Vidhatri's Oasis
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Untouched
Untouched….
I spread my arms to welcome the sun allowing the sunlight hug me. I perform a ballet when the pleasant breeze makes me dance to its tunes. I blush as the rain drops fall on me, kissing me all over. I wake up in the morning drenched in the fresh dew drops that pamper me. I am very happy with the life I am leading now…being far away from all … totally untouched…may be that’s why I am rightly named as a “Touch-Me-Not” plant.
I haven’t experienced much of the world outside, but I have learnt a lot from my elders. I was taught that I was given this name because when I was touched, I would curl around and soon after sometime I would spread my leaflets. I was yet to feel the human touch. But, I guess I will never feel it because I was born in a marsh area where no human has reached yet. So, I am sure I would continue my present blissful life for ever, without anyone intruding my life. May be God is very happy with me and has bles..s..bless..e…d….Hey … Who’s that? I can feel something unusual happening now. What is it? Is there some earthquake or a flood coming my way? Oh God! What is this? I can feel a touch. Why am I curling around? Who has touched me ? I looked up and saw five fingers touching me . I looked beyond . I saw two eyes , a nose, lips and a face that were grinning at me …. Oh God! Humans have caught me !
I curled around, shrinking my whole body together. Ouch ! It aches. I cried out in pain just to be unheard. After some time when I couldn’t bear the pain I slowly spread my body only to be touched again. I curled again in pain. Now, I have lost the count as to how many times I could have opened and closed to satisfy the human fascination.
Now, What are they doing? Why are you approaching my roots ? No .. No… please don’t pluck me off . I will die. Please let me be alone. Aahh! It aches . Don’t uproot me, please. Tuck ! They pulled me off the marsh place where I had lived till now and I dreamt of living there forever. I was put into a plastic cover and carried away. Few of my roots were still intact there on the ground, which I could see were crying out to take them with me. But, sad they didn’t know that we now were destined to never ever meet again. I bid farewell in tears.
I was put into a pot of mud and a label was placed beneath the pot that read “Touch-Me-Not” plant. I looked around the place. Looked like a place where lot of humans visited. I looked to my sides. I was placed in between many pots of plants that too carried their name tag beneath their pot. “Sad Souls like me”, I thought.
I was missing everything. The sunlight doesn’t seem to be hugging me anymore, the pleasant breeze seems not interested to dance with me, and there were no rains that once kissed me … I was missing all this. Like others plants in the pot, I was also standing there leading a lifeless life.
I was getting bored. The loneliness seemed to strangle me to death. I needed to talk to somebody. But with whom? These humans …who only come near me only to touch me and see me curl in pain while they smile seeing me do so. I was fed up. I needed someone to talk to. I looked around and found a cactus plant next to me.
“Hi, Cactus. I am Touch-Me-Not. Can we be friends?
No Reply.
“Cactus, I would like to be your friend. I am feeling very lonely. Can we talk?”
No Reply.
Everyday I tried to start a conversation with the Cactus plant. But, always ended up being disappointed. I didn’t know why Cactus didn’t speak to me? Days passed by. Everybody who passed by me, looked at my name plate and immediately touched me. I had nothing to defend myself from them. So, I continued to be touched that engulfed me in more and more pain. Soon , I found my body growing weak and fragile.
“My friend Cactus, I am fed up of life. I can’t take these touches anymore. It pains. But these humans don’t understand because they have fun seeing me go in and out. I need a friend... A friend whom I can talk to … tell my miseries… My sorrow.. My pains…Please, talk to me . Please”
“Humm…. “
“Wow, I heard that. You just spoke to me Cactus. Thanks. But, please speak to me more. I am dying to talk to you “
“What do you want me to talk?”
“Talk… ok tell me why didn’t you speak to me all these days?”
“Why should I talk to you ? You have so many people who come to see you .. who touch you .. pamper you. Then, what difference does it make if I don’t talk to you ?”
“Oh! For heaven’s sake! Don’t say that. I hate what’s happening to me. When the fingers come near me I just hope that they kill me instead of just touching me. They love to see me close and open. But for their happiness I have to suffer the pains which are unbearable. This is killing me. You’re mistaken, the presence of these people doesn’t make me happy rather their presence is like a slow poison that is killing me everyday. I hope I was like you because nobody disturbs you.”
