The Tales of Kashua
Episode 1 : The Dreams of A Little Child
The D-Day has come finally in Kashua Village !
It was rather a cloudy day, strong winds whirling around the green field. And if by any chance anyone would have been around this small football field , then he could have easily sensed the frenzy feelings of passion and the tense atmosphere all at once.
The two self proclaimed greatest football teams of the village : The Mighty Bulls and The Giant Bears have wreaked havoc on the battle ground. Each side wants to prove its mettle and desperately wants to bring the other side down.
The Bulls’s captain was an awesome strike player .Legends had it that he ran with lightning speed and was said to be in a class of his own. His name was Sai. During these kind of matches ,he consistently evoked simultaneous feelings of respect and awe in his opponents.
Now, its almost time for sunset and it doesn’t matter if you consider yourself a bull or a bear or any other great legend, you need to go back to home before the sun sets and darkness sweeps in . Lets just say that this was the rule for every Kashuan child irrespective of the football team he associates himself with.
The match was in its final moments. Suddenly , a flash of lightning comes from the sky,temporarily blinding some of the players of both teams. At this very instant Sai had the soccer ball with him, he took God’s name and ran with all his might,aimed for the goal and Shoot ! It was a goal !! . The thunder of the previous flash of lightning roared on the green field to greet the victors : The Great Bulls.
In this moment of euphoria, Sai simply smiled and saw his teammates going mad with joy. They have won the great eternal war of Bulls vs Bears this time.
All this while, his grand-father was watching this drama from the boundary and smiling gently with approval. He was standing there holding Sai’s little brother hand .The little brother’s name was Ali. In the time to come he would go on to become the captain of the Mighty Bear and challenge the Bulls. But that,is a different story.
Ali could not believe what he just witnessed. He was even unable to see the final goal strike as it was all shadowed by the lightning. For him, it was as if the whole of Kashua sky united with Sai to make it all happen.For him , it was if the battle ground watched everything for the past one hour of the game and then at the final moment gave its verdict.
Ali was just 4 years old back then, he looked at his wise grand father and started his usual rounds of never ending questions
Little Boy(with anxious eyes) :Dada, I cannot even walk properly, I need to hold your hand all the time .Whereas,when big brother runs ,people cannot even touch him. Why is that ?
Old Man(smilingly) : Because, my child, you still have got some time before you play at his level .
Little Boy ( his eyes filled with doubts): I doubt if my time will ever come.Big brother always says that I am way too young to play with him. Huh !!
Old Man (still smiling): Everyone’s time eventually comes, your’s time too shall come very soon. Just be patient ,my child.
Little Boy(with excitement) : You know what, I want to be as good as him one day and when I will shoot , whole goalpost shall fly away and everyone will worship me.
Old Man (laughed again) :Is that the case ! Well who knows ,you could even surpass all the players playing here today.
(The old man was examining the sparkle in his grand child’s eye. The same fire ,he has seen earlier in Sai,when he was around this kid’s age. Then,in an instant,he decided to go for it,the time for telling one of the Great Secrets of Kashuan Way has come it seems)
Old Man (suddenly turned solemn) : Listen carefully , there is a secret to be great in anything. I can tell you if you want me to , but you have to give me half your samosas when we go back home.
Little Boy (Jumping Everywhere) : Please ,please, please dada tell me what is the secret.I want to know it,you can have the whole plate, I won’t mind.
Old Man (smiling) : Okay so here it is,the secret to greatness is very simple my child. First,you have to try to see it, make a picture of it inside your tiny head. This will be called your dream.You should never let go of this picture
Little boy : A dream ?
Old Man : Yes, your dream. This picture will guide you when you don’t know the path, will pick you up when you fall down and will keep you going when the tide is against you.It is your dream that will give you the strength. If you worship this picture, this dream of yours, one day it will come to real life. And when that happens you will become just like Sai is right now.
Little Boy(little confused) : What has a picture got to do with football dada ?I don’t think you were listening to me ?
Old Man (laughed again) : I will explain to you in simple words ,my child.
When the clouds were thundering today and the sun was about to set, most of these kids were thinking its game over .However, all that time, your brother was thinking about how to score the goal and win the match.
Nature tested him and scared him but all he wanted was to be the person he saw in his own dream, i.e, to be a great player, to become the reason of his team’s victory. It is for this dream alone all these players have assembled here. To win ,to enjoy the challenge , to celebrate this process.This is what keeps them coming here everyday, the thrill,the challenge and the desire to become the one they dream .
Little Boy : I think I understand, somewhat. Its like if you keep seeing the picture ,God makes you into it in real life.
Old Man(with full joy):Ahaa, Yes, my child. But always remember do not abandon that picture of yours,no matter what happens. Because if you do, all power and strength slowly goes away.
Little Boy : Why would I abandon such a nice picture dada ? And why does the power goes away ??
Old Man : Well, people start thinking that picture is too good to be true. Or they think they are not good enough because others tell them that. Or because it starts getting difficult like it will be hot on this ground someday and someday it will rain. But if you just show up , you say to nature that you still hold that picture,your dream with you.
Your dream lives as long as you have faith in the picture you create. As long as the picture is alive, there will be a life force in you.
Little Boy : You started it simple but complicated it in the end . But I think this secret of yours is making a lot of sense .I have created my picture and won’t let it go.
By the way , today we are having idlis for snacks and not samosa ,so your deal is not valid anymore .
(the boy laughed joyfully and so did the old man. Sai later joined the laughter duo. No one wants to be late for home or they won’t get the idlis!!)
(To be Continued …)
