess of ‘Frozen flower’.
I picked up a blue orchid beside the temple, placed it on the square rock, picked up an old one and started my journey forward leaving the love of Kali and Kamal behind with a promise to return.
...........The End.............
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