Page 80 - Love Story of a Commando

11. Pain Gives You Purpose

I got up on time the next day and opened the door politely for Rafeeq, for a
change. In fact, I offered him a broad warm smile when he came in with his
little kettle. It was going to be a beautiful day ahead. I could sense it.
The classroom buzzed with the infectious energy of young souls and
their endless questions kept me hooked. They looked more relaxed than
yesterday. I booted up the computers and asked them to start with Microsoft
paint. I showed them the various tools and how to use them. They were
astonished to know that their computers could actually paint for them. Till
now, they had used them only to watch animated movies or songs.
Computer classes for them were like a library period where they did
not do any work. But now, exploring the possibilities, they had a great time
drawing lines, using the paint brush and then erasing the imperfections.
The boundaries between us were dissolving. I opened the windows
which brought in a cold chilly breeze instantly.
The freshness reached my soul and the beauty that was laid around
everywhere in nature comforted my spirits. The long-lost zeal and ardour
was back in me and I forgot everything that had happened in the past. This
was a new me.
The chirpy souls would not stop talking or asking questions. The
quiet angels turned out to be little monkeys full of curiosity about the world
outside Kashmir. Their small eyes were filled with endless dreams. Some
wanted to be engineers, some doctors, and some even wanted to join the
army. I was astonished by the fervour and enthusiasm those little Kashmiri
kids possessed.
It was like any other place in India. Sometimes the media reports of
violence and terrorism across the valley would confuse me because it had
been two months there and I never faced even a teasing. The bizarre media
world startled me with the pieces of news that would hint about the plague of
terrorism that had engulfed the valley since long.
I would often think about the giggling kids, orphaned but with a
spirit that was unbroken. Some of them were aware of their state and some
denied it, while others were in fact too small to even acknowledge the fact.
There were some who had never known what it feels like to have a parent,
but they had found companionship among each other and the endless