Balloons of Jagannath! - A Short Story!

Jagannath is a smart kid. When it comes to exams, 90 and 40 marks are just the same for Jagan meaning pass, thats it. His parents are relieved and started re-living after his 5th standard exams. Jagan is least bothered! For him, exams mean a game of pass or fail. His summer holidays have begun on a grand scale with balloons, weekend trips, muffins & mcD's. Most of the family members would stay away from Jagan since his questions and observations are not something that society could handle. To quote an example, On a Sunday morning when his dad Madan took him to the nearby vegetable market and his bad luck, two dogs were actively engaged with the Puppy production phenomena. Jagan got into DJ Mode by asking loudly, “why these two dogs are stuck to each other” and he wanted his dad to release them by throwing a stone. Dad’s attempt to ignore and make him walk fast was totally foiled by Jagan taking up the job in his own hands. He started pelting stones by carefully pointing at the junction of their attachment. He was sure that it was a social service. Madan was in his maximum embarrassment and had a dog’s time to get Jagan back home and till today Jagan keeps telling people that he saw two dogs stuck to each other in the Market.

Jagan’s parents are working. His company is the lonely Grandpa. After Grandma left, Grandpa became too attached to him. Grandpa keeps repeating that Jagan is a Divine Child and shoud be taken good care. Madan knew the reason. It so happened when everyone was crying on that fateful day, Jagan kept pestering his Grandpa,

“Grandpa, How do you know Grandma is dead?”

Grandpa said “ She is not breathing any more”

“Oh, I see! Then, what separates life and death is only air” said Jagan and picked up a balloon from his pocket. He called his Grandpa and said

“Look Grandpa, this balloon is like a deadbody, I will blow air into it and make it come to life.”

He quickly blew air, tied the tip and started pushing it into the air. He wasn’t bothered about people who were trying their level best to keep their faces sad. He happily called out his Grandpa and said,

“I will try the same technique to Grandma and bring her back to life, you don’t cry”.

Without waiting for an answer, he started to blow air using his mouth into her nose. The whole crowd got so annoyed and angry with his behavior but Grandpa got startled by the amount of wisdom little Jagan gave him that day.

He said “ Jagan Gradma is alive”. He took the balloon, released all the air from inside and told “see Jagan, Now the caged air is merged with the atmosphere! So Grandma is there present in the atmosphere. You can’t blow air into a damaged balloon. Balloon is the body and life exists in the form of breath, Prana, its everlasting, can't be destroyed and this is what you have taught me today.”

Jagan smiled happily and said, “If she is in the atmosphere, let me fill this balloon with Grandma”.

He took a deep breath as if he is absorbing all the atmospheric air in his lungs, then blew the balloon with full force, brought a sketch pen, wrote “Grandma” on it and went around showing everyone, “Look here is the Grandma, don’t cry”.