Gaya - Curse Or A Blessing

"Oh God ! why I am so lonely?" Gaya, a little girl, everyday questioned her favourite Banyan Tree. She loved sitting under its shade after her school. 

Her best friend Dashrath was adopted by a rich family, the last day. She was going to miss him badly on her birthday the next day. She did not have any other friends in the orphanage. She was sharp in studies and all teased her. They called her :

"Wormy wormy book worm."

Her love for books was the only reason that nobody played with her. She sat looking into her textbook when others refused to take her in her group to play games.

Gaya would weep in her loneliness and her tears would have flooded the rivers. 

She sat under the tree till the evening. The prayer time was announced and Gaya bid a quick bye to the Banyan tree, her friend who breathed but never talk. HE could at times give her a friendly pat or a pigeon shit as Good Luck. She loved the tree a lot, it was her shade of happiness and sorrows.

It was her 8th Birthday, the next day.

She could not sleep the whole night, she was just lost in her thoughts. She prayed:

"Oh Lord Ganesha, I wish I had Mummy and Daddy to play with. But I love the ashram, my destined home too. Will you do a miracle on this birthday? Will you send me, my guardian angels?"

She did not know that she was born in a rich family in the outskirts of Rajashtan. The umbilical cords were killing her in her mother's womb, yet she survived.

"With the struggles of her birth, began her struggling life. "

Her dad Raj Pratap Mahavansi was killed in a road accident at the time of Gaya's birth and she was considered to be a curse. Her grandfather Pratap Mahavansi refused to see her face and she was ordered to be strangulated to death. The midwife Karuna had taken mercy on Gaya and left her on the doorstep of "GOD Orphanage." She was accepted by Guruji Ram Manohar and since then she became resident of that home. She was at times visited by her mother Madhuri. She had now married a diamond merchant Mr Dharamadhikari and chained with her responsibilities. Yet she took time and visited the child, once in a month and gave her gifts and sweets. 

She loved her child but in her inner heart, she was not happy. Many kids got adopted from the ashram and Gaya wished Madhuri adopted her.

The Sunrise shined like Gold and Gaya weaved her new dream to be adopted in a good family.

In the morning she took an early bath and got dressed in a polka dot frock. Madhuri had gifted her the dress, last day.

"Madhuri Maa was so motherly and loving,"  Gaya thought.

As a ritual, she went to the temple and there she saw a handsome boy Yash, son of a famous advocate JK, distributing sweets to poor.

Yash was celebrating his birthday the same day as Gaya. But her situation was ironic. There was no celebration for her.

The young boy of her age, Yash was distributing ladoos to the poor. She was with Guruji and her mouth watered for that ladoo. She looked greedily at the box. She walked with Guruji towards the divine shrine of Lord Krishna and prayed for that sweet delicacy. She walked slowly and was buckling her shoes. She imagined Yash walking towards her and giving her some sweets.

There were tears in her eyes. Someone patted her from behind and gave her a box of Colour pencils and a Box of ladoo. It was none other than JK. He even wished her, "Happy Birthday. "

Gaya admired the box in Red and Gold. She had seen them in Sweet shops but never- ever dreamt to hold one in hand. JK's smile mesmerised her and she said: 

"Hey, you look like KD Pathak... Am I right." Gaya smiled. At Saturdays in the orphanage, they saw this show with their teacher Sunil at his home. Sunil was a good samaritan and he took kids home to watch the TV with his daughter Payal.

 "No- no... I am no Pathak but I am Lord Krishna...." The lawyer joked.

"Do you think I will believe in you? I know you are a famous lawyer but tell me how you know it is my birthday?" Gaya questioned like a lawyer.

"Your Guruji is my teacher and while I was planning to celebrate my son's birthday at your home, Guruji told me it is your birthday," JK replied with his captivating smile.

JK had deliberately not called Gaya an Orphan or the ashram as Orphanage. He made Gaya sit comfortably in his car and they drove to the ashram. Yash distributed the chocolates to the kids in the ashram. JK had always taught him to be empathetic to the poor, orphans or abandoned. Yash was playing with the kids while the lawyer was talking to Guruji to adopt Gaya. His wife always wanted a girl child but she could not conceive more. She was a little depressed and JK wanted to give her- Gaya, a precious gift before their wedding anniversary. He had made all the legal papers but Alas! Guruji refused adoption.

