A Bend in the River of Life (47 page)

In his effort to determine what went wrong, Rana perceived that Smita revolted against her dad for supposedly not devoting enough time to her and Saurav in their childhood. Or, he deliberated, she might have developed a sense of despair that daddy was heartless and uncaring for toward her in deciding to move back to Miami lock, stock and barrel, jeopardizing her endearing relationship with Carlos. Little could she imagine that even daddy was obligated to carry out the instructions of his employers. Nevertheless, Rana discerned whatever might be the reason for Smita's apparent defiance, for him alternatives were not many and the results might have been infinitely worse resorting to any other alternatives. Despite all the sentimental soul searching for what went wrong with Smita, the River of Life would not refrain from flowing incessantly to its distant destiny. The perceived rebellion of Smita was not the first in the River of life; nor will it be the last.

The ultimate truth is, irrespective of human judgments and their consequences the River of Life will keep flowing relentlessly. It had done so infinite years before Rana came to play his role in it and will continue to do so infinite years after his departure from its bosom. No one knows the beginning of the River of Life and no one will see the end. Eternity is perceived to be its source and it can be inferred on the basis of the empirical studies that Eternity is going to be its destiny. From Eternity it emerged, to Eternity it is destined to merge.

Eternity is an unimaginable, incomprehensible, vast, limitless and ever extending circle of expanse as time goes on. The River of Life, though immense in human eyes is rather a tiny arc in this endless circle, spanning a relatively short period, stretching from time memorial to time imaginable, shifting forward with the passage of time like the shifting sands on the sea shore.

When time comes for Rana to cross that bridge between this life
and the next, all his memories of this life will be obliterated. He will leave behind for Saurav and Smita all his peace and possessions, his hopes and dreams, his joys and sorrows, his triumphs and tragedies and begin his new roleplay elsewhere in God's kingdom with a clean slate, in a new content, with a new mind and a new film of memory. In his new identity he would recognize Saurav and Smita no more. When their turn comes, they will also cross that bridge, passing on their material and intellectual properties to their offspring. They will also play their new role in their new abode, in the new garb and new identity. This was how the River of Life was scripted and no matter what, from life to life and from birth to birth it will flow on inexorably through its meandering course; rising above and beyond the towering achievements and abysmal failures of mankind; staying detached from their pleasure and pain; scaling the hills and mountains; skirting the seas and oceans; winding past the woods and lakes; dancing down the dales and valleys; weaving its pattern and murmuring its way to its nimble destiny, the ever ephemeral Eternity.