Islets

It was a fine spring morning, and Ramesh was sipping tea in his kitchen garden. All of a sudden, a straw and a dry grass leaf fell on his head, and he heard the chirping and fluttering of a bird. He looked up and found a sparrow with straws and leaves in its beak. The sparrow was trying to make a nest in the space of an air ventilator on the wall. He thought it was so easy for birds to build a nest for themselves. They just collect straws and leaves and build wherever they want; there is no need to buy costly materials or land. Building a house is so difficult for us humans, especially making a home. 

When the thought of making a home came to him, he got slightly sad. He once had a dream of having a small, happy home, but now he no longer held such a dream. Every dream has its own price, although dreams are free to have. Ramesh was not poor; he had sufficient money to buy a house, and he did buy a big one. However, he wished for a home, yet he could not find one. 

The next day, when Ramesh came out to the kitchen garden, he found the sparrow busy building the nest. Sitting on a chair, he watched the sparrow for a long time. He felt a sense of serenity. Ramesh lived alone. He had no friends or relatives. His experiences with society were such that he had no interest in making friends or meeting his so-called relatives. He became introverted after these experiences.

The next morning, Ramesh woke up to the chirping of the sparrows. He peeped out and found two sparrows busy chirping and making a nest. Ramesh murmured, 'So, Mr. Sparrow, you are not alone. You are with someone and have a plan to make a home.'

He came out to the kitchen garden and, sitting on a chair, he began to think about his past. He remembered how he used to like a girl named Reema, who was his classmate in college. He remembered how he had met her for the first time. He had tried several times to express his feelings but could not dare to tell her. Ramesh and Reema used to talk to each other, help each other, and study together. Even though Ramesh was polite and sober toward Reema, she began to distance herself from him, and soon their friendship came to an end. 

He did not know what brought their friendship to an end. After college, he had to work hard to earn money, and his circumstances were such that he had to stay alone. So, Reema was the first and the last woman in his life. He used to think about Reema in his lonely days and nights. Sometimes he thought about marrying her. Gradually, he became obsessed with her. Nobody was there to advise him to come out of his loneliness. Nobody came near him or accepted him. 

Her sweet memories were his soulmate. By the next two days, the nest was ready. Now he was not alone in his house. His new friends were with him. The silent house was filled with the chirping of the sparrows. All was going well, but all of a sudden, one night, the weather turned bad and there was a strong wind with heavy rain. The strong wind broke the nest. In the morning, when Ramesh came out, he found the broken nest on the muddy soil of the kitchen garden. He looked around, but the sparrows were nowhere to be found. He felt sad. Tears came into his eyes. He asked himself why life was so hard for some living things. Once again, he was alone. This loneliness brought back memories of his past. Memories can return, but past days never come again.

     Ramesh was wandering the streets of the market in the evening. He saw a street vendor selling birdhouses. He was fascinated by these tiny, colorful birdhouses. He stared at them without blinking his eyes. Seeing him in that state, the vendor began to tell him the prices. Being fascinated, Ramesh bought one.

        He  put the birdhouse in the space where the sparrows had built their nest.

          The next morning, when he woke up, he heard the chirping of the sparrows. He came out and found those same sparrows inspecting the birdhouse. The female sparrow was coming in and out of the birdhouse. By noon, the sparrows adopted the birdhouse as their nest—a small but cozy home. Ramesh was happy for his friends to return. His house was filled with the chirping of the sparrows. He no longer felt alone. He began to spread tiny pieces of bread and grains on the floor under the nest so that the sparrows did not have to go far in search of food.

        One day, while shopping in the market, he came across Reema. Reema recognized him at once. It was an unexpected meeting; he was neither ready for it nor had he ever imagined meeting her this way. 

     He was confused, looking at Reema. Reema smiled and asked about his whereabouts, and the conversation between them began. When Reema asked Ramesh about his wife and children, he told her that he was unmarried. She became silent for a while upon hearing this. He could feel an emptiness in her eyes and pain in her expression. On the other hand, she could feel his loneliness. Much was unspoken between them. A waiter came and served them tea. They sipped their tea in silence, both remembering their past. 

Reema was also alone like Ramesh, following the death of her husband in an accident. Reema was surprised and angry with Ramesh because he did not ask about her.

 She said to him, "You are as silent as before." She felt sorry for him. Ramesh looked into her eyes and saw her emptiness. He felt he wanted to tell her something, but he did not dare. 

She, too, had much to tell him but remained silent. Both were bound by social norms, morals, caste, and religion. They parted with heavy hearts. Ramesh thought it was too late to express his emotions. 

After this sudden meeting, Ramesh felt lonelier and almost forgot about the nest and the sparrows. He was plunged into memories. He was missing Reema and was oblivious to what was going around him. His life revolved around a few moments from the past. 

        One day, when he heard some strange sounds coming from the birdhouse, he went out and found little heads peeping out of the birdhouse. The fledglings were making noises. Just then, a sparrow arrived with something in its beak and began to feed them. It was a pleasant sight for Ramesh. He whispered to himself, "Life is so simple for these birds. Everything has happened within a few days. Why don't humans lead such a simple life?"

            In the evening, when he was going to the market to buy groceries, he met Reema on the way. She was buying a bird that was kept in a cage. He went to her and wished her a good evening. After buying the bird, she set it free from the cage. The bird immediately flew into the sky.

   He asked, "Why did you set the bird free and waste your money?" 

       She looked at him and replied, "I don't like caged birds. Whenever I see a caged bird, I buy it and free it. Birds are not meant to be put in cages. They are born to be free and fly in the sky."

     Hearing that, he looked at her for a short while and said, "Why don't we become like these birds?" Reema said, "What do you mean?" Ramesh said, "Can we fly in the sky of life like these birds? Simple, frank, and free from all unnecessary and unfair bonds and customs." 

           Reema remained silent for a time, then put her head on his shoulder and said, "You are right. I like you." 

They then turned their way to a temple to seek blessings from God to start their life in a new way.