MADHUMATI

 

There was something really strange about her!!!  Her face- rock solid, cruel and very authoritative!! Scary to an extent!!  Waves of time that had passed by appeared prominently through her wrinkly face.  ‘Her face itself was a story’ I realized.  She drew me like a magnet.

She looked around the age of 50-55. Her attire contained a humble Sari wrapped around in typical Maharastrian style,’ NATHANI’ as they call it- in her nose and a big red “KUMKUM BINDI” gave her the air of invincibility.

In a kind of set up where she lives in survival in itself is the biggest challenge. Still She was standing tall; proud and arrogant. Where struggle is the only norm of life, She was the leader and not the follower. In middle of a slum, she owned her own double bedroom house, Was her biggest victory!! Still, It is by no means a lavish life. “Then what is it that has powered her to such arrogance???” I thought and after much pondering, the answer came from within. “In the male dominated society, she had managed to hold her own -on her own!! And that- was her biggest victory!!!

“She cannot be real.” I thought and in a flash she disappeared. I tried to see that face again but in vain. Only the remaining was- a canvas with few dark colors- Orange and black and gray- telling the story of her life.

Such freakish stuff these dreams are made of. I tried hard to search but it had fallen deep back into my unconscious..When awake, all my senses tried hard to recapture the image...But all I could gather was shattered pieces of a broken mirror.

She was just gone.