Chapter 17: "Unique philosophy of 'Flute'"

Aariv after having his dinner with his family, returned to his room and went to the portion of the room where Art was proclaiming it's existence in utter bliss. The paintings which were so realistic and mesmerising, which could sway away the spectators in an astounding depth.

There was an exquisite guitar placed in one of the corner which he used to play occasionally. But something else was there which was his most favourite asset in that whole portion which was very closed to his heart. It was not any exhorbitant thing as per his persona but a simple looking 'Bamboo Flute', which was a very common in looks but for him it was the most beautiful thing after his 'LOVE'. A Bamboo Flute with seven holes which was with him since his childhood when he was eight. He picked it up and started caressing it lovingly, like it was a delicate precious treasure; an alluring smile never left his lips. While caressing it, his mind was filled with many thoughts. Taking it with him, he went to balcony and sat on the swing. His mind went in certain scenario of past from where the connection of the flute with him commenced and also the blissful and soulful connection with his 'LOVE' too.

"Now, this flute will just sing the song of ecstacy, and not of separation." he murmured to himself.

______

Flashback...

A kid of age around 8, was walking beside an old woman holding her hand. She was guiding the way and was telling about certain things while walking. And two strong bodyguards in black dress, were escorting them.

Aariv's parents and grandparents were very down to earth. Although Being the members from the well sophisticated and wealthy family, they were not arrogant like most of the people belonging from such status. But, that didn't mean their aura was less influential. Their aura was unapproachable but when they wanted, they were quite approachable.

Aariv's family respected their cultures and traditions too but were emphatically against the superstitions. They were more of spiritual beings than religious.

Aariv in his childhood, with his grandma used to visit a fair when they used to visit their birth town. There used to be an exhibition of authentic exquisite things. The jewellers used to decorate their stalls with exotic jewels. The sculptors used to adorn their stalls with stupendous sculptures and so on. Every kind of thing was available there. It was a fair in which the people from all the class were provided the way with full freedom.

Aariv's grandma also loved coming to the fair as she was fond of antique things and this was the perfect place to buy such things. As the whole family used to be busy in their business world, and were not much of travellers in such crowded places, so grandma and Aariv used to come to the fair with some of their bodyguards.

When they were walking, grandma was attracted towards a stall where beautiful antique things were placed. She moved forward by holding Aariv's little hand. Two bodyguards stood either side of the stall. Everyone in fair, was stealing glances over grandma and Aariv as their persona was embraced by majestic aura. But this was a very common gesture for them and they were used to it, so they just ignored. Grandma was busy in looking for unique antiques while Aariv was bored. Then his view got fixed over a man who was absorbed in his task utterly. The man was a bamboo flute seller and also a flute maker. Where everyone in the fair was staring at this grandmother-grandson pair, he was oblivious of the surroundings.

Aariv was observing his each and every action very keenly. Beside that flute maker, was sitting a young man who was playing that flute to attract the attention of the buyers. Listening to the soft and melodious melodies of flute, Aariv's lips raised upwards slightly. After a while, he tugged his grandma's hand to capture her attention towards, the flute maker, where he was looking and grandma followed his gaze and gave him questioning look.

Seeing his grandma's gestures he said;

Aariv: "Grandma I want that." He gestured towards the flute seller's stall.

Grandma: "Do you want a flute? I'll buy you a branded one." She was amazed to see Aariv as he was not allured by anything which were inevitably attractive but a simple ordinary bamboo flute.

Aariv: "No grandma. I want that one only." Shaking his head in no, he said.

Grandma, was very familiar to Aariv's gestures as he was a very unique and extraordinary from birth. So to find the reason, behind his sudden demand, she asked again.

Grandma: "What happened son? Why do you suddenly want that flute?" She asked in anticipation, and was waiting for idealistic thoughts from Aariv this time too.

Aariv: "Grandma, why that flute has to suffer so much pain? And why it sounds so melodious to ears?" He asked two questions irrelevantly but his grandma understood the meaning of his thoughtful questions.

Grandma: "Yes child, a bamboo flute has to suffer a lot of pain." She said with a smile towards her grandson and further added;

"Before, it became a flute, it was a bamboo rod, part of a tree rooted in the ground. As soon as it sprouted, it had to bear heat, the Sun, the rain, and every other facet of nature.It practiced many austerities. After much penance, it was uprooted and cut and had to suffer more pain. Then it was pierced~ not once but seven times and it bore all this silently." She explained it with every minute detail how a flute is made. And Aariv was listening to her with full concentration. As he heard all the details, his eyes became slightly moist and he said;

Aariv: "So, that's why it is placed on lips to play? As mom once said that lips are the most sensitive part of the body and we use lips to kiss the person, who are hurt and whom we love. And flute deserves to be loved too?" He said blinking his eyes , innocently.

Grandma, smiled at his gestures and memorised the day when her little grandson asked this question from his mother, her daughter-in-law (Olivia).

______

One day, Aariv hurt himself while playing and when his mother saw this, she got worried and treated the injuries of her son. As she was done with it, she kissed the forehead of her child. Then, Aariv asked;

"Mom, why do you always kiss me on forehead whenever I get hurt? And why it always make me feel loved?"

Smilingly, his mother responded while patting his head;

Olivia: "Because the lips are the most sensitive part of the body which have over 1 million nerve endings. So to soothe someone, we kiss them. As the person becomes sensitive when hurt, and it deciphers that we are with that person always as the person deserves to be loved. And my child, you deserve to be loved too." She said, trying to make her child understand, in her unique way.

Aariv nodded and smiled at his mother.

______

Grandma: "Yes, my child. You are right and in return the flute plays the melodious music, which means flute becomes happy." She said caressing his head lovingly.

Aariv: "Can we buy that flute, grandma?" He asked after understanding.

Grandma nodded and bought a flute for him and also arranged a skilled flutist as a home tutor for him too.

He learnt the flute within few weeks and became an expert flutist. The flutist who was appointed as the tutor, was surprised to see Aariv's skills of learning it so fast as he was just 8 years old. And after observing this, the family got happy too.

~~~~~

He used to wake up suddenly at night as he used to hear a certain voice of muffled sobs which used to haunt him and used to clench his heart terribly. And for some reason his mind used to stuck to his 'baby's voice' who was destined to be his.

He tried to express his dilemma to his family. His family tried a lot to contact and reach 'their long lost friends' but always went futile. So failing in their efforts to contact them, they surrendered everything to the destiny.

~~~~~

And after Aariv, learnt how to play the flute, he used to play it for that voice. As according to the philosophy his mother gave, the person owning that voice deserved to be loved. And he linked the pain of the flute with that person owning the sobbing voice. He tried to calm down that voice by embracing the soft and melodious melodies of flute and astonishingly, the voice of sobs used to stop.

And this was 'their' long distance embrace which always linked them together, even when they were living at the distance.

__________

Flashback ends...

Remembering those innocent memories of his childhood, he smiled.

Aariv: "So....Baby, you deserve to be loved as I have heard your each and every sob filled with pain in the past. And now I'll be there for you physically to embrace you..." he murmured thoughtfully and with a pause he added with a slight smirk; "...and I'll be there to kiss you too."

As he already understood the meanings of those innocent philosophies of his childhood now, but he was satisfied by those philosophies too.