An Impromptu Rendezvous with Chinars

By Mushtaq Hurra

Yesterday, I happened to pass by an old Chinar tree. The prodigious tree enchanted my soul, and I stood amazed at the mesmerizing sight.The view of the scarlet-red canopy of the tree, looked like a monstrous bonfire. I kept gazing at her as if I had an old yet unforgettable affair with her. My past trysts with her took me down my memory lane.  All of a sudden, dozens of reminiscences flashed upon the canvas of my mind. The Chinar and its surroundings scratched my nostalgic vibes, and I just rode through the lanes and bylanes of bygone times. My feet simply froze, my gaze got fixed to the surroundings of the Chinar. The mammoth Chinar tree looked battling with the pangs of dotage. 

Her shrivelled twigs and insipid branches were vividly narrating her decline and wane. Cruel autumn had squeezed and snatched her unmatched sublimity and glamour. Her charms and radiance had been reduced excessively. I kept staring at her. Plight and predicament were visible in her eyes. Ah! The poor Chinar tree. The Chinar was vividly exhibiting her haplessness to resist the fiendish pangs of aging. I have known about the colossal tree since my childhood. My trysts with her are worth pearls and rubies for me. The vibrantly exuberant ambience of the tree was my cherished destination when ego and conceit were beyond my station. I recalled the evenings spent under her serene canopy with my pals and siblings. The romance of life was at the next level when our days were blithe and buoyant under her shade. The Chinar tree bears witness to our dreams, discussions, aspirations, confessions and longings. She was more than a friend and close confrere to us. 
The Chinar tree just opened her eyes from the soiled bark and said, “Why did you all forget me? Where are the other members of our circle?” 

I just couldn’t utter even a single word to reciprocate. I wanted to talk, but I felt as if someone had locked my mouth. “Can you just convene a meeting with my old pals? I want to meet them all before I bid farewell to the world. The countdown for my eternal departure has already begun.”  She exclaimed. The Evanescent and ephemeral character of life had exhausted her longings and yearnings. Regret and repentance were visible in her lamentation.

The wail and moan of the tree saddened and shocked me. I hesitantly asked her: “Dear Chinar! You are somewhat witness to 1,09,500 sunrises because the official tag attached to your mammoth stem reads your age as 300 years. You are sure to survive at least for another couple of centuries. Yet you look worried and apprehensive about your hereafter. Avarice and cupidity are beyond your station. Contrarily, the angel of death hovers over humans every time. They wane and fade at 60. But, they never give a thought to death and impermanence of the world. They look so rapacious and greedy as if the angel of death has spared their lives for ever.”

The Chinar sneered and smirked at the stupidity of man. She sighed heavily, and remarked, ” I wonder if he is really the crown of creation. He knows well the ramifications of his oblivious adventure, yet, ironically, ignores the possible consequences.”  The Chinar paused for a few moments, and resumed her monologue : ” I am not even against his vulnerability and inclination to seek pleasures and comforts, but, it should not be at the cost of humanity and precious human values. He has no right to jeopardize the lives of millions of species to grind his selfish axe. List of his misadventures is long and horrifying. I pity his insensitive and callous attitude.

Accumulation of deadly nuclear and chemical weapons is nothing, but a cowardly act to establish fake awe and majesty in the world. The viceroy of God is sunken in the rat race of wealth. 

The vicious cycle of whims and wishes has ceased his ability to strike a balance between animalistic and fine human attributes. The animal in man has grown corpulent. Pursuit of happiness is the apple of discord in the entire world. Someone is exterminating a specific ethnic group to satiate his egomania, somewhere thousands are annihilated with the tilting rays of the dawn to corroborate the political hegemony, many are administering fake drugs to innocent masses to earn extra bucks, traders of violence are bartering human blood at cheap prices.

Meanwhile my phone rang frequently, I picked up the call. “Come home, it is very late, children are reluctant to take meals without you.” Said my better half. The Chinar was about to narrate more mischiefs of man, but realised my urge to attend home, patted my head, and asked me to leave for home. 

• The author is a Teacher and a Columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]

Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now

MONTHLY	Rs 100
YEARLY	Rs 1000
LIFETIME	Rs 10000

CLICK FOR DETAILS