Shades of India

It's been years since they took me here. I've even lost count. Here, each minute feels like one hour, each hour feels like one day, and one day feels like one year.

This room, drowned in darkness, is an epitome of death and it would be a crime in itself if you give shelter to life within yourself, willingly.

Without any guilt, I've been committing this crime since my very first day here.

Because, I still have hope that one day my ears would hear the melodious chirping of my neighbour's children once again, instead of the never ending silence of this lifeless room.

Because, I still have hope that one day my tongue would taste different flavours of Indian dishes once again instead of the chapati they serve which cuts my throat a little less than a knife.

Because, I still have hope that one day my face would be adorned by Gulal instead of hands' print of people who claimed to be soldiers, unfortunately not of my country.

Because, I still have hope that one day my eyes would encounter unknown faces wearing traditional attires, revealing the simplicity of my country, once again, instead the combination of dark green, brown, black, and khaki color, I get to see several times a day here.

Because, I still have hope that one day my legs would take me to Ganges river once again and its holy water would caress my wounded skin lovingly.

Because, I still have hope that one day I would sleep in heaven like meadows of Kashmir's valleys once again.

Because, I still have hope that one day I would peacefully sit in Golden Temple once again and would tell God about how drastically my life has changed in past few years.

Because, I still have hope that my hope has firm determination like of our Indian Soldiers and it won't surrender in front of these inhuman species ever.

Because, I still have hope that one day I would be able to live the Shades of India once again…once again.