The Lesson Called Life

By Sreemanti Bag

It was wet all over again. The unapologetic rain did not seem to stop drizzling right from the morning. Rhea was tearing off the pages of her diary one after another as they all were getting drenched by her tears. “Could you ever hide your melee of tears behind the raindrops?” Throbbed a voice unprecedentedly from within the torn pages or did it emerge from within the scuffled thoughts of her tattered mind?

The voice went on politely – “Tears are meant for people who crouch down to fear.” Rhea pinched herself to ensure if she was in a state of paranormal senses? It was the voice of Bose, yes her all time heroic idol Subhas Chandra Bose whose bravery stories had enthralled Rhea since her early childhood. The same mesmerising voice she had worshipped always, whenever audible on television and radio! And today, in the darkest hour of her life, the voice has reincarnated from the ashes of history to revive her from the failure of unaccomplishment of her dreams.

“Rhea”, she got a jolt on back from her mother. “It’s not a big deal, not being able to qualify NEET medical entrance third time in a row! You may still stand a fair chance to try next year. Why waste your precious tears for something, the hope of which is still not lost for ever?” Rhea’s elder brother stepped in, “my dear sweet sister, your are not going to die if you do not become a doctor! Even if you do not try for next year, you may dwell into other and more prosperous professions that I vouch can bring you more name and fame.”

Rhea was in no mood to pay heed to any of such advices. She had fallen sick and tired of listening to such stuff from her friends, relatives, neighbours, teachers and even strangers ever since her NEET results have come out. She hid the torn pages of her diary under her pillow on which she had scribbled the word “SUICIDE” many a times and wiped off her tears with her handkerchief so that none can fathom what turbulence was going through her innocent mind.

“Sudhesna, the bitch!” Rhea scribbled in her diary pages – “How can she manage to cut out such decent scores in spite of engaging herself in all shitty things like dating multiple partners all through the year? And Ronita, the man eater! After sleeping with a dozen guys, she is in all praise now for her NEET rank!”

Her land phone went in a buzz - Joyeeta , another classmate started mocking at her from the other end of the phone – “Rhea ! You could not qualify? That’s so strange! You are such a shy and timid girl! You never ever felt comfortable to mingle freely with people of and around your age but of the opposite sex! We thought you are a study worm! You are always engrossed in books! But to our shocking surprise, you have proved us wrong!” Similar calls followed one after other. Since she had no personal mobile phone in her possession, whenever she peeped into her mother’s and elder brother’s phones, those were filled text messages conveying her NEET condolences.

She was all tears when her father hurriedly stepped in and shouted “Every one please assemble in the hall, I have some important announcement to make to you all! I went out for a casual evening stroll to the neighbourhood. People were lamenting and mocking at me for Rhea’s failure. So I would request all my family members to keep themselves locked inside except for very emergency reasons. Me and my son Varun’s profession permits us to work from home, so we really need not go out. My wife is homemaker, my father a retired person and my mother is a homemaker as well. So only immediate necessities are for grocery and food items which we may order online. Let’s wait for the next few days till situation resolves and people stop making fun of us.

Grandmother was up in flames. “My son, how could you be so ruthless to your only daughter? Instead of giving her full mental support, you are taking such hectic decisions that would ruin her self-dignity!” But none seemed to pay heed to her worthy words. Rhea wished to hide her face in her mother’s lap, but her mother denied her the utmost care, she needed the most at that moment. ‘Stand strongly yourself, Rhea! Don’t show such a kiddish attitude! You have to strive with your own sorrow. Don’t always expect us to share it with equally with you!”

“This house now seems like a hell to me!” Rhea wrote in her diary again. “People whom I loved the most and adored so closely are now behaving like strangers to me. I have nowhere to go. I am now a burden to everyone. I feel myself as a biological waste. I wish to dwell in this world no more, I must commit suicide.”

“Rhea, what bullshit are you penning down?”, she received a jolt from behind. It was Shravana, her erstwhile biology teacher in school. “You freak! You want to commit suicide?” Shravana gave her a thud. “It seems like you have become crippled and mentally challenged! It seems your world revolves around some petty exams and their results. You have no other mission or ambition in life. Come out in the open, girl with me. Look at the world with a wide-angled view.”

“Jesus”, Rhea chimed. Shravana mam, I am more than eager to go out but me and my family are so much ashamed of my failure at NEET, that we cannot show the courage to move from my hideout!”

Sunshine bathed the room and lit up Rhea’s mellow face. A sombre smiled peeked through her chaffed lips. Her feeble fingers crouched up within the hands of her Shravana mam. “okay mam, let’s surf through the world you want to show me.”

Shravana drove Rhea in her car to some peripheral healthcare centre. People were standing in long queue to collect free samples of medicines.

“They are very poor,” pointed out Shravana , “They don’t have the penny to buy medicines. But still they are struggling to survive. Are they on the verge of suicide like you Rhea?”, Rhea chuckled.

Next spot they reached was a mental asylum. “See Rhea”, pointed out her Shravana mam, “These people at one point of time were as normal as us but they might have been intrigued by some ill fate and unpleasant turn of events that they lost their sanity. But yet they have not given up. Every now and then with the help of doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff, they are doing their every bit to regain their senses.”

Next they drove to an old-age home. “See Rhea”, started Shravana, “People here have not come by their choice but driven by their misfortune. Many have been isolated from their families. Many have been disowned by their children. Yet they have not lost out the battle. They have not thought of killing themselves. Rather adapted to a new lifestyle in which they are surrounded by the company of people of same age.”

Next on their itinery, was a rehab centre for terminally ill people under palliative care. “Rhea”, Shravana muttered while wiping her tears “These people have already lost out their battle to destiny. Yet they have not given up. They have not planned for euthanasia. Till the last breath of their life, they are trying to live life to the fullest and be happy.”

Rhea started shedding tears again but these were not for failing in exams but for failing to decipher the meaning of life. “Life is not something which we shall easily give up, mam. We should vow not to die till we actually die”, Rhea fevered.

“We are not yet over”, continued Shravana, “We have one more place to go.” Off they went to their last destination, that was a jail. “See Rhea,” pointed out Shravana, “People here have been kept in imprisonment for some crime they committed, but none have been given death sentence because everyone should be given one more chance to rectify their mistake and everyone has the right to live till they actually realise and repent and vow never to repeat.”

Rhea’s emotions crossed all boundaries. She cuddled up in her Shravana mam’s arms. “Mam today you have proved to be a messiah for me. The Almighty has sent you for me as His representative. Today it’s only because of you, I came to know the real meaning of the word called ‘Life’. I promise to you that I would never ever dream of sacrificing it fro such selfish causes as not passing exams.”

Rhea returned home the happiest ever. She took out her diary, scratched through and through the pages in which she had written the word ‘Suicide’. Then she checked the mobile phones of her brother, father and mother, - messy pity messages consoling her failure. She typed a common reply message for all – “Fuck off!” The land phone started ringing again. Rhea picked up. It was Minati Mashi in her usual crappy voice – “Oh poor little Rhea! I heard that you could not crack the entrance exam!” Rhea shouted at the top of her voice – “mind your own business mashi. Live and let others live happily! Because happiness is not a matter of chance but a possession acquired by choice”, and put the phone down.

By Sreemanti Bag