[Reader-list] Letters from NM 02

[CM@Nangla]

Notice Board
By “Jaanu” and Lakhmi

Signboards. Sometimes they tell the way, sometimes give unsolicited advise,
sometimes instruct how one must conduct oneself in the city, and sometimes
distract you from your path by making your attention wander. “Gas
pipeline underneath. Do not excavate.” “The name of this crossroad is
-------.” “Welcome to Delhi Railway Station.” “Get your tenant
verified before trusting him with your house.” “Punctured tyres are
repaired here.” A board amid the soft breaths of many in front of an
emergency ward, announcing, “Emergency Ward”. “Please Use Me”
written on garbage bins. And a board in my neighbourhood which gives the
impression of the presence of a property dealer in the vicinity: “Cheap
plots available here.” But to tell you the truth, there is neither any
property dealer here, nor any property! But the board remains standing in
its place.

There is one more board that falls in the company of these boards. It's a
notice board that appears from time to time in front of colonies in the
wake of the State's “cleanliness drives”. It's a board that doesn’t
say anything of its own, but repeats the contents of the sheet that is
pasted on it. One such board stands in front of a locality in my
neighbourhood. It reads:

“This land is the property of the government. It should be vacated. It
can be broken at any time.”

Everyone's hair stood on end each time they saw this board.

***

It was cowdust hour. Komal bhai read this board as he entered the
settlement. Image after image appeared and spoiled in his mind. Carrying
these forming, dissolving images through narrow lanes, he reached his
house. He rested his hand on the frame of the door and called out,
“Meena, open the door.” Meena recognised her husband's voice and opened
the door immediately. Komal bhai said, “Take these bananas. Where is
ammi? Has she eaten dinner?”

Komal bhai's mother heard his voice and said, “Yes, son. Bahu fed me, and
was sitting with me when you came. Now both of you eat and then get a good
night's rest.”

Komal bhai washed his hands and face, asked Meena for his waist cloth,
wiped his face with it and then tied it around his waist. Meena had spread
some newspaper on the bed, laid a plate with food on it, and now she sat
waiting for Komal. Komal bhai came and immediately broke a piece of bread.
Then, as he put the morsel in his mouth he said, “Meena, why don't you
eat...”

He became quite for a while, and then said, “Meena, have you heard...?”
“Why, what happened?” she asked.
Komal bhai said, “Today as I entered the settlement, my eyes fell on a
blue board. It read, 'This land is the property of the government. Vacate
it'.”
“Are you saying you've just seen it!” Meena said. “I have known about
this for some days now. Ask ammi if you like.”
Ammi couldn't contain herself any longer and came and sat on the bed by her
son. She said, “Son, there's nothing new in this.”
“But there is, mother. I read the board today.”
“But son, that board has been there since Tuesday. Bahu pointed it out to
me. Everyone knows about it. Son, worrying will not help. Go to sleep. What
will be in the morning will be.”

The night was pitch dark. The window of the room was open, but nothing
stirred. It was as dark inside as it was outside. Everything looked alike.
Footsteps of a drunk man began to be heard. Lost in his own world, he was
saying something. Suddenly, his voice became louder.

“Mark my words. This settlement will get broken tomorrow, otherwise I
will change my name,” he said.
Another voice came, “I dare you to even touch this settlement!”
“Tomorrow it will be seen. Tomorrow it will be seen.”

As soon as Meena heard these voices, she got out of her bed and said to
Komal, “This settlement will be there tomorrow.”
“You've seen a bad dream. Go to sleep.” Saying this, Komal turned over
to go back to sleep, when he heard the same voice. He raised his head and
concentrated. He heard, “This settlement will be broken tomorrow. Don't
think I am drunk. I am in my senses today.”
Komal said, “He is some mad drunkard. Don't worry Meena. Come, sleep next
to me.”

***

Komal and Meena woke up together in the morning. Both listened to the
sounds coming from the window, trying to make out the time from these
sounds. But they felt disoriented. Waves of silence and restlessness seemed
to be flowing in through the window. Komal jumped out of bed, opened the
door and looked out. He stepped out, moving through the lanes, towards the
entrance to the locality. Doors to every house were open. It seemed there
were far more doors, too few walls in these lanes.

This was the morning when the drunkard's words were going to become
reality. Police force descended on the settlement like a fog, settling over
everything, changing everything just by touching it with its long fingers.
Spotting a uniformed man, Komal walked up to him and asked, “Bhai, what
is going on here?”
The police man replied, “Why? Haven't you read the notice board?”
“No sir, I haven't.”
“Well then! Empty the colony. It will be demolished today.”
Seeing Komal talk to the police man, some people came and stood near him.
The words of the drunkard rang in their ears, as if he was mocking them,
“You thought I was drunk last night! Look, look for yourself now. Watch
the liquor from last night flow today morning. Now go and vacate your
houses. Go! All these big bosses – these policemen – they are not
standing here wasting their time!”

Komal turned towards his settlement, looking at the narrow lane leading
into it. In all these years that it had been there, today was going to be
the first time that a vehicle other than a bicycle was going to pass
through it. This “first” vehicle was going to be a bulldozer. And once
it would pass through, there would be no scope left for any other to pass
through ever again.



CM Lab, Nangla Maanchi
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Pyaason ki pyaas bujhata hai Nangla,
Dilli mein aane walon ka basera hai Nangla.
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