09/06/1908
This is a story of one evening in a village of early 20th century. It is close to sunset and a muscular man named Dinkar Rao is standing outside his house. He is staring at the large orange sun setting behind a distant mountain range. Dinkar is a light-brown skinned muscular man with visible 6-pack abs. He has built a magnificent hulking body unlike anybody in the village. He takes great pride in it as he sees passing women blush taking quick glimpse at his muscles. In response he simply smiles twirling his thick black mustache and running his hand down his long wavy hair.
This isn’t without any effort though. Dinkar puts a lot of work in maintaining himself. He has been since he was very young. That’s why even at 47 he has the stamina of guys half his age.
Right now he is warming up, preparing for the final part of his daily routine. He continues to stretch his body and do push-ups while watching the sun set. The moment he sees the last tip of the sun disappear behind the mountains he starts running. Like a bullet from shot a gun he sprints barefoot towards the finish line i.e. the top of one Bigul hill.
He runs very fast and swiftly pass some villagers. The gust of wind he generates makes them lose balance and fall. He smiles in response and continues to run. His eyes are set on the prize that is a view from the top of the hill. There’s a temple there, perhaps that’s where he is heading.
After navigating through the mud road he leaps to start climbing a long steep staircase. He keeps on looking at the distant mountains, the point where the sun just set. As he climbs to a higher point he sees the sky getting brighter.
At first, for him, it feels like a normal routine but soon he gets very scared. In the beginning he was skipping two-three steps with every jump but then he shortens the jump to skip just one. He touches his chest as he realizes that his perfect looking body isn’t functioning at optimum level today as it usually does. Still he desperately wants to reach the top on time and so he keeps on running.
After a lot of running Dinkar finally reaches the top of the hill. Quickly he runs around the temple to the backyard. When he was nearing the top there was a wide smile on his face, but his smile fade when he reaches the backyard. The sun is still out of view hidden behind the mountains and the place is getting darker with every passing second. As a final attempt he runs to the edge and climbing over the boundary wall he makes a jump to at least catch a quick glimpse of the setting sun. Sadly, he sees nothing and he lands hard on the slope of the hill. It’s a slippery landing as he rolls down the barren terrain. Fortunately he slows down and comes to halt by grabbing a large rock in his path. He takes a few breaths and waits for his heartbeat to return to normal. Meanwhile he simply sits there.
This ending was not a part of Dinkar’s routine. A long hard run up the hill everyday to witness sunset twice; first from his house and then from the backyard of the temple. That was the routine he had set to test his muscular strength and endurance. For that he used to literally race with the sun and win every time. Sadly today he lost.
This should not be an issue. His performance was still vastly superior to that of any man of his village, irrespective of their age. Also, he lost for the first time. There’s always the next day but Dinkar doesn’t take this failure optimistically. For him, once a loser is always a loser. He punches the ground under aggressively until his knuckles start to bleed.
“Why! why! why! why!” he keeps on shouting while digging in. Looking at his muddy-bloody hands he says, “After all the things I do keep you perfect, why are you betraying me now?”
Dinkar is not talking just about his hands. His entire body is failing him. Age is finally catching up on him and there is nothing he can do to reverse it. He always knew this day would come but didn’t think it would come before he turns sixty. So, heartbroken he simply lays there until the place gets completely dark. These are the times when the Bigulvihi village is lit only by kerosene lamps, that too only inside some houses. Most of the people by this time are usually already asleep.
The sun is gone and the stars are out. It’s a beautiful sight to see, a thousand twinkling stars in the sky, if that is something Dinkar likes to do. He is looking at the sky but he seems worried.
Laying on his back his gaze is set on one random star. There’s a deep thought bothering him but he utters not even a single word. There are times when he reacts to what he is thinking at that moment by kicking a rock, punching the mud or shaking his head. Sometimes he even sheds a tear. It would be quite an embarrassment if a grown up handsome man like him is caught crying. Fortunately there is no one around.
Laying there flat, letting out all his tears he falls sleep repeating just one line,
“I don’t want to get old.”
TO BE CONTINUED
NEXT PART
Search for Enlightenment
The story of Dinkar Rao’s internal struggle continues.
back to LIFE OF DINKAR RAO
First of all thank you for reading this post. What you read here is not my absolute belief. I am always open for discussion. Actually I consider these posts as a conversation starter. So if you have an opinion to share, please do comment down below.