The Goodbye
Siva was not looking forward to having dinner with his mom, Durga. He sat down on the ground in front of her. His mom kept staring at the food between them. She knew his time had come to leave, yet she wished for that night never to end. Both of them did not have the appetite to eat that night. They'd have traded their food for another day to spend together. Such is their lives. What can one do if life does not give them many choices?
They lived in a remote village along with the rest of their folks. They belonged to a tribal group, and life had not been easy for them for generations. The government targeted their land, mineral resources, water, and other natural resources for developmental projects. They became foreigners to their land. They took up arms to fight against the government. Death was the quickest and most probable outcome in this fight.
Siva's father, Velu, rose to the ranks in the village became their leader. He had a good command over them, and he advocated for reduced violence and engaged in conversations. The government continued to treat them as criminals and never allowed them to present their cases. Velu went to great lengths to set up a meeting with the representatives to present their case. He finally got a meeting set up after repeated knocking on the door of the local policeman. When Velu reached the meeting place, the outskirts of the village near the post office, there was nobody. He waited, hoping someone would turn up. Little later, Velu's body hit the ground after a silent gunshot.
The scene played in Siva's and Durga's heads every day. Siva trained with Velu's old friends near their house. But the time came for Siva to join the group in the forest for more rigorous training. Durga's nightmares continued after Velu's death, and she is now scared for her son's life. She lamented their lives that she wished they never existed.
Durga knows how this will end. She has seen enough people in her life live this life unsuccessfully. While she played these thoughts in her head, Siva lowered his right hand with his palm cupped. Durga made two small balls out of rice and curry mixed, placed one in his palm, and the other one in hers. They both looked at each other with teared-up eyes and swallowed it. Siva promised his mom that he would return trained and make a difference in their lives. He held his mom's hands and said,
“Don’t worry amma, I will continue appa’s journey in getting us justice. I need to prepare myself to face the world.”
The following day, the neighbors gathered outside their house. They placed both Siva and Durga's bodies in front to pay their respect. Durga sought liberation for both of them.