"This child is a curse. Her mother Madhuri is not adopting her thinking that her birth brought in ill-luck and made her a widow. Mr Dharamadhikari can never be a father with his impotency and he too wanted to adopt this sweet girl. Madhuri had refused his wishes. She had threatened to kill herself if Gaya is adopted." Guruji's words boiled JK's blood.

"In this fast pacing world of technology and gadgets, how can one be so orthodox and narrow-minded?" JK thought. His mind was blank for the moment and he quickly bid bye to the kids and left the scenario. It was afternoon all children were playing hide and seek. Today, being Gayu's birthday, she was allowed to play with the gang girls. She was hiding behind Guruji's office door and she was shocked when she overheard a conversation. Guruji was narrating the incident to Dharamadhikariji over the phone. She heard JK had expressed his interest to adopt her and the background conversation that, "she is a curse."

"She had her best birthday and now she was feeling lonely."

Whenever she went lonely, she came to her universal mother, her favourite banyan tree. She would see colourful birds chirping on it and squirrels hopping that made her happy and erased her sadness. At the present moment, Gaya could not erase her sorrows. Tears trickled down her cheeks and she was cursing the time and also the divine power for her birth. The sun was setting and she was continuously whispering...

"I am a curse... Oh, I am so lonely, I am so lonely... I want new parents to love me or let me die like Guddu with Jaundice." She had lost her another cute friend without proper medication at the Ashram 6 months back. She did not know what is death? She just knew the deceased went to heaven. Her cry became louder and louder and she heard a hissing sound. She was scared it was a snake but it was a dragon bird. The coloured bird, so big and magnificent that sat next to her. There was a shiver in her body. She was scared.

"Touch me please," the bird said.

Gaya touched it with fear and big droplets of tears in her eyes.

"Hey, I have been sent by the King of Gods. I am Guddu now reincarnated as a bird. Stop crying and smile. Tomorrow is your day. You will go back to your home with your parents, yes the aunty who loves you won't adopt you but there will be another beautiful aunty to be your mother forever. " The bird did not wait for long and stretched her wings to the sky.

Gaya could not believe her eyes.

"Was it a dream?" She pondered.

Well, now there was a hope in her. Next day was normal for her. She just thought of beautiful mother but she knew more expectations will hurt her.

15 days passed and still, she imagined a fairy-like mom.

 JK had completed the legal procedures. He was not scared of curses and nor his wife believed in them. They had faced a lot in life and now they were happy. 

It was a Sunday. Gaya was reading Panchatantra tales.

Mishti, a woman in her late '30s walked to Gaya's room with a smile. Mishti was beautiful with doll eyes.

She did not reveal her identity and spoke for hours to Gaya until she was sure of the adoption.

"Will you come to my home?" Mishti questioned Gayu after a long conversation.

"No- no I am lonely and I am a curse," Gaya said slowly.

"You are no longer alone Gaya. I am your mother. You are a blessing for me, your Papa and a brother. You are not a curse." Mishti hugged her tight with a warm kiss. JK and Yash gave gifts to Gaya and invited her happily to their home and heart.

" I am happy God and thank you, Lord Ganesh, Krishna, Ram Ji, Shiv Ji... I am all happy and thank you to all God's in the Universe who gave me a sweet happy family." Gaya prayed silently.

The Guddu bird came once again to her before bedtime and said:

" Well, my soothsaying took time Gaya but be happy. You are blessed and will be a famous lawyer one day. " Guddu vanished from her sight.

Gaya went into a deep and calm slumber.

It was midnight and JK called his friend Chulbul and thanked him for creating the Robotic, mythological Bird Guddu with his Engineer brains.

************************************

10 years passed like the blink of eyes. Yash and Gaya were again celebrating their 18th Birthday together in the temple. They had become the best friends of life and Gaya was planning to pursue law like her Papa, JK. She had already begun working with him as his Assistant.

Moral of the story: "Kids are innocent and let them live in a fairy tale world.".