“Please, don’t they say that. Don’t ever think of being me. I am leading a life that is worse than hell. If I was in hell, I would have been happier because I would have known that I am dead that I wouldn’t have expected anything from anybody. But now I am alive, waiting to be loved .What is the difference between you and me? That, I have thorns all-round and you don’t have them. That, they derive happiness when they touch you and pain when they touch me. They don’t even attempt to come close to me. Why?”
“Cactus, please control yourself. I didn’t mean to hurt you….”
“Hurt… good to hear that. At least you understand that I have a heart that can get hurt. But these humans don’t ? Even when I blossom a flower, they give me a surprised look. A look which says that even this horny plant can blossom such beautiful flowers. But still they don’t come near me. God, has created me different. But, does difference mean not to be loved?”
I was speechless.
I didn’t have a reply because the reality is , being “different” deprives one from being loved.
I found lot of truth in the Cactus’s words. It’s true that an orphaned kid, a handicapped person, an AIDS patient, a mentally retarded man, a homeless mother, the tsunami affected people, the people who lost their limb in an earthquake, the Army general who lost his limb in a war , the beggar outside the temple, the lonely mother of two kids who begs in the traffic signal, the blind women who trips and falls just to be not caught by anyone….. and so many others who are different and thus deprived of the love they deserve. Even they have hearts that blossom love. But, their thorny reality is overshadowing their velvet soft loving nature. It would just take some pains for people to take time out and help them. But isn’t that pain worth taking when compared to the immeasurable happiness these special people get? These are people who are completely untouched by love and waiting to be touched.
Hearing the Cactus’s words I was touched. Touched because those words helped me to take a decision to live … live to bring smiles on the Cactus’s face, touched because I was fortunate to get a chance to help “the special” and at last touched of the fact that I was different from those humans who in spite of having so many people who are still untouched, touched me even when my name screamed loud on their face “TOUCH-ME-NOT”.
I spread my arms to welcome the sun allowing the sunlight hug me. I perform a ballet when the pleasant breeze makes me dance to its tunes. I blush as the rain drops fall on me, kissing me all over. I wake up in the morning drenched in the fresh dew drops that pamper me. I am very happy with the life I am leading now…being far away from all … totally untouched…may be that’s why I am rightly named as a “Touch-Me-Not” plant.
I haven’t experienced much of the world outside, but I have learnt a lot from my elders. I was taught that I was given this name because when I was touched, I would curl around and soon after sometime I would spread my leaflets. I was yet to feel the human touch. But, I guess I will never feel it because I was born in a marsh area where no human has reached yet. So, I am sure I would continue my present blissful life for ever, without anyone intruding my life. May be God is very happy with me and has bles..s..bless..e…d….Hey … Who’s that? I can feel something unusual happening now. What is it? Is there some earthquake or a flood coming my way? Oh God! What is this? I can feel a touch. Why am I curling around? Who has touched me ? I looked up and saw five fingers touching me . I looked beyond . I saw two eyes , a nose, lips and a face that were grinning at me …. Oh God! Humans have caught me !
I curled around, shrinking my whole body together. Ouch ! It aches. I cried out in pain just to be unheard. After some time when I couldn’t bear the pain I slowly spread my body only to be touched again. I curled again in pain. Now, I have lost the count as to how many times I could have opened and closed to satisfy the human fascination.
Now, What are they doing? Why are you approaching my roots ? No .. No… please don’t pluck me off . I will die. Please let me be alone. Aahh! It aches . Don’t uproot me, please. Tuck ! They pulled me off the marsh place where I had lived till now and I dreamt of living there forever. I was put into a plastic cover and carried away. Few of my roots were still intact there on the ground, which I could see were crying out to take them with me. But, sad they didn’t know that we now were destined to never ever meet again. I bid farewell in tears.
I was put into a pot of mud and a label was placed beneath the pot that read “Touch-Me-Not” plant. I looked around the place. Looked like a place where lot of humans visited. I looked to my sides. I was placed in between many pots of plants that too carried their name tag beneath their pot. “Sad Souls like me”, I thought.
I was missing everything. The sunlight doesn’t seem to be hugging me anymore, the pleasant breeze seems not interested to dance with me, and there were no rains that once kissed me … I was missing all this. Like others plants in the pot, I was also standing there leading a lifeless life.
