Onlyness by Santosh Jha (red white and royal blue hardcover .txt) 📕

“Shiv, you know, it is so amazing. You seem to already know what I can ask as I feel, you always have your answers ready. Can I do the same? Can I be like you?”

“Melissa, I have already told you, you and I are same in potentials. You too have your diamonds and they belong more to you than me. Always remember; call it God’s design or evolution’s choice, the fact remains that the feminine elements in nature are always superior, as they happen to be the energy behind all evolutions. You are at any point of time, far better positioned and endowed for the reception of intangibles of life and the environments surrounding lives.”

“Shiv, as you have allowed me to say things with innocent honesty, I must say that this idea of yours does not seem self-evident. This world has preponderance of male elements. Feminine entities are still struggling for their rightful place.”

“Melissa, you are right in observing that. However, this is only a worldview of the contemporary human culture, which is less than few thousand years old. Moreover, the space human culture occupies in the colossus of the cosmic realisms is very miniscule. If you consider feminine elements of the larger cosmos, not what you see around you in our relatively nascent global society, the dominant influence of feminine elements is self-evident. Even in human society, it has been accepted that women are the definitive stamp in shaping up evolution of cultures. Above all, if you keep asking me questions with the same honesty and innocence, it shall surely energize the evolution of more meaningful communication between us. This you can see as self-evident and self-corroborative fact (Smiles).”

“Shiv, as you keep encouraging me to ask questions, I have one last question, before we sit down and start my learning session. We have been talking with each other without you asking me anything about my life and me. I also know nothing about you. Do you know anything about me? Shall it facilitate my learning from you if I happen to know more about you?

“Melissa, there are so many cultural conventions, we all follow, which actually serves us in a limited way, more in societal interactions. These are somehow more for convenience of interaction, rather than deeper utility of meaningful communication. I go into a jungle, find a river flowing with beautiful surroundings and I simply sit there and enjoy its serenity and magnificence. The river and I do not even talk. May be she is not even registering my presence but I am receiving the charming and stupendous expressions of her splendor. I do not enquire about her whether she is descending from glaciers atop mountains or is just a seasonal stream, emanating from rainwater storage as her source. We do not need to interact but we communicate in a very fruitful way. Her personality infuses in me a rejuvenation, which needs no words. However, when I have to drink water from the river, I shall need to enquire whether the water is safe, pure and not with assimilated effluence. When I am communicating with you, we do not need this particular utility. Our personalities are successfully doing it without name, address and other cultural information. However, if I know more about you and you about me, there is no harm but surely, it shall not be facilitative to what we are already doing well. This apart, I must tell you Melissa that if you feel comfortable with the idea that we should know more about each other, I surely shall be happy. Whatever makes you happy, I am with that.”

“Shiv, I assure you that I am a good river and very much drinkable,” Melissa says laughing.

Shiv stops and watches her laughing. He is happy for her. She really looks more beautiful than a river full of water. He makes a decision in his mind.

“Melissa, suddenly a thought has come to my mind and I share it with you with utmost innocence. If you don’t like the idea, you should tell me frankly.”

“Sure Shiv, I am a river now and I shall flow my own way. You have no choice now!”

“Since you came here, you have not moved out. There is a big and very beautiful river named Ganges, just ten minutes drive from the Ashram. I think, you would like sitting on the banks of the river. It is early morning and there will not be many people. I have a motorbike and if you like, we can go there. And if you like, you can tell me about you on the river bank. There is nothing that you would like to know about me. I am just a simple yogi.”

“I accept the idea but with a small change. You shall tell me about you when you sit on the riverbank. I know, you like rivers and Ganges shall make you speak, okay?”

“I accept.”

There is probably no better positioning of wellness and deep-seated joy than a man pampering and showering affection on a woman like a child and the woman being in total reception of the assurance of her man muffling her in paternal coverage. Melissa drops her celebrity guard and woman parentheses. The overbearing aura of warmth and care of Shiv’s persona makes the little girl in Melissa come out in the golden sunshine. The elemental platform of riverside; Himalayan hills standing close by as sentinels, invites Melissa to come out of her castle of kingdom and paint the landscape with colors of her heart.

The chemistry of cathartic charisma between the male and female elements of the cosmos has a strange juxtaposition. When the male elements engender the symmetry and supposition of sincere canvas of situationality, the female elements sense the fertility of fruition and unleash the colors of life to paint the picture of perfection. The template this symbiosis of male-female elements engender, lines up the cosmic energies to fill in all utilities and finality of fruition. The best and mystically stunning part of all this is that at the point of symmetry of this symbiosis, the karma of consciousness melts away, as the process is self-energized. Nothing remains the ‘subject’ of action; nothing stands as ‘actionable’ as the fusion of male-female elements itself become the ‘almighty’.

