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Celebrations



This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 16; the sixteenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.




It was a hard ground that felt like sand paper. When he started his journey, it was the soles of his feet that were in contact with the ground, but now as he pulled himself closer to the station, it was his whole body. His elbows were scraped, bloody and fresh scab peeled bled out to leave a trail of red on the wicked hot dusty ground of pain and suffering.

All around him slow moving bodies crawled towards the direction of hope, all along leaving patterns of blood, sweat, skin and pus. These bodies had seen civil wars, droughts, genocide and lived to tell a tale of a people who now belonged to a nation listed as one of the poorest countries in the world. This is now, but before the list, was a struggle of massive proportions, under reported and quietly hidden under layers of stories of people around the world.

They walked, then crawled, then dragged themselves. He saw another man slump down dead next to him, and a voice inside him said, one less person to fight for food with. Then it was his turn to feel heady, light and heavy at the same time. He ignored the calling and moved faster. And faster. And then a dark blanket, a receding sun, some wild gazelles, the faces of his family lost, the screams of the women, men and children raped, shot and tortured.


A steady stream of water was felt by a hardened nearly numb tongue. His throat was shocked at the coolness of the liquid and some where deep in his stomach, that lay forgotten, he felt some weight. Foreign voices speaking in hushed voices saw him struggle to comprehend the fact that he had made it to the refugee camp. They supposed that he would thank who ever it was he thought was responsible for his arrival but left him alone to celebrate his arrival, against those who'd petered our mid way.

*********************************************************************************

This write up was inspired by Burundi, a small country in Africa. One of the world's poorest regions, I am sure there are greater stories that are in the making but untold.




The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Comments

Brijender Singh said…
Absolutely brilliant !
Besides the fact that your post provides a welcome change from the veritable deluge of Diwali stories, the potency of your words is too stark to ignore-crisp, succinct and riveting.
Glad to have come across your blog!

P.S.Have tried to allay a bit of confusion with the "Sidra" issue too ! ;)
very different and I love the way you penned down detailed narration of someone who reached out the web of circumstances and still confuse about
celebration to survive.
Amity said…
Succinct and well narrated...:-) And I feel the pain of the man, I feel his struggles and I feel how sad it is when everyone should be thankful he made it but was only left to himself to celebrate!

A very unique offering indeed!

All the Best Saro!
MuddassirShah said…
SARO,
where were you all these days ??

This is my first time on your blog and I am gonna hang around for a longer while.

The story you presented is very different.
I liked it.
Kudos
Jaspreet said…
Wonderfully narrated-really liked your unique take on the prompt and your choice of words.The detailed description made me feel as if I was watching a movie.
All the best! :)

P.S. I like the name of your blog :)
Saro said…
Hi Brijender,I'm happy u like the blog, do visit when ever u can :)

Hi Pratibha: I hope it was a good different

Amity: thank you for your compliments...

Mudassir: thank you for hanging around and visit as much as you want.. was away from the blog for awhile, and well, finally got the batom date and topic on time :)

Jaspreet: thank you very much for the compliments, the aim was to make everyone feel as though we are there, so we can feel and well do something about it and may be give him company in his celebration as well!
Shruti said…
Such a unique take and a brilliant piece of writing!
gud luck :)
Unknown said…
it is the first post of yours i came across...unique,thought provoking with a sophisticated style of writing...yet so concise and simple..summarize it up ...awesome :) Al da Best
m7 said…
different.nice.
Anonymous said…
Absolute delight to read. I am here for the first time and wish to read all the posts by you.
I loved the narration and the way it touched one deep inside without so many words flowing around.
Best wishes !
Anonymous said…
obviously one of the really intriguing posts... i do not need to elaborate.. as I see me fellow bloggers have aptly reflected my mind. *wink* great people think alike.


P.S: There was a fault of linking in my post for the BAT, but I would not have realised unless you had commented "what happened to the celebrations page?". Thank you very much for pointing that out!
Aashish Sood said…
bleak.. dark... stark naked truth are the phrases that came to my mind when I was reading it... though I must admit that the story line was very interesting and provided a nice change from all other stories... Though, I would have wanted more of description of apathy and the dark thoughts here

Do read my entry and comment!
Yamini Meduri said…
brilliant :)

All the best :)
Here is my celebration:
Ms. Meduri- Celebrations
Cherry Blossom said…
The words reflect images of war, bloodshed, hunger, pain and loss. War does no good to any living institution. The after effects of war are horrific to endure and only those who faced it can elaborate with bitterness. Such loathsome images run across the mind when we think of war. A very realistic portrayal of the same with apt images. All the best.
Anonymous said…
Amazing ! I loved the detailed description of every minute things , which made me actually visualize the pain of the man , and his lonely celebration .. Good choice of words!

All the best for BAT ! :)
Saro.. Brilliant story... First time on your blog.. I am flattered by your writing... Loved it..

Good luck for BAT and do stop by, Someone Is Special - Celebrations

--Someone Is Special--
MAVERICK said…
They say first impression often becomes last one, but not in this case as with a talent like this and all the skills to match, it seems you are in habit of producing marvels of this sought.
A great time I had on my visit. Wish you all the luck
Hey Saro, that was a very nice post. I think the treatment was very tough.

I woudnt pick a concept like that for celebrations.

Would also want to commend on choice of words. Good one.
saro said…
shruthi, necashish, lost in thoughts, m7, meduri: thank you, loving the
encouragement and support.

tiku: do visit as often as you can :) love opinions!

foolwise: that was just my thought exactly, srry if i sounded rude
with the statement. i've read and sent you in my response on the
post!

aashish: i didn't know how far to take it really..given the post
was on celebrations... but will take the feedback for future
reports.
Saro said…
Thank you cherry, aarti, sis!

maverick: thank you, i guess out of everyone here, you're someone thats been here before huh.

kshitji: i agree, it's a bit sombre.. what i was thinking though, is of personal celebrations against adversity... as opposed to the bright and beautiful celebration. and how sometimes, happy things come out of unhappy situations, and a celebration can happen even if u are alone.. a different spin mebbe?
MAVERICK said…
@ Saro : Of whatever I can remember , I visited your blog for the first time, but surely what remains even more important, that this wont be the last time, as with the skill as yours, you can have me dropping in as frequently as I can
Absolutely. Well conveyed.
Saro said…
Thank you magic eye and that's a nice nick btw.

Maverick: woohooo!!! *now i dare not disappoint!*

Kshitji: :)
Cherry Blossom said…
Hi Saro, I came back here just to thank for for your appreciation of my post and for your vote. It means a lot to me. I must also say that I just love the template of your blog. You have done a wonderful job.

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