Different Aspects Of Happiness

The night was dark, and the humidity was at its peak. Almost all the villagers of Mandargiri were snoring, lost in their dreams. In the western corner of the village, a few distant houses were lined up. Kunik, a boy of tender age, just ten years old, was sleeping in his house, nestled beside his father. The humidity made him feel suffocated, causing him to change his sleeping position every ten minutes. Outside, a sudden change occurred in the environment as clouds gathered in the sky. The wind began its mild flight, gradually turning wild. The effect of the wild wind was quite evident in the village, as the windows of the tiny houses made sounds as the wind rushed inside.

Kunik woke up with a start and sat up, half asleep for a while until another gust of wind hit his window, entering his house. He went outside and stared at the sky, the howling wind scaring him, but he gathered all his courage and stood in the wind. He closed his eyes and murmured under his breath when someone touched his shoulder, making him tremble. His fear dissipated when he saw his father standing behind him. His father stood by his side and said while looking at the sky,

"The weather is pleasant. After so many days, we can sleep in peace. Come, it’s too late to wander outside. It may rain soon."

His father held his wrist and led him back inside the house. Kunik stayed awake for a long while, even after his father soon slept soundly. Morning came swiftly, and Kunik was still sleeping. His father lovingly touched his hair, and Kunik finally woke up with heavy eyes. His father urged him to wake up soon and rush to school, as he was getting too late. Kunik loved attending school because, despite being poor and having an uneducated father, he was the brightest student in his class. Kunik ran to school as soon as he got ready. He was fifteen minutes late, and the assembly was over. The classes had already started when he reached. He asked for permission from his class teacher, who was taking roll call. The teacher looked at him with a hint of disappointment but allowed him to take his seat.

Kunik moved quickly and sat beside his best friend, Satyamurti. Satya whispered in his ear as soon as Kunik sat down,

"Hey, what took you so long? I’ve been waiting for you desperately for an hour."

Kunik whispered back,

"I didn’t sleep well last night, so I couldn’t wake up on time."

Satya nodded, and they focused on the class. The teacher began the class and announced,

"So, kids, it’s our language time. I want you all to write an essay of about a hundred words."

A student stood up and asked,

"What should be the topic, sir?"

The teacher smiled and replied,

"You can write on a topic of your choice, but as the weather is turning and it’s time for the rain, I’d love to read essays about the rainy season. One more thing, whoever writes the best essay and takes the top three positions will receive a prize."

Kunik dropped his pen and bent to pick it up when Satya said,

"Wow, a prize. Now that sounds great. What do you say, Kunik? Who will come first, me or you?"

Kunik replied distantly,

"I’m not interested in the competition. I’ll write on another topic. It doesn't interest me."

Satya looked at Kunik, a little disappointed. The two were the biggest competitors in the class, enjoying a healthy rivalry. The lunch bell rang, and everyone moved to the compound. Some were having lunch while others played on the ground. Satya and Kunik sat under the mango tree on the school campus, opening their lunch boxes. Satya’s lunch box was filled with delicious food, while Kunik had plain chapati and pickles. Satya took Kunik's tiffin box and offered him his own food. Usually, Kunik would accept, but today he declined and ate silently without looking at Satya. Satya found his behavior odd and asked,

"What’s wrong with you? Did something happen?"

Kunik shook his head, denying anything was wrong, but his behavior was off. Satya asked multiple times, but when he didn’t get an answer, he gave up.

On the way back from school, Satya and Kunik walked side by side. Kunik was still silent, speaking only when asked directly. Satya kept stealing glances at Kunik, who was often looking at the sky. Satya too looked up; the sky was grey with clouds, making the afternoon seem like evening. A smile flickered on Satya’s face at the sight of the dark clouds. He looked at Kunik and said excitedly,

"Hey! It’s gonna rain. I just love this weather. It was so hot yesterday, but now that the clouds are here, I feel so relaxed."

Kunik didn’t reply, concentrating on his steps. Satya continued,

"I hope it will rain soon."

Finally, Kunik looked at him, but there was no happiness in his eyes; he looked at Satya with a disgusted expression. Satya became even more confused, averting his eyes to admire the clouds, while Kunik murmured again, though the words were inaudible.

As soon as they reached their respective homes, the clouds began to sprinkle droplets. Satya entered his house with excitement, running from room to room, telling everyone it had started to rain. He lived in a big house with his joint family, one of the wealthiest in the village. He stood in the courtyard, looking up at the sky as the drops hit him lovingly, laughing at the sensation. The sprinkles soon turned into a downpour, filling the courtyard with rainwater. Satya tore a page from one of his rough copies and started making a paper boat. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, he sat with a sad look. Meanwhile, his mother came with a plate full of fritters. When she tried to feed him, he denied them with tears in his eyes. She asked him why, and he showed her the torn paper. She lovingly cupped his face, kissed his forehead, and showed him how to make a paper boat. Satya regained his smile and excitement, ate a fritter, and sailed his paper boat in the courtyard’s water. The boat moved with the wind and waves, filling Satya with energy.

