An Odyssey...

It was first week of April, 1993 as my oblivious memory could recall the completion of my 5th standard second (final) semester examinations. Summer vacation had started and all my friends planning holidays to exotic locations. I too thought as usual this year too we'll travel to our native place in madhya pradesh. Life was ostensibly smooth as seen by me and my younger brother ajay. But we were made to see the unreal side of life. We were being raised in a virtual world. My parents had been blessed with an amazing idiosyncrasy of shrouding the vicissitudes of life from their children. We were unaware that the darkest and ugliest phase of our lives was at our doorstep banging relentlessly. We never owned a house and it takes a lifetime to own a house in the city of dreams, mumbai, where my dad stepped in 20 yrs back when he was just 13 relinquishing his secondary education owing to the absence of the basic necessities. Now by god's grace he was staying in a rented house of the c...

As everyone visits their respective holy place to worship their god and goddess, I too have my own. I offer prayers to them everyday. I deify them. These two divine spirits have become the most indispensable ingredient of my life and I can’t imagine loosing them even if world reaches the culmination of its existence. They are my deities. They had always been blessed with an amazing idiosyncrasy of shrouding the vicissitudes of life from me. Their endless sacrifices have made me venerate them even more fervently. Having bereft of their basic essentials they have climbed the precipice of destitution with great vigour. They have endeavoured to fulfil the needs of their children without giving heed to their own necessities under dire circumstances. They worked their soul out of their body. These are my parents. In 1973, Dad fled his home at the age of 13 to Mumbai in search of his livelihood. I believe that itself was a courageous step since it was an alien city for him having no idea what...