Melissa unleashes herself and Shiv is always there encouraging to stretch her wings. The riverbank, Shiv takes her to, is slightly away from the township and early morning, no one is there. Shiv holds her hand and takes her into river. She looks in the eyes of Shiv. She can trust him. He asks her to take small and slow steps. A few meters inside the river, there is a large boulder and he makes her sit on top of it. The gushing water is making loud sound and morning breeze is adding its music to the symphony. Shiv joins his palms to scoop river water and offers it to Melissa. She holds out her right hand and Shiv empties it on them. Shiv asks her to sprinkle the water on her. She obeys like a little girl. Shiv tells her that this has a symbolic significance as people come to river and sprinkle its water on them to make a new start in their lives by purifying themselves of past wrongs. It is a ritual to resolve a new and better beginning in life after washing their souls of the ills they might have unconsciously or consciously done in the past. Melissa is thrilled by the idea and asks her to do the ritual one more time, as she too would repeat the same resolve. She wants a new improved beginning of her life. Shiv does it and after she is finished with her ritual, he too sprinkles some water on her. Melissa closes her eyes in reception of his blessings.

Shiv asks her to step down atop the boulder so that he could take her to the tea stall. It is nippy midstream and he is concerned that Melissa might catch cold. She does not wish to budge but Shiv keeps his hands extended to her. Carefully, he takes her out of the waters and leads her to the teashop.

Shiv takes her to the outskirts of town. The shops have started to open up and Melissa could not resist a look. Melissa loves the beads, things made of wood, saffron dresses and above all the small handicrafts made of metal. She rues she has not taken money with her. Shiv assures her that he has the money and she can buy anything she wants. She accepts his moneys as if it were his dad’s. She buys loads of metal rings, earrings, bands, beads and wood items like a child. A strange idol catches attention of Melissa and she enquires about it from Shiv. He tells her that it is Ganesha, the Hindu God of Intelligence and wellness. She likes the small thumb sized idol of Ganesha and asks Shiv can she buy it. She knows he never says no.

Shiv offers to buy a white salwar kurta, the traditional Indian dress and she tells him with an innocent face that she likes all of them on the display. She also wants one of saffron color with silver embroideries all over. Shiv never says no. He asks the shop owner to take measure of Melissa and ensure that what she buys could fit her size. He moves on to other shop to buy a large bag to carry everything she is buying. Melissa meanwhile grabs everything that fits her size. She asks for their prices and then calculates their value in dollar terms. It is still just a few dollars.

Shiv finally takes her to a small eatery on the roadside where she tastes traditional Indian breakfast of poori sabzi and jalebee. She watches with curiosity a man with huge pot like belly rolling a small flour ball into round shape and then deep-frying it in a large cauldron. It pops up like a round ball. Most amazing was the way he waved his hands to weave a complex twist of his wrist, putting in white syrup like thing from a pouch into oil and then dipping the fried twisted shape into thick sugar syrup. The hot red curry, with which she eats the poori, served in a plate made of fresh green leaves, lights up her face. The jalebees are so sweet and juicy, Melissa wants more but Shiv asks her to stop as he fears she is not used to such spicy food. Melissa ignores Shiv and goes to the big-belly man asking for more. She wants to learn how to make the jalebees. The man hands over the pouch and offers her to try her hands at making the jalebees. She pours in a scary shape in the oil and the man serves it to her after dipping it in the sugar syrup. She tastes it and proudly offers a bite to Shiv. He gives her a big thumbs-up.

Back in the Ashram, Melissa dumps herself on the chair of her cottage, breathing heavily in excitement, while Shiv arranges her buys on the corner table. As Shiv leaves her cottage, she rises up and grabs his arm to stop him. Shiv turns back to look at her happy face.

“Shiv, thank you so much for this experience. You have given me so much and I want to ask for more. Can I ask you to be my friend? Is it wrong to ask?”

Shiv smiles and says in mock bewilderment, “If I am not your friend, how can I eat such a daunting jalebee you made and still smile in appreciation? Can anyone, who is not a friend, do that?”

“Shiv, you are such a bad man”, Melissa replies in mock anger.

“Yes Melissa, now you know you have made a terrible friend”, Shiv says smiling, as he walks away from her.

Melissa is very happy.