I was getting bored. The loneliness seemed to strangle me to death. I needed to talk to somebody. But with whom? These humans …who only come near me only to touch me and see me curl in pain while they smile seeing me do so. I was fed up. I needed someone to talk to. I looked around and found a cactus plant next to me.
“Hi, Cactus. I am Touch-Me-Not. Can we be friends?
No Reply.
“Cactus, I would like to be your friend. I am feeling very lonely. Can we talk?”
No Reply.
Everyday I tried to start a conversation with the Cactus plant. But, always ended up being disappointed. I didn’t know why Cactus didn’t speak to me? Days passed by. Everybody who passed by me, looked at my name plate and immediately touched me. I had nothing to defend myself from them. So, I continued to be touched that engulfed me in more and more pain. Soon , I found my body growing weak and fragile.
“My friend Cactus, I am fed up of life. I can’t take these touches anymore. It pains. But these humans don’t understand because they have fun seeing me go in and out. I need a friend... A friend whom I can talk to … tell my miseries… My sorrow.. My pains…Please, talk to me . Please”
“Humm…. “
“Wow, I heard that. You just spoke to me Cactus. Thanks. But, please speak to me more. I am dying to talk to you “
“What do you want me to talk?”
“Talk… ok tell me why didn’t you speak to me all these days?”
“Why should I talk to you ? You have so many people who come to see you .. who touch you .. pamper you. Then, what difference does it make if I don’t talk to you ?”
“Oh! For heaven’s sake! Don’t say that. I hate what’s happening to me. When the fingers come near me I just hope that they kill me instead of just touching me. They love to see me close and open. But for their happiness I have to suffer the pains which are unbearable. This is killing me. You’re mistaken, the presence of these people doesn’t make me happy rather their presence is like a slow poison that is killing me everyday. I hope I was like you because nobody disturbs you.”
“Please, don’t they say that. Don’t ever think of being me. I am leading a life that is worse than hell. If I was in hell, I would have been happier because I would have known that I am dead that I wouldn’t have expected anything from anybody. But now I am alive, waiting to be loved .What is the difference between you and me? That, I have thorns all-round and you don’t have them. That, they derive happiness when they touch you and pain when they touch me. They don’t even attempt to come close to me. Why?”
“Cactus, please control yourself. I didn’t mean to hurt you….”
“Hurt… good to hear that. At least you understand that I have a heart that can get hurt. But these humans don’t ? Even when I blossom a flower, they give me a surprised look. A look which says that even this horny plant can blossom such beautiful flowers. But still they don’t come near me. God, has created me different. But, does difference mean not to be loved?”
I was speechless.
I didn’t have a reply because the reality is , being “different” deprives one from being loved.
I found lot of truth in the Cactus’s words. It’s true that an orphaned kid, a handicapped person, an AIDS patient, a mentally retarded man, a homeless mother, the tsunami affected people, the people who lost their limb in an earthquake, the Army general who lost his limb in a war , the beggar outside the temple, the lonely mother of two kids who begs in the traffic signal, the blind women who trips and falls just to be not caught by anyone….. and so many others who are different and thus deprived of the love they deserve. Even they have hearts that blossom love. But, their thorny reality is overshadowing their velvet soft loving nature. It would just take some pains for people to take time out and help them. But isn’t that pain worth taking when compared to the immeasurable happiness these special people get? These are people who are completely untouched by love and waiting to be touched.
Hearing the Cactus’s words I was touched. Touched because those words helped me to take a decision to live … live to bring smiles on the Cactus’s face, touched because I was fortunate to get a chance to help “the special” and at last touched of the fact that I was different from those humans who in spite of having so many people who are still untouched, touched me even when my name screamed loud on their face “TOUCH-ME-NOT”.
posted by Vidhatri at 8:27 AM
5 Comments:
Hi Vidhatri
I am working in the same company as you are and often read some of your postings on the BB. I must say that you writings have improved a lot to a different plane of thought. Do continue writing. You are making a difference.
hi
this was cewl :-)
pls keep writing... u got the skills....
good one, Vidhatri... :-) loved the perspective.
keep serializing the thoughts...
I'll be crawling around, to see more ideas... :-)
Very well put into words vidhatri. Keep penning down such!
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