“your report says you are 29”
“yes”
“Oh my boy! U gonna catch that old fashioned disease TB
you are too young to have it”
“Im actually 30”
“why did you lie”
“thats what we do in schools we filled the form one year or two year younger
we have been taught how to lie from schools”
“if you dont take rest for a month or so...u surely gonna catch TB..by the way what do you do?...it seemed like u do some heavy works..”
“Im a reasearch scholar”
“what do u research on?”
“aah... about Universe the stars the galaxy....”
“so u use telescope and all ..how heavy are telescopes ,,,do u often lift them up and play with it? Ur report seems to tell me u do some heavy work...”
“i dont use telescope”
“then how do u study stars?”
“i do maths ,,,,algebra to study”
“oh ...do u think u r some kinda god to study stars without looking at it...?,,,what else do you do?”
“aaaahhhh i write poetry too”
“ahhh Kabita!”
“yes”
“what do you write about?”
“ write about me ..about things i observe...about things i hate///abou things that betray me”
“I thought poetry is about feeling,,,but urs seem to do a lot with only THINGS......
what time do u sleep and wat time do u get up”
“nothing particular....I am insomniac...i sleep sometimes very early...sometimes dont sleep at all”
“thats bad..u have to sleep in time...u have to follow a routine...”
“i know”
“then why?”
“just cant...i dont know why..i am seasoned to this cycle....”
“is it poetry and the THING that makes u sleepless ”
“may be I dont know”
“but u shud know if u keep living that kinda life u surely gonn die with TB”
“hmmmmm.....so TB is a good company of poetry....but i have never heard a poet suffering from TB”
“so what? U gonna be the first one”
“I will try to change my routine....”
“good...”
“it is not only poetry that makes me sleeepless....there is music too”
“oh! U think of Music too”
“yes,,,a lot...”
“what type of music? Rafi's suhani raat? Bollywood item songs?”
“No...my music”
“your music....???”
“yes i play music....i sing a bit too...”
“what do u sing about?,,,is it again the THING?”
“i sing about Manipur, Kashmir, Binayak sen,etc”
“what is Binayak Sen?”
“it is a person's name...he is a great doctor like you,,,he listens to poor people..he treats them free..he was arrested by Chattisgarh police framing as a Maoist ”
“i thot he must be related to bollywood like konkona sen or riya sen....and waht do u sing of Manipur...? ”
“I sing about Irom Sharmila and other issues”
“who is she?”
“she is woman who has been on hunger strike for last ten years demanding of the repeal of AFSPA”
“how is she still surviving? And what is AFSPA?”
“She is in police custody and being forced fed thru her nose....AFSPA allows u to kill over suspicions...many civilians have been killled”
“Ok...what do u get out of singing all thiese thing?”
“Nothing”
“then why?....dont worry now u gonna get TB”
“you know what NOTHING is what exactly u live for....u live for NOTHING....I get TB free but I live for what i believe...and By the way TB doesnt kill these days,,,u may be a doctor but i know it too....I have taken too much of ur time....call ur next patient who may be living for NOTHING like you do...”
