THE FLOATING DIARY (Short Story Journal – 18): JACKFRUIT

“Not all wars are won by bullets and cannons! Some are also won by conviction and reason! And some are won with… JACKFRUIT!”. Indeed, the power of conviction is so big that it can move an entire generation. At this stage of my disease, I too need to hone up this power and thus I am noting down this story today. I strongly believe that with my strength of belief, I shall be able to regain my personality through the contents noted amid the pages of this journal. But JACKFRUIT? Yes, indeed, this is an interesting story that I must remember!

****

I understood the value of the above statement from my beloved uncle Major Dr. Paramveer Singh. Yes, uncle Singh was my father’s childhood buddy who often visited us in Mumbai during his vacations. I loved his company especially because of the bouquet of interesting stories he used to garner. Being a soldier, uncle Singh had seen many places and had been through many difficult situations from which he had been able to gather wide experiences that he weaved into interesting stories. I remember spending entire afternoons listening to his discourses. Today I am noting down an incidence that happened when I was in the middle of my teenage and uncle Singh had just returned from his commission from Kashmir.

Baba was overjoyed to play host to his old pal while Maa and Aunt Padma were thrilled with the arrival of their lovable brother. I was happy because I would be able to extract my share of adventure stories from uncle Singh over the next few days. Major Dr. Paramveer Singh was single and had his home in Delhi, where his old parents lived. However, he himself preferred to roam around the stretch of the country and dreamt of becoming a globe trotter one day. He was a doctor in the army and had been with the troops through thick and thin. He had treated ailing soldiers and had also held the rifle to counter the enemy. Still, he strongly believed in the philosophy of peace and harmony.

That monsoon, Major Dr. Paramveer Singh arrived like a gust of wind, with a dash of freshness, and filled our house with an energy that all of us savored. The trickling drops of rain were in harmony with the vibrancies that he carried. Maa and Aunt Padma ensured that the best recipes are served and Baba took a leave for three days from office, to spend some quality time with his old buddy.

It was a Saturday morning and I came up to uncle Singh, who was sitting on the couch and reading a newspaper. I sat beside him and said, “Uncle, where is my quota of your collection of stories this time?”

Uncle Singh folded back the newspaper, sat back with an air of relaxation and said, “Pravin, my boy, not all wars are won by bullets and cannons! Some are won by conviction and reason! And some are won with… JACKFRUIT!”

“Uncle, is this the topic of our story today?” I asked enthusiastically.

“Yes! Today I will not tell you an adventure story. Instead, I will relate to you something I did a few years ago. I am sure you would enjoy it and also get a good lesson from it. Trust me, JACKFRUIT can do wonders!”, he added.

I nodded my head in agreement and sat back on the couch while uncle Paramveer Singh began, “My ancestral village Bikrampur in Madhya Pradesh is one of the remotest villages that exists in this country! I don’t think anybody has ever heard of Bikrampur and I don’t expect anyone to do so in future also. The location of the village is so far away from modernization that the residents of the village have maintained their rural beliefs from time immemorial. Yet, I, Major Dr. Paramveer Singh, managed to come out of that abode with my parents and made my place as a doctor in the Indian Army! I have seen many wars, fought amid valiant soldiers, provided treatment to ailing men and had trotted across remote lands, as part of my duty to the Indian Army!”

“A few years ago, when I visited Bikrampur after many years, I was surprised to see that the villagers had developed a kind of respect and high regard for me, which made me feel somewhat godly!” uncle Singh continued, “Even though I was a bit uncomfortable with this treatment, I refrained from protesting. One thing that I observed, was the sedentary lifestyle of the aging men and women in the village, due to lack of any inspiration. Most of the elderly folks preferred to stay within the premises of their houses and hardly engaged in a healthy and hygienic lifestyle. I understood that the reason for a rising trend of lifestyle diseases was due to this routine. However, there was no manner in which anybody convince them, who were more engrossed in their daily chores and respective religious activities. The modern amenities of urban India had not creeped into their lives and the sentiments of the folks remained rural. The younger folks worked in the fields, while the middle-aged and the elderly remained mostly inactive. This was truer for the women, compared to the male population, and thus the mortality rate sharply degraded due to slithering diseases.”

“My childhood friend Vishnu was a fruit-seller in the village and lived a life of destitution. His income was low and he had to feed his wife and three children with that meagre earning. One item that he grew in his garden was jackfruit. I must say, Vishnu’s jackfruits were the sweetest and the tastiest ones I had ever tasted. But, unfortunate only a handful of the residents of Bikrampur bought them!”, said uncle Singh.

He continued, “So I hatched a plan. Since the elderly folks in the village held me in high regard, I called a congregation of all the villagers, one evening. They considered me as a great doctor and I used that bait to fulfil my intention. I told the folks that through my medical research I had invented a superpower within dried jackfruit pulp that has the capacity to give enormous vitality within humans, especially women, and can triple their life expectancy!”

I chuckled on hearing the story while uncle Singh said, “At first the people were skeptical but I convinced them that after eating the dried jackfruit pulp for a few days, every person would be able to walk ten rounds along huge playground adjacent to my house! I had seen the perimeter of the playground remains mostly barren throughout the day and used it as part of my plan.”

Uncle Singh continued to speak animatedly, “Even though suspicious, the villagers agreed to my proposal and since Vishnu was the only jackfruit seller in the village, everybody flocked in front of his house for one! Within just a few days, the conviction yielded fruit and the men and women came out from their sedentary lives and the playground became vibrant with activity! The perimeter of the playground gathered human momentum and soon my plan succeeded.”

“So, did the jackfruit pulp indeed have a superpower?” I asked uncle Singh.

“I don’t know Pravin. But the power of conviction helped in two ways. The lifestyles of the elderly men and women changed and made them more mobile. This resulted in higher life expectancy and lesser diseases. On the other hand, Vishnu was able to increase his earnings almost tenfold!”

“The war against illiteracy and superstition was won with the power of belief! I indeed won that war!” finished uncle Singh.

****

Today, after so many years, as I recall that story which uncle Paramveer Singh told me, I make a promise to myself… it is a conviction that I impose on myself that I shall never lose hope. Every time I would see a JACKFRUIT, I shall remember the story and I am sure that it will give me strength to fight all odds that would come in front of me.