Chameli’s Citadel

Most of the people were damn dead sleep on the New Year’s dawn after the year-end celebrations.  Birds, butterflies, dragonflies, animals, trees and plants were busy wishing each others wholeheartedly from the center of their hearts.  Wind gently patted the Nature wishing a peaceful and pleasant year ahead.  Sun blessed the world with new rays of hopes.  Nightingales handed over the stage to skylarks for the music to continue.   

“Who is that?” asked the sun.  “What’s she doing there?” wondered the wind.  Birds, butterflies, dragonflies, animals, trees and plants stared at her.  Moon, before handing over the sky to sun, stopped for a while and peeped through the silver clouds. 

“You are as fair as snow.  Your eyes shine as stars.  You smile as blooms.  You move as wind.  Are you a fairy, my little friend?” an echo reflected in the vales.  On the silent snowy hill, her smile sparkled.  Her eyes shined.  Rain deers stood around her.  Butterflies and dragonflies fluttered around her.  When the wind patted her fabulous face, the dimple bloomed on her chubby cheek.  “Wow! Amazing!” the world wondered.

Pointing her pretty fingers to the yonder village down the dales, she said – “I wish to make a citadel for my people”.  “Citadel?!” the world exclaimed.  “Yes, Chameli’s Citadel” she screamed.  Her voice was strong but filled with pain.  Her gestures suddenly changed.  Rays of anger sparkled from the depth of her eyes.  Her rosy lips shivered.  Her face turned reddish of anger with the shadows of disappointment and sorrow. 

Pines and oaks shook their branches.  Wind and sun stopped for a while.  Birds, butterflies, dragonflies and animals didn’t move.  Skylarks flew down and sat on the lower branches of oaks and pines.  Yaks stared at Chameli.  “Will you help me, please?” Chameli’s voice echoed in everyone’s hearts.  “Help me in making a citadel for sheltering and protecting the good people.  Humanity is vanishing from the hearts of humans for sheltering their false egos and protection of self-made religions, casts, gods and what not? Real God already disappeared desperately due to the duplicate gods everywhere.  Hearts and minds are partitioned for all wrong reasons.  An invisible war has been causing visible damages to the brains of the humans.  Peace has been crushed into pieces”.

“That’s the reason, we started teaching them lessons these days” suddenly sun and wind opined.  “They unite only during disasters.  But, unfortunately, they return to their own dens of ego and narrow-mindedness as soon as the trouble gets over”.

“No visible citadel can protect them now” Chameli’s voice echoed once again.  “They have mastered the art of destruction” Chameli’s tears splattered in the snow.  “We children can’t anymore watch our elders fighting for the wrong reasons.  How can we transform their minds?  How can we pull them back to peace and growth?  How can we make them humans?” Chameli’s questions, one after other, shook the branches of oaks and pines.  Skylarks sat nearby Chameli and sang sweetly.  Their melodious song echoed in the vales.  Parrots, mynahs and sparrows joined the orchestra.  Animals danced.  Sun smiled.  Wind blew tenderly.

“Chameli’s Citadel must symbolize love and humanity.  My citadel can’t be made of materials but matured minds with positive feelings and emotions.  My citadel won’t be visible before eyes but will stand magnificent before hearts and minds.  My hands won’t build my citadel but my feelings and emotions untouched by any kind of biasness” Chameli vowed. 

“Then, rush back to your village.  Before they awake and smear this New Year with venom, push them to your citadel.  Display the might of your citadel to all children and help them build such citadels in their hearts” Chameli and all around her looked around anxiously.  They could only hear a flap. 

Chameli opened her eyes and looked around.  Through the window, she looked at the sky and smiled at the charming New Year’s dawn.   Chameli got up to build her citadel – a citadel made of unconditional love and humanity, the Chameli’s Citadel!!!

Muraly TV