Where the birds fly

He asked: "Can you eat a watermelon alone in one sitting?"

All the gathered elders looked at each other and laughed.

"How is that possible Shanku?"

Shankunni Nair stood up and looked at all of them, "That's right, It is not possible."

All of them were happy to see that they were right.

Shankunni Nair continued: "But I will tell you a trick."

Everybody looked at Shankunni Nair like "the you tell us the trick"

He picked up a watermelon weighing three to four kilograms that was kept nearby.

Then one of the group said, "Because he comes with every art show like this, we are passing time."

Hearing that, another person said: "There is a point in Shanku saying, that is..."

Shankunni Nair took out a Swiss knife from his pocket and started cutting the watermelon.

"Hurry up and show the trick.. Shankoo."

Shankunni Nair: "Oh.. don't be hurry.. But this is not for eating, you know?"

"If not to eat, then why?"

"It's all there.. I'll show you"

Shankunni Nair cut the watermelon into twenty pieces and spread it on the table. Then he said, "Everybody take a piece."

Everyone gathered took pieces and started eating.

Shankunni Nair looked at it with a small smile. Then one of them said "So Shankunni doesn't have it?"

Shankanni Nair said: "No.. When we go to a house for the first time, we take some sweets and then the family gives something to the guest?"

They laughed and thought as they ate.

After everyone had eaten the watermelon, Shankunni Nair continued..

"Now where is that big watermelon? Isn't it finished? Don't you think we can eat one or two more pieces?"

Everyone nodded and agreed. One of them said

"Oh, so there is another watermelon? But cut it quickly, Sankunni."

Shankunni Nair: "Not anymore. Now what do you understand?"

"It's so nice to sit and eat watermelons."

Shankunni: "That's right too, if you give it to others and eat anything, it will be very fun.. What else did you understand?"

Someone said: "Unity is strength."

Shankunni Nair: "Oh.. you are still in that old class"

"Then what can we understand?"

Shankunni: "If you have a sharp weapon, you can bring anyone to their knees," he laughs.

"Do we have to walk with weapons?"

Shankunni: "No.. Our tongue is our weapon, we can achieve many things by using it."

"That's right"

Shankunni: "Look at both sides of this."

"There are two sides to this knife?"

Another said, "Two sides of the tongue will speak."

Shankunni : "It's nothing like that.. .. the answer you gave works only after using the knife .. I'm saying before using the knife "

"What do you mean?"

"In other words, before and after using the tongue."

Shankunni Nair: "But one more question.. How many more pieces can each of you eat?"

One said: "Let's eat ten more like this."

Shankunni: "Then it's half a watermelon."

They were all saying something together. Some people's brains caught fire. Some shook their heads, some bit their nails, and others got up and were about to leave.

Shankunni Nair had only one thing in mind when setting up such a "Branch" on the outskirts of the city "A place for people like him to hang out."

This "Branch" is made up of the five acres of land in the village that he got when partition is done, a portion that he made by working and the amount that you got when he left the job. He lived in the apartment until his wife died twenty years ago. Childless, the apartment looked like a bird's nest. How long without people and any activities!

There was a woman to mop the floor and wash the dishes. But when she moved back to Bihar with her husband, he decided not to hire anyone else and do the work himself. And the house seemed completely empty.

Now it has been five years since this "Branch" started.

The first decision was to rent a house and accommodate a few people like him, but thinking that the owner might cause problems if there are more people in the rented house, he decided to buy his own.

Now 22 souls live here including Shankunni Nair. One as a helper. So many joke that it is not a "branch" but a "district".

This two-storey building had four bedrooms when purchased. But the walls of the three bedrooms on the upper floor were torn down and converted into a large hall. There is also a large terrace above it.

A sixty inch TV in the hall. Each has a separate cot and bed. Office cum Shankunni Nair's room is on the ground floor. Then comes the question why he has another room. There is a reason for that. Store room is where the goods are stored. CCTV screen and other things are there. A washing machine and equipment for grinding are placed on the lean-to adjacent to the kitchen.

