A One Man

when people offered their laughter to selling. …. cities shrank like hearts.

Lipsticks were to be manufactured from blood animosities and..hatred replaced affections.

Thus…..he quit reading newspaper, listening to radio and watching television. He bore in his

mind in bold "close the institutions of hypocrisy and ignorance!"

He is sitting on the chair just like a prison, lowering down his head, and casting all humiliation at his feet. Hairdresser is working on his hair, and the ash-white curls are falling on the pure white cloth.

He looks at his brother in the mirror, who is busy reading newspaper and quite at ease in the air-conditioned saloon.

His brother had rebuffed him in the morning, "what has happened to you? Where have gone your friends and laughter's? whole the family is worried about you!" he was quiet.

The barber is trying everything at his hair, but he is drowned deep in the desert of his inner –world.

He thinks, "how many bulbs might have turned on in a minute? How many operations might have been conducted? And how many people made their way to death, and how many came back from the cruel claws of death?

How many born and killed? How many bombs dropped? How many laughter's eared out? How many voices reverberated? "There can be a big bang, if all voices rose together for a while."

"Please dye his hair too." His brother says to the barber. He looks at his brother in mirror, who being above forty is up-to-date, smart and a man of precision.

A fresh start after a sound sleep every day

Morning exercise

Break fast

Newspaper headlines

Office

Short nap

Evening walk

He goes into fantasy and thinks of not only tea that would give him warm welcome at morning but also sleep, which though induced by pills would carry him away to the dream-land , where there were huge modem apartments, and the ancient buildings with aged trees spreading their arms over the walls.

The hairdresser is dying his hair, and he found that his brother is observing him with a smiling face.

His brother had often tried to remind him of his loveable manners and witty crispy remarks on the dining table.

He realizes his silence had made his parents sick, but asks himself "where are longtalks and good listeners! Except of only office clerks and school teachers, even in their talks are also mourning and repenting of the insolences of living"

He thinks, "The darkest of the night would have kissed his hair? But night has no stair to climb down on. He remembers small dog seen years back on the middle of staircase neither able to climb up nor come down. Then he saw the same dog grown and emerging from a lift, but had gone rabid.

The hairdresser's voice strikes his ear. "Sir, the style will suit your plump / round face." He is quiet, coming out of the saloon his brother says, "How dashing you are looking !

…..really looking my younger brother just now". He is quiet again. " …. I know you like

vegetable soup the most" his brother takes him to a restaurant. His brother passes the bowl of soup to him, which he starts sipping.

"How do you like the soup?"

"Nice"

"No"

"What else would you like to have?"

"Nothing"

"Orange juice?"

His brother orders for orange juice for him, and he finishes it without a straw.

Walking on the noisy road his brother takes him to readymade garment's shop. The great

varieties of colourful suits hung on hangers fail to appeal him.

His brother selecting a blue suit says, "this is made for you, and maroon tie will add to it even."

He enters the trial room, puts the dress on and comes in front of the mirror. Everything was ok except tie hanging like a dog's tail.

"THE END"