On Knowledge

Her soft hands were now feeling the contours of his tender face. She moved her hands slowly and in no particular pattern. She felt his chubby cheeks and then touched her own cheeks. She touched his eyes and nose and then felt her own eyes and nose. She felt her hands and legs. She giggled as she felt the sameness of sensation between the two.

It was a cold Sunday afternoon. Anuradha sat leaning by the side of her sweetheart on the green lawns of Victoria Memorial. The soothing rays of a partly hidden sun under the clouds and the bountifulness of love all around her made her feel a little intoxicated.  She would open her eyes for a moment and look in the direction of her a year and half old sweet little fairy prattling on the grass. Then she would purr something in the right ear of his partner and caress the two strands of her tresses spreading on top of her sparkling bindi adorning her forehead. A sweet smile emanating from the sanctuary of motherly love would spread on her little face with a protruding nose. And finally satisfied by the whole set up, she would take a deep breath and close her eyes again.

The little girl was enjoying her Sunday outing. She looked pretty in her pink sweater and red cap. She was running and rolling all around. She would make faces and tease her father. She would touch her mother’s face and run away from her. And then there would be scenes of mock scolding and then everybody would laugh their hearts out. And the games continued.

After some time the little girl was bored with these games. She was looking for some new adventure now. A little boy who seemed to be a little older than the little girl was playing on the right corner of the lawn. Anuradha saw her baby moving in the direction of the little boy.

The little girl went and sat by the side of the little boy. She took his hands in her own hands and measured fingers against each other. She was caressing his hair as her mother would caress her hair when feeding her. She was talking to the little boy in her own language of monosyllables and disjointed sounds which sounded gibberish to Anuradha. Her soft hands were now feeling the contours of his tender face. She moved her hands slowly and in no particular pattern. She felt his chubby cheeks and then touched her own. She touched his eyes and nose and then felt her own eyes and nose. She felt her hands and legs. She giggled as she felt the sameness of sensation between the two. The little boy sat almost motionless without showing any reaction. He did not stop her. He let her feel his whole being.

Anuradha was enjoying this spectacle of innocent affection developing between two strangers meeting for the very first time. Her sun-induced intoxication seemed to turn her into a philosopher of love. Would the world not be a more beautiful place if people loved each other the way these two kids seemed to love each other? Would the world allow love to flourish without any boundaries?

And then she remembered her own days of childhood at school. Did she ever desire to be in love with someone? She could not remember clearly. Perhaps a few remnants of her brain cells still recalled that stanza from Wordsworth’s ‘Louisa’ which a guy had sent to her on a crumpled sheet of his geography notebook. She had kept that crumpled sheet in her bag for days and months and read it over and over again.

“And she hath smiles to earth unknown;
Smiles, that with motion of their own
Do spread, and sink, and rise;
That come and go with endless play,
And ever, as they pass away,
Are hidden in her eyes."

She went no further. But even if she did, she would never have been bold enough to express her love. What would have stopped her on her path? May be it has something to do with knowledge. She was knowledgeable about the rules of this society. And this society has plenty of knowledge- knowledge to make rules and knowledge to control human happiness. And she chose to walk on the expected path dictated by knowledge.

And then her life saw no dangerous corners and unexpected happenings. And here she was now sitting on the green lawns of Victoria Memorial intoxicated by the rays of a soothing sun.

And now her own little daughter was turning her into a philosopher. She was making her rethink about this whole set-up. She was questioning the basics and after all this is what philosophers profess to do.

Anuradha seemed to be in another world for a while and then she came back. Oh! All this philosophizing was a result of intoxication induced by the rays of a soothing sun and was not to be taken seriously. After all she was guided by the forces of knowledge in her life. Why should she think otherwise now? She went up to her daughter and cuddled her in her arms. Her husband guided by tons of knowledge and experience smiled and quipped, “May be we will need to send her to a girls’ school when she grows up”. 

Everyone laughed except the little girl.