Apart from the inmates, there are five dogs, a herd of rabbits, several non-resident cats and ornamental fish. The courtyard is full of flowering plants, a non-scientific garden with roses, orchids, jasmine, sunflower etc..

Among the inmates are those who are physically unwell. Therefore, a ramp has been built from the first floor to the lower floor. It is through it that people who cannot walk can be brought down to the ground floor in wheelchairs. Rashid Master is the only one who is unable to walk.

Master was abroad for some time. His sisters and brothers are settled and started looking after themselves. A house was also given to them. He didn't have time to get married in his busy schedule. By the time he get the opportunity, the age has passed. However, he came back from abroad thinking that he would get married and that's when he had a stroke. He was treated somewhere for some time. Nothing was of great benefit. Realizing that he had run out of money in his hand and in the bank, he was dropped from the ayurvedic treatment center on the street.

It was at that time that Shankunni Nair started organising "Branch". He brought Rasheed Master here. Thus Rasheed became the first inmate of this "Branch" . 'Inmate' is not the correct word here. He became part of the branch is the correct usage.

If you stand on the upper floor of this "branch" you can see a lake in the distance. A path has been formed around it where people walk. People used to walk through it in the morning and evening. Sometimes children too. A large tree stands beside it. Underneath it, young couples are a regular sight.

At times many birds flock to this lake. Once they come together, they stay by the lake for weeks and months. On those days the shores of the lake would be noisy with their little tidings.

Two years ago some anti-socials started shooting them and soon some bird lovers came forward and stopped them. There are signposts everywhere. "Harming birds here is punishable"

He has earmarked the pension of Shankunni Nair, who retired from the Electricity Department, to run it. And relatives of some of the inmates sometimes send something. Some voluntary organizations provide assistance in the form of money and food. Two years ago, such an organization installed a machine to purify drinking water here.

When Abby was released from the orphanage at the age of eighteen, he was left wandering, not knowing where to go. Then he got a job in a tea shop. Tea has to be brewed, rice has to be milled, rice and curry have to be put, so that it will be midnight by the time he finish all the work and go to bed. He has to wake up at five in the morning and start work again.

One day a man - social worker ordered a meal for everyone in the "Branch". As it was his child's birthday, they decided to celebrate it in "Branch". Everyone in Branch was gifted a shirt and a turban by that baby. It was Abby who brought the food.

Abby looked around as everyone was fed and was about to wash the dishes. Then Shankunni Nair asked him. "What are you looking at baby?"

Abby: "Sir, how many people are there now?"

Shankunni Nair laughed and asked: "You didn't bring the food, so you know?"

Abby: "I didn't look at that sir, the boss put everything in the vessels, , I brought it, that's it."

Shankunni: "Now we have 22 people".

Abby: "So many people in this house!!!"

Shankunni Nair: "You can add it if you want."

Abby: "Really?" He did not believe it.

Shankunni Nair: "Do you want to join with us?"

Abby: "Would you like it?"

Shankanni Nair: "Of course, you can join "

Like that Abby joined with them . And he hasn't gone anywhere. This is his world now.

Meeting will be held in "Branch" every month. Present the last month's income and expenditure figures.

Shankunni Nair said: "Do any of you know where birds go when they get old?"

Antony said: "Where they will go! they will die, that's all."

Shankunni: Yes, they will die.. but where will they die? Has anyone seen a dead bird?"

"Yes. On the road and so on."

Shankunni: 'It must have been thrown by someone or hit by an electric wire.'

Anthony: 'Maybe it is'

Shankunni: "When all the birds know that it is their time to die, they will settle somewhere alone without company. Then after they die, they will join the soil. They will be eaten by ants and worms."

