His moves were perfect and he was way ahead of us all in learning new moves and dance them for us. Break dance was the in thing those days and Bunty was the best. He would moonwalk for a crowd on the concrete floor and do a waltz with the same ease. Other than the dance moves he could make waves like movement using his stomach muscles and that was the star attraction for all school colleagues.
Bunty was the perfect entertainer and participated in most inter/intra school functions and enthral the crowd. Somehow he could never weave the same charm with the books. His grades were way below and in the initial years at school he was somehow pushed to upper classes. But then suddenly he reached a point beyond which the promotions stopped happening and he started to stagnate in one grade for years. Things went so bad that he never completed his basic schooling.
While the school performance never started to improve, his dancing skills started to wane. There was too much pressure to perform in school and he was not allowed to focus on anything else. Then came a state that everyone around realized that school/studies was not for him to be but by then his interests had moved from dance to other vices.
As years passed by, vices soon grew to be habits. Habits have now become a way of life.
Father tried all means and ways, since the vices took over, to explore alternatives and options which would interest and fit buntys’ nature...something that would make him stand on his own, create an identity and keep him busy.
Mother always was hopeful, never could imagine or accept the young son go obstinate. For her he still was the small chirpy, bubbly and energetic boy for whom she had made all those wonderful dreams. It was difficult to accept that fact of those dreams going haze, as he stayed on the couch watching the silver screen at times when he didn’t sleep, eat, or gaze.
Friends and mates have moved. They cannot relate to each other now when they meet. At times they meet to talk about the old childhood days and then are left to ponder, what did he miss to not be with them?
He is beyond those thoughts. The mind is a blank page now & its the habits that keep him going. All we hope is the spark get ignited again and he lives a life that we all, including him, had thought he shall live.
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