The scent of life.

Byline: RAOOF HASAN , (LAST UPDATED 23 HOURS AGO)

Having imbibed liberally from the state, giving some of it back should not be grudged

'Beyond the scaffold, in the haze of the distance,

The red of your lips kept simmering,

Your hair dancing with abandon,

The silver of your hands kept glistening.

When the unkind evening cast its shadows,

We sought your way till we couldn't move any more,

A couplet adorning our lips,

And our heart bearing a candle,

Flickering as witness to your beauty.

We kept our word as promised,

Till we were lost in the dark of the alleys.'

-Faiz Ahmad Faiz

Life does not always bring what one expects of it, but it also cannot be blamed for dreams that remain unrequited. A reason for that could be traced to the domain of lack of self-belief for there may be something wanting in the manner we have sought life and desired gains of it to be delivered.

At times, one may also feel that there is only a little distance to realise the dreams of one's life, but that little distance may actually signify an impassable vastness. This expanse may keep becoming more unfathomable with time and little could be done by way of transiting the impenetrable swathe that stares in the face. But the scent of life refuses to fade away, its beauty only becoming more resplendent and its benefactions more valuable. It keeps beckoning those who seek ever new vistas to confront, ever new peaks to conquer. Such is the inherent charm and indomitable challenge it carries within its folds. In the eternally ongoing cycle of life, we are but invisible specks wrapped in its folds, trying to find a meaning to our existence. But, we are also the force that drives it. This interdependence comes in a myriad colours and forms, each carrying its own distinctive hues, scents and shades.

The fascination of life aside, it also carries its unassailable burdens which, at times, would be difficult to bear, thus forcing one to wilt under them. This is a prospect which is hidden in the very act of living, its ups and downs, its vicissitudes, its ascendant moments and its pitfalls, its grace and its compulsions of rubbing shoulders with belittling mediocrity. All this has to be borne with courage and forbearance. It is only by going through a process of sufferance that one may be able to catch a glimpse of life in its entirety.

Those who have lived life to the full and those who have failed in the effort are both recipients of its largesse, albeit of different varieties and...