Cloud Images

My mother had told me not to go out of the house. I don’t have to go out to see what I like. If I sit on this balcony I can see the whole sky.

That sight is my sky. Look.. what a beauty to see.

Mother will go to the office early in the morning. Uma aunty will come only by nine o’clock. If I am showered and ready by the time they arrive, she will take me to the nursery.

Grandfather and grandmother are in the native place. They come frequently. If they come, it’s a celebration. Its details will be given later.

Do you know why I look at the sky?

Do you know why I am looking at the sky always? Because,  my father is drawing those clouds. You are children and know nothing. So I’ll say it. This is what my mother told me. My mother knows everything.

A small album can be seen on the table. It is full of photos of everyone in this house. Father in air force uniform .. I went on tour when I was a child

At the time, when he went to visit Mysore Vrindavan garden, and the birthday photo of Uma aunty’s  baby. Uma auntie’s baby was very small then. Simply keep be crying.

Here is one of my father’s uniforms. One of them is placed in the glass shelf.  There is a hat, belt and some badges. A small national flag on top of those items.. On this last Independence Day, some people came home. All of them had placed flowers in a plate which placed next to glass shelf.  They also sang the national anthem. I got some chocolates.

Since two years, my father did not come home. Whenever I asked my mother, she said that my father has bought another house and is staying there. That house is in those visible clouds. It’s just that my father doesn’t come here.. That my father was there watching us all. It is still switched off when the phone rings. But my mother calls me and tells me all the information. My father even calls my mother’s office. It is said that only land-line will work there.

I wonder, how did the phone get into those moving clouds?

That day, that very day.. I don’t remember the date.. My father gave me some milk.. That too in the morning. I hadn’t even brushed my teeth. I left saying that I will see you after two days. Something.. They said two days or two years.. I think I was in a state of sleep. I didn’t understand properly.. That’s why I have no squabble with my father. Will come anytime.

Every day they say, Oh my god.. come today..

Mother used to  say.. Whatever you want, you should tell Our God. I don’t need to go to any pooja room to tell Lord Krishna. I can tell him where ever I am. Let me disclose a truth, Bhagavan has given me everything I asked for.. Let it be.. let it be a few more days, I will have to ask about my father.

I drew these clouds.. on fine white paper… that too on a large paper. But I could not draw my father’s house in it.. Do you know why? I have never seen that house.. but I drew my father in it. And a beautiful plane. Didn’t I say earlier, the photos of Dad in uniform, many of the photos  are with the plane.

When my father showed me the clouds, he would give them names. I couldn’t pronounce those names, because those names are in different languages and it has great meanings.

My father knew many languages, that’s why he is naming those planes in difference languages.

Even my classmates used to speak many languages. I used to get surprised. I know Kannda very well, Malayalam also. But in school we speak only in English. My mother used to watch only Hindi channels on TV, but my grandparents watch only Malayalam channels.

It is not easy to draw the shape of the clouds.. because behind a cloud there will be another small cloud hiding. Like I hide behind my mother when someone comes home. They are  obtuse clouds.. They are good at hiding. Oh, I can’t hide that long. I feel shortness of breath.  They used to keep changing their shapes, before completing drawing a cloud they will take another shape.

I am bewildered, where will these clouds go at night.. They might be just floating around. But you know what the problem is in the rainy season?.. then big black clouds will cover my father’s cloud.. just black clouds everywhere.. that too big thick clouds. Some small cloud fragments can also be seen running and joining the larger clouds. Even I don’t run to my mother like that.. timorous..

There is this lightning, which is shot by my father. When someone tries to come to my house without permission, my father will see from there and shoot him immediately.

My grandfather is very clever.  Who else can push the clouds with his walking stick! Grandpa doesn’t use that stick for walking.. He use it only for controlling the clouds.  It’s a fact.  The stick was given to my grandfather when he retired from service. He used to sit on the balcony and point the clouds in the sky with that stick. Then give a kick and then move. The clouds that follow will also move along. And nothing can be seen… just a blue cloud.

Grandfather is naughty. He is most mischievous person on earth.. Sometimes my grandmother also join with him. He will smoke a cigar thinking I am not watching him. By sensing the smell of the cigar I will make out it is by grandfather.  Then he explain me that he is producing clouds. I also felt that it was right. That’s how I realized the science of forming fine white clouds.

Even I noticed he used to pour water on a class where it contains some yellow liquid,  and gulp. He explained me that, produce fine white clouds fuel is required.

Mother did not go to work, used to be with me always. After my father gave me a kiss that day, she started going to work after a few days. Dad telephones mom at her office. If the mother is not at office, then to whom he will tell the day to day affairs? He used to make calls regularly, but why he is not calling me on our residence number!  I will have to ask its reason to mother, so I made list of questions that I have to ask mother in my school note book. Also I have written the topics to discuss with him. I used to keep that book always with me, because I don’t  know when a question will arise in my mind.

Grandfather says that the baby clouds are very brave.. because they fly alone like that without father cloud  or mother cloud.. They have no fear.

Grandfather: “ ‘Rayu’ Mon. You should also fly like that… without fear.”

Oh, Yes.  Grandfather will call me like that.. Raju will be called “Rayu”, he used to call me such a way in the evenings. While grandfather was making clouds…

Yes.. I also think that I should go to those cloud fragments to my father’s house. I can fly around there. And  I can see everything from above.. I don’t know if my mother will allow me. Any way I will go to my father one day.