RESONANCE Of WHISPER

“Can you prove you are right ?”

I could not grasp the context but replied as bluntly, “No one has proved me wrong so far.”

“Except me.” he added.

I looked at him a bit bemused, still not grasping what he meant.

He waited for the quip to hit home and ultimately added with a laughter, “to day I tricked to seat you on my left and I am right.”

“hattere kii, this is the substance out of which you made such a big bubble as to crush me alive.”

“It was just the fuel, the fire is yet to be added.”

I waited for the fire.

“I wanted to ask you an unpleasant question. don’t you think you wasted your life toiling in a field not your own, whereas you could have written a dozen or more novels, that could loft you to the skies.

“I love my earth yaar! It is solid, florid, fruitful, fragrant, and more rewarding than any destination in the skies. There is nothing except illusion there. I am glad that I worked in a field that would have remained beggarly as it was before I entered it.”

“And I feel sad that all your work is likely to be rubbished. Those who will to suppress it have both the power of press and purse.”

“Even alive, I stand nowhere in comparison. Why should you wait for my death to obliterate me from the public memory. I am too small and too humble to challenge them all singularly, and yet something has happened that they have themselves gone in their hidings, the din of the press and power of purse still on their side. And know you, the internet,Cyclopedia all the media under western control also beat their drum but the one becoming a beating retreat.”

He said nothing but remained unmoved.

“They all share one thing in common.” I added after a pause.

He fixed his eyes on me expectantly.

“They have all over-lived and even in their life time they had been continuously incurring new illnesses till they went in coma. If you have resources, those in coma may be allowed to breath for years.”

“No bad consolation for a man known to none that himself.” He taunted and then after a brief pause made amends, “I agree the clamor has mellowed, say died. But do you think you count so much as to mute them all who enjoyed unchallenged sway.”

“The whisper of truth is louder than all the din created by drums and loud-speakers” I repeated without bringing me at the centre. “it is like the first bubble visible in the gruel to be followed slowly by more bubbles all and ultimately the entire cauldron bubbling and frothing ready to overflow. You may gag one voice in one corner but irrepressible voices in unseen corners coming with stronger and stronger notes converging to form a chorus can not be muted with power of chair, press and purse together. That has been my abiding faith and the source of my confidence.”

He said nothing. Kept looking at me with a suspicion. “I know you are the first to have said most of the things. But you know, you are not going to get the credit for that. Others will grab you as if you didn’t exist. As if it is their discovery. As if you followed their footprints.” He added conclusively.

“Dedication to cause is measured by your indifference to credit. Your only concern is the victory of the cause. That is immanent.” I replied with resignation and prepared to leave.