The Children of Lesser God

It was a Sunday morning, I had a lazy morning, got up late. I know everybody has the same schedule, except for some sincere and die-hard morning walkers. The day will be spent in a relaxed way, brunch and lots of sleep. I was looking for my friends to plan the day, but none was nearby. Roaming around, venturing out and having a lot of food, and enjoying the loneliness of the evening when everybody will be out for a movie or dining out or shopping.

But somehow I was finding the Sunday morning very unusual, even in the late morning, hardly any movement was there. Even the snacks maker at the char rasta was closed, my favourite place to hang around. I could see some of my friends are standing there with an inquisitive look. I came back to my society gate and looked at the security guard, he was closing the main gate with a notice hanging," Janta Curfew", no outsiders are allowed. A new terminology, trying to understand, but the Sunday was mostly forgettable. This was the beginning of one of the toughest period for all of us.

The Janta Curfew was followed by the lockdown. I heard the name Corona, who has put the entire mankind into self-exile. And we have also started feeling the pinch. We always keep a watch in our territory, no outsiders are allowed without our permission. But I was wondering about the invisible enemy, about his stealth movement. Even it has started affecting the interpersonal relationships with our neighbourhood. Scarcity of food and water has resulted in a frequent brawl and forced us to attempt conquering other territories. The unusual silence throughout the day confuses me regarding the part of the day, dawn or dusk.

When we moved to the newly developed areas, the availability of food was not an issue. They were kind enough to part away with their surplus food. And our freedom has no boundaries. I used to laugh at some of our friends who used to be under the control of their masters. Moving in vehicles but not able to enjoy the fragrance of the air at different times of the day and season at his will. They can't enjoy the rain dance or a swim in the canal for fear of falling sick. How can they feel the coolness of a starry night or the beautiful journey of the moon? Of course, regarding the food, I have heard they have a better say. I know we miss the care, love and affection they get. They have doctors and people to take care of. Sometimes some good Samaritan comes to take care of us, they provide food and medical treatment. I have seen young boys and girls forgetting their comforts try to help us, God has means and ways to take care of all.

I was remembering a popular story, when two of our members, one from a communist country and the other one from a democratic country meet at a border. After discussing so many things, they started enquiring about how is life on the other side. The one from a communist country said "We have the right to get food, but no right to bark" and the other one replied, "We have the right to bark but no right to get food". During my youth days, I used to stand by the democrat, but slowly I also started inclining towards the philosophy of right to get food. Nowadays the Corona has forced me to dream of a new compound having a perfect combination of both the elements, food and freedom.

I could see the distant sky giving an orange smile, it was giving me the confidence to scale the day through. Sometimes I look at God with a question mark, but this struggling period has taught me to be more optimistic. I have never asked God" Why me?" during my good days, so now I have no right to ask  Him "why me? ". I know this is part of the journey, He has stored better days for all of his creations, it will make us stronger and positive. This the right time to make self-introspection and correcting ourselves.