Meanwhile, Kunik entered his house just as the rain began. He turned and looked at the rain, feeling scared and helpless. He dropped his school bag on his small bed and sat, staring outside, waiting for his father to return. As time passed, the rain’s intensity increased, booming on the tin roof of Kunik’s house. There were a few holes in his roof, from which the droplets were entering inside, and wetting the floor. Kunik brought a bucket and placed it under the hole so that the water would be dropped in the bucket and he could save his mud floor from drenching. He looked at the bucket and satisfaction ran down his face when he caught sight of another spot on his roof from where the rainwater was pouring inside. He followed a similar process but there was only one bucket in his house, so he used another utensil from his tiny kitchen corner. The rain didn’t come alone, but the thunders of clouds were horrifying the sky too. The sounds were so intense that they made Kunik scared. Terrified, Kunik covered his ears and hid under the bed, hot tears streaming down his face. Kunik continuously muttered something under his breath until he felt tired and sleep overtook him. 

Kunik didn’t attend school for the next couple of days. Satya missed his best friend and couldn’t focus on the lessons. He eagerly waited for him and when after two days Kunik appeared, Satya ran to him and covered him in a big bear hug. Kunik became more silent and sad. Satya asked him worryingly,

“Hey! Why didn’t you come to school?”

Kunik was silent for a couple of minutes and Satya repeated himself. This time Kunik replied,

“I had a fever.”

Satya patted his back and said,

“Ohh! Are you okay now?”

Kunik offered him a small smile and nodded. Satya held his friend in a side hug and said,

“You didn’t come for a couple of days. I was so eager to show you and tell you about last evening. I wanted to share that moment with you and I wish that you would be by my side on that day. I enjoyed it a lot.”

Kunik looked at him, smiled, and asked,

“What are you talking about?”

Before Satya could describe anything, the school bell rang and they ran to the class. The class teacher asked about the essay he gave the class as homework. Being the head boy, Kunik collected the copies of every student and submitted them to the teacher. The teacher checked all but found Kunik’s copy missing. He asked Kunik,

“Where is your essay?”

Kunik rubbed his hands together and replied,

“I couldn’t write anything because I fell ill.”

The teacher felt anger and said,

“You are the head boy and the brightest among all. If you avoid studies, it affects the others. So I can’t spare you like this. I have to punish you. Or the others too will give me such an excuse and avoid studies.”

The teacher patted the thin stick on Kunik's tiny palm, which left a red scar on his white skin. A drop of tear rolled down from Kunik’s eyes and he felt humiliated. On the way back to the house, Satya held his hands and walked to their homes. Satya remembered that he hadn’t told Kunik about his evening. Satya started to share his rain experience excitedly with Kunik. Kunik wasn’t looking at Satya, but he was all ears. When Satya told him, everything finally said,

“That was so beautiful that day. I wish it will rain again today.”

A punch landed on Satya’s cheek, and he fell to the ground in no time. He looked confusedly at Kunik, who looked angry and was crying with tears in his eyes. Before Satya stood up, Kunik landed on him and punched him again and again. Satya defended himself and it turned into a fight, causing chaos. Soon the fathers of both boys came and separated them. Satya’s father gave Kunik and his father a sharp look, and they were all summoned to the village council. The head of the village listened about the fight and asked Kunik,

“Why did you hit your friend?”

Kunik was silent for a long time and his father slapped him for not uttering his reason. Kunik cried and finally screamed,

“Because he wished for the rain. Don’t you remember, Amma died because of the rain.”

Kunik’s father’s eyes filled with tears and he described heaviness in his throat,

“On a similar rainy night, Kunik had been lying beside his mother, who loved him beyond words. She was his world. That night, a cloudburst in the area caused an immense amount of rain. Their mud house, with its weak roof, couldn’t withstand the pressure. The roof collapsed while his mother was inside, cooking meals for the family. She was severely injured and, within six hours, lost the battle for her life. Kunik’s father was shattered, losing his wife and having no place to live with his son. Over time, he recovered from the trauma, but the rain left an unhealable wound on Kunik’s mind and heart.”

Kunik said when his father couldn’t find the words,

“Whenever I see a cloudy sky, my heart pounds, and I feel short of breath. Often, I pray to God to stop the rain and protect my roof. Sometimes I felt God listened, and sometimes He didn’t. The rain made my house all wet, even and my books were not safe. I couldn’t complete my homework and got punished because my copies were wet and I couldn’t write anything until I dried them. I had a fever because the rain made me shiver and I had no other option but to drench in the water. And you wished for rain, despite being my best friend. How can you wish for the rain, Satya?”