The Life of Peace

Me & my wife went to Chandigarh for some crucial task & stayed at home of a close friend of my father. He used to be the collogue of my father when he worked as government employee in Himachal Pradesh before 2010. After we finished our crucial task overthere, he told us that, "Before leaving towards your hometown, I would like to take you to a beautiful place in Himachal Pradesh, Jamta. You are already familiar with the place & all of us will enjoy a lot." I agreed. I remembered Jamta, a small beautiful village in Himachal Pradesh near Renuka, a popular tourist spot in Himachal Pradesh, known as the birthplace of Lord Parashuram.

Next day, we 4 people moved on a beautiful journey towards Himachal Pradesh. On the way, there was a beautiful small town named Nahan. This was the town where I have spent my entire childhood, from play school to my first job. Everything was changed now. The town was more crowded, with more shops, more shopping malls (which was not there when I lived there) and more traffic. Absolutely unidentifiable, but beautiful.

I decided to walk for a while & explore the place. While walking I came across a beautiful small shop in the corner that was selling cake & pastries. During my childhood, I used to eat pastries & patties overthere. I reached the shop & saw the owner- old man, with all his hairs white, talking politely to the customers. I asked, "Good Morning uncle". As usual, with a very enthusiastic voice he said, "Good Morning dear. Tell me what would you like to have. We have newly launched a blended flavour of mango, pineapple & strawberry just for Rs. 50." I looked at him smilingly & said, "Uncle give me 2 beautiful chocolate pastries, one for me & one for my wife. My father will pay you in the evening." 

Hearing these words, he looked at me with surprise. He immediately left his counter & came out of his shop. Looking at me with a little smile on his face he asked, "So, you want 2 beautiful chocolate pastries, & your father will pay money in the evening." I said, "Yes Uncle." He was smiling & just looking at me as if he has heard same sentence many years ago also, "Uncle give me 2 beautiful chocolate pastries, one for me & one for my brother. My father will pay you in the evening." 

Tears rolled down his eyes & with a surprise on his face he asked, "Piyush, is that you?" I said, "Yes uncle it's me." He just hugged me & started crying. I often visited his shop used to speak same words when I was a kid. He said, " It is great to see you after so long. What a surprise? How is your father? Where do you live?" I said, "Uncle now we live in our hometown in Uttar Pradesh." We sat together for 2 hours at his shop, remembering beautiful old days. He served me coffee & my favourite pastry that I often purchased from his shop. Suddenly a customer came to his shop & said, "Tomorrow is my birthday. I want a big chocolate cake with 3 layers & a Mickey mouse at the top. Also give me 17 bottles of Fanta, 80 patties & 70 cream rolls." He immediately replied, " Sorry dear, the shop is closed. Today I am not selling anything. This person is my old friend. I am having some important discussion with him. You please search for some other shop." The customer smiled & said, "Ok Uncle."

I was surprised to see the scene. That pastry shop owner refused a great finencial offer just to spend time with me. He prepared coffee for me & we had a good time discussing memories of my childhood. Throughout the discussion, I was just sitting silently & that gentleman was just talking about old sweet incidences of his life consistently. It felt like he wanted to share his ideas for so long but nobody had time to listen to him. I was quitely listing to him. And I want to confess today, I agree that I don't remember at all what he said, neither I was concentrating that day.

That day, I was just looking at him. He was speaking as if once I leave his shop, nobody will listen to his thoughts & emotions. Customers will just visit his shop, have pastries and chocolates & go back home. I remembered when I was a kid, he, just like a concerned human being, used to say, "Don't eat pastries daily. It will spoil your teeth. You are a small kid." Just to see if he remembers, I said, "Uncle give me one more chocolate pastry." He immediately replied, "Don't eat so much pastries. It will spoil your teeth. You are a small.....". We both looked at each other & suddenly he started crying bitterly. I just rushed towards him & hugged him tight. I was also crying.

Childhood days never return. We grow up & become a part of a money earning rat race, searching for a better job, again looking for bigger options & more money and the process keeps rotating. And in this rotational process, we burry our memories, we burry sweet old days & we burry our true happiness.