Cortege

The sound of dhol from the street filled the empty house as I opened my eyes to see Maa rushing towards the window. It was not celebration but a cortege (shav-yatra) of an old lady who passed away the night before. 

By the sound of dhol, it can be tricky to distinguish cortege with celebrations especially around the marriage season, but I made no mistake for I have registered these beats time and again. The man with the dhol belongs to a family which have been performing these ceremonies from generations to generations. However in spite of how good he plays, he will never be called to participate during a happy occasion.

Maa stood quietly at the window, and with her saddened eyes she looked at the crowd taking the lady to the crematory. She may miss a grand Baraat or a fancy Rath-yatra during the Durga Pooja but she never misses a cortege for her own reasons. 

The dead body while wrapped in a new red saari is coved with a clean white sheet; a layer of fresh marigold flowers are spread casually on the bier carried by four family members each holding one corner. Her face looked as peaceful as it could get, but the wrinkles were touched up with gulal makeup which made her look a bit scary. Coins and flowers thrown on the body as the crowd made their way towards the crematory crying,"Ram Naam Satya Hai!" - the name of Ram is the truth. The elder son leading the way with a piece of burning wood in his hand to complete the formality of giving fire to the body; the younger lad walking by the side as a moral support to his brother during the last journey of their beloved mother.

That morning standing at the window, a sharp shiver ran through my body, giving me a feeling of detachment from everyday life. Why worry for no reason? Why not live in peace and harmony? Why complicate this thread called life when its one end so deceptive and uncertain, whereas the other so truthful and simple? Why not find love in small things? Why not do something incredible worth leaving behind? 

As someone rightly quoted - “When you die, all things soft and beautiful would be buried with you and your life will be placed in the memory of the living!”