The evening descended upon Shivaji Park, usually a vibrant hub, but tonight Rajveer arrived carrying a palpable weight of sorrow. His usual easy going and cheerful demeanor was absent, replaced by a deep melancholy that hung around him like a shroud.
The familiar faces of the park regulars, who were accustomed to greeting him with cheerful nods and smiles, paused in their approach. They sensed the heavy cloud surrounding him, their own smiles faltering in response to his profound sadness. Rajveer offered them only a faint, sad smile in acknowledgment as he made his way to a familiar bench and sat down heavily.
Almost immediately, a small group of concerned acquaintances gathered around him, their voices hushed with worry. "Rajveer, what happened?" a thirty year old lady who usually comes to the park with her seven year old son, asked gently. Another, an old man in his sixties, inquired, "Everything alright?"
He looked up at their concerned faces, his own etched with pain. With a heavy heart, choosing his words carefully due to the presence of nearby children, he shared the horrific news he had read that day – the brutal r*pe and subsequent d*ath of a ten-year-old girl. His voice was low and thick with emotion as he recounted the tragedy, the injustice of it hanging in the air. The news hit some of them in their gut. Some were already aware of this horrific incident. A mother subconsciously put her hand on her nine year old daughter protectively.
A small figure hesitantly approached the bench. It was a girl, no older than the one Rajveer had spoken of, her eyes wide with a childlike understanding of his distress. She quietly sat down beside him, a small, unspoken gesture of comfort.
Rajveer looked at her, his sadness momentarily pierced by a wave of tenderness. He gently placed a hand on her head. Then, addressing the silent crowd that had now grown larger, he announced, his voice still tinged with sorrow but carrying a newfound resolve, "Today, I am here to sing a song. Not for joy, but for all those innocent girls who have to endure such unimaginable... trauma."
He brought his acoustic guitar into position, his fingers finding the familiar chords of 'Ik Kudi.' It was the melancholic tune of Shiv Kumar Batalvi, a legendary Punjabi poet, but woven with a unique, soulful composition that was distinctly Rajveer's own.
♪
Ikk kudi jihda naam mohabbat,
Gum hai, gum hai, gum hai.
(A girl whose name is love,
is missing, is missing, is missing.)
Oh saad muradi sohni phaabat,
Gum hai, gum hai, gum hai
(Wisher of simple things, this pretty looking girl,
is missing, is missing, is missing.)
Ho surat osdi pariyaan wargi,
Sirat di oh mariyam lagdi.
(She looks like fairies,
Her nature is like that of Mariam.)
Hasdi hai taan phul jharhde ne,
Turdi hai taan ghazal hai lagdi
(When she laughs, the flowers fall,
When she walks, she is like a ghazal.)
Lamm salammi saru de kadh di haye,
Umar aje hai marke agg di,
Par naina di gal samajhdi.
(She is tall like the Mustard plant,
Her age is long as the dying fire,
But she can understand the language of eyes.)
Ikk kudi jida naam mohabbat,
Ghum hai, ghum hai, ghum hai,
Ho saad muraadi sohni phaabat,
Gum hai, gum hai, gum hai.
(A girl whose name is love,
is missing, is missing, is missing,
Simple wisher, beautiful looking,
is missing, is missing, is missing.)
♪
As he began to sing, his voice, already melodious, carried an added layer of raw emotion. His fingers danced across the fretboard with an effortless grace, drawing out the notes that were both sad and tinged with a profound longing. The resonance trait, amplified by his deep sorrow and empathy, seemed to weave a tangible feeling of sadness through the air.
The sweet, melancholic notes of the song, combined with the weight of Rajveer's voice, began to stir the emotions of those surrounding him. Tears welled up in the eyes of some, a shared grief settling over the park. The usual evening sounds were replaced by soft sniffles and a profound silence, broken only by Rajveer's heart-wrenching rendition.
The collective sorrow in the park was palpable, a testament to the power of his voice and the shared humanity in the face of such tragedy. Rajveer continued to sing, his music a lament, a tribute, and a silent vow for a better world.