The Milestones in your life.

‘The Milestone’ complained to ‘The Road’ in self pity, "look millions use us, yet we remain struck at one place, come let us progress, lets also go places and see the beautiful world out there, instead of standing here rooted at one place".

'The Road' smiled, it’s white teeth painted fresh, a new coating of tar, making it look dark handsome, and radiant.

It replied " dear ‘Milestone’, what you mistake for stagnation is in fact our basic character, my purpose in life is to take people places, a role of which I am proud of and that which I have been faithfully doing all these years. You regret being rooted at one place, but is that not your primary role? to be at one place so that you can guide the world around to its  destination. People look up to you to know that they are on the right path and it gives them real comfort to know that you are around somewhere out there. A reassurance of their own purpose in life. So have a heart, we go a long way back in time together and as a team our journey shall indeed be successful. Saying so the road twisted and turned and gave out a fluorescent smile in the gathering darkness.

As the darkness gathered around the sky, ‘The Milestone’ became gloomy and morose. Vehicles passed by, people looked at ‘The Milestone’, cheering kids and sombre workmen passed by. One could hear some exclaim, “Yes we are almost there”, and some sighed in relief from a journey about to end. Everyone acknowledged the Milestone, but no one gave it another thought, one more stone, buried knee deep on the kerb, it was a common sight, they expected more to come along on the way.

“But what about my own journey?” the Milestone protested to the road.

“I have a large number written on my forehead, “20 miles Agra” it says, but I have never been to Agra myself, I heard that one of my cousins was used for constructing the Taj, I want to visit that place at least once.

“Mathura 40 miles” says my cousin standing further up the road. You know Mathura the birthplace of Lord Krishna, I have not been there either.” continued the Milestone.

“Have you heard about the “The kingfisher calendar photo-shoot”, it happened few months back, just few hundred meters down the road, and I could not even cover such a short distance, because I was ordained to be standing here for life, with my face painted, rued the Milestone.

‘The Road’ was in splits by now. “Look, why do you have to think so much? You are performing well, the world respects you, they notice you, and they will miss you if you disappear, don’t you realise that standing here you can watch the world pass by you. People come from far away to look at you, they may not remember you, but then it’s a bitter truth of life that people's memories are short, and no one is remembered for long any way. Go to sleep now, let’s resume work in the morning, and look at the bright new world going around us, said ‘The Road’.

It had been a hard day’s work, letting so many people, dogs, bovines and vehicles walk all over you does no one good. The traffic ebbed and ‘The Road’ was soon asleep.

The screeching of tires woke up ‘The Road’; it opened its eyes to complete pandemonium. There was a huge ‘pile up’ on the highway, people were honking loudly, and the traffic had come to a halt. Trying to find reasons for the chaos, ‘The Road’ turned towards it colleague, ‘The Milestone’ and halted dead in its track, the ‘Milestone’ was nowhere to be seen, where it was last standing, there was a gaping hole. ‘The Road’, turned towards his colleague's cousin across the road, and was shocked to note that the cousin too was missing.

The Road was in a state of shock now.  It had not taken the Milestones ambition too seriously, never imagined that it too had a life of its own. Having always believed in true ‘Dharma’ the ‘’ Road  had tried its best in counseling  ‘The Milestone’ but alas the stone had woken up from slumber and decided to move on in life. The Road stood there in tears, a lonely road, laid out for miles together, without a milestone to help travelers onward. It felt sad indeed, in a way incomplete too. Life was not fast anymore, vehicles ambled slowly, unsure of the distance, stopping every now and then to enquire the way forward.

In the meanwhile what happened to the ‘Milestone’ itself? One does not know! People say it had moved on in life, realised its own potential and gone to see the world. Did it gain any satisfaction from its abandoning its post, was it successful in exploring the world, did it see the Taj, or the leaning tower of Pisa. Did it miss its past role of just being rooted, or did it draw power from its new exploits. There are no answers.

Some say good riddance, ‘Milestones’ are not needed any more, fresh pastures, hill tops, valleys and mountains, no one finds them anywhere. They have now been replaced by flashy neon-painted sign boards in green and some digital ones too. But the elderly swear by it, remember its rotund shape, cherish its colours, sometimes stark black and white, and sometimes yellow and cheerful, remember leaning against one tired from an evening walk, or sitting on it and waiting for the daily bus to college. 

Everyone remembers them by the assurance they gave us, the sense of permanence that they connoted. Will that permanence be missed in the fast changing lane, or do they not fit in anymore, because it’s the age of individual trips, not of group excursions anymore.

Was it the Milestone’s fault that it had stopped believing in itself, stopped taking satisfaction from ‘being’ there day after day, or was it that the crowd on the road that no more acknowledged milestones, too busy trying to hop from one journey to another.

How many Milestones have you had in your life, solid stones which were always there for you, sacrificing their own comfort, to help you accomplish your goals, dotting on you all the time?  Did they ever set off on their own journey, abandoning you? How often did you lean on them? Did you give them a proper closure, or did you leave them behind on an empty road, yearning for ever for a sight of you. Introspection and amends will do you good.

Milestones I have had many supporting me, always there from me, themselves taking a different path, because I had to traverse through those roads, My mother to start with for one, my wife for another, My sister, my kin, so many have I encountered that I have lost count, today my destination would not be measurable without their penance for me in the afternoon sun, their vigil as it grew dark, and their hope that I would reach somewhere in life.

I bow down to each one of them, them ‘Milestones’.

@ Calligrapher V Arun