Antony: "Wouldn't it be like that.. there's no one to bury them or burn them"

Shankunni: "Similarly, almost all animals are like that, even Lord Rama gave a boon to the monkeys. After death, the boon is to join the soil as soon as possible without leaving the corpse to rot."

Nandalal "Human don't just rot when they die."

Antony: "Wouldn't it be too late for us to lay like that?"

Nandalal "I will not lie like that"

Anthony "Why so?

Nandalal "You will be there to bury me"

Then a drop of joy fell in their eyes.

Antony: "Don't talk stupid"

Then Shankunni Nair's mobile rang and he listened to the words from the other side. As soon as the conversation ended, he said: "Come with me, don't sit back and whisper."

Then Antony and Nandalal who were talking suddenly noticed Shankunni Nair.

"Come on.....come with me..." he said to all of them "you all make arrangements to eat...we will come now"

The three of them hurriedly got out and walked away.

Shankunni Nair and his group went straight to the government hospital. When he reached there, some people took him inside. A man is lying on a bed with bones and skin.

A nurse who was nearby said: "When we went to his house, maggots were crawling on his body. The bed was full of maggots. There was little life left. That's why he was brought to the hospital."

Shankunni Nair looked at the sleeping man in wonder. He remembered that he had seen him somewhere.

The nurse continued: "Thank God, We were able to save a life."

Anthony: "I have seen this guy somewhere, can't remember where."

Shankunni Nair: "That's what I'm trying to recollect."

Nurse: "His house is eight or ten houses to the north of that temple."

Shankunni Nair : "Oh.. Now caught, artist Jitendran"

Nurse: "Yes, that's what's in the records. He's stable now. It'll take a few days for these sores to heal. He just needs to be dressed daily. There's also some medicine to take."

Anandalal looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to him and called out to Anthony " who is this Jitendran?"

Antony stopped him and said: "He is a great artist, he is a writer, painter, singer and a dancer etc."

Nandalal: "What about his family?"

Antony: What family, he is not married.

Nandalal: "Oh, lucky man."

Anthony: "Yes, he is lucky. .. . . . that lucky fellow is lying here on the bed?"

Nandalal: "since he is an artist, any love affair or something?"

Antony: "'Hearing that it happened.. he was with a girl for a while and then even went with someone else."

Nandalal: "Aha.. that's interesting.."

Shankunni Nair looked at them and signaled them not to make any noise.

Shankunni Nair: "What should we do about it?"

Nurse: "We can't keep him here any longer."

Shankunni Nair: "So?"

Nurse: "Then why did you come?"

Shankunni Nair: "How can we take responsibility for this?"

Nurse: "You do one thing , see the doctor."

Shankunni Nair: For what? No need.. we're going"

The nurse stopped them as they were about to leave.

"Look, if no one takes him in, we'll put him in some monastery or old age home, that's all we can do."

Shankunni Nair: "Okay, let me think. We will come tomorrow."

Then there was a commotion outside the hospital, along with sloganeering

- Save Artist Jitendra! Respect the artist! Hospital authorities should be fair. Ensure treatment for Jitendra. -

The nurse said: "This is the situation. This noise started from this morning

Shankunni Nair was at a loss as to what to do. By that time the doctor came. "Sister, his discharge note is on the table. Discharge him today. You know the beds here are limited?"

Nurse looked at Shankunni Nair and said. "Did you hear what the doctor said? We did everything possible. There is no danger to his life."

Shankunni Nair said: "One thing can be done, we can take him to where we live, but until he is fully healthy, one of you must come there and look after things. What do you say?"

The doctor said, "That we can get it organised."

The nurse too agreed the same.

They put Jitendra in a wheelchair and took him to the ambulance and moved.

The protesters followed the ambulance.

They reached the 'branch'. The protesters came behind them.

They squatted in front of the gate and continued chanting.

Shankunni came with a board and hung it on the gate.

"Harassing people here is punishable offence"

***