The Heart

I was strolling on an early Sunday evening, on the beach. It was full of life with families, couples, kids, vendors, shopkeepers, tattoo artists, etc. It’s not a regular habit of mine but I just felt the need to relax my body and soul after a 6-week work routine. I found a nice bench & sat. Around me I saw lot of folks enjoying the water, the sand, & many just like me chose to relax.

At a distance I saw a girl who seemed to be a collegian who was working on project with the help of survey method. She was carrying a patch-work sack like bag with a pencil and notepad in hand. The girl looked eye-catching with a simple t-shirt and a nice pair of denims. What looked interesting in her were her enthusiastic eyes. It seemed she was asking a question to which she expected an answer. Her eyes reacted to every answer in a different way but with a similar motive.

She was moving to people on benches towards me. And that’s when she was audible. The question she was asking was, ‘What is a heart?’ Many did not understand what she was asking. And then she had to explain like, ‘What does heart mean to you?’ ‘How important is heart to you?’ etc.

Just 3 benches away from me sat an old couple. She asked them, “Excuse me, grandpa and grandma, what according to you is a heart?” The expression of the couple first went blank but then the old man regained back this colour with a warm smile and replied, “for us heart, is a medium of life. Once it stops out existence comes to an end. And that’s what we are waiting for. And we know it is just around the corner. For us, heart is the source of life”.

She noted down the answer and her eyes sympathetically moved next. Next was a teenage boy who was into a book completely. He looked like a nerd thanks to his attire and the pair of glasses he wore. She asked him the same question. A boy gave in a weird expression and said, “Don’t I have any better thing to do than to answer such a stupid question. If I have to answer then I say I don’t know! Have got an exam tomorrow so…do you mind…!”. She apologized but was disappointed to the way he answered. She moved on to man in his early twenties. The question was repeated in a hope to get a better treatment.

With the kind of answer he gave my mouth remained open wide with the amount of facts that flowed out of his mouth. He replied brightly, “The heart is located in thoracic cavity of our body. It’s exactly in the center of our chest and its lower half is tilted towards the left. That’s why people believe that heart is towards the left while it is not. It has 4 chambers and its main function is that of oxygenation of blood. The 4 chambers are 2 auricles and 2 ventricles. The upper chamber is known as…” and that’s where she had to politely stop him. She thanked and went next.

Next to this guy was where I sat. Both our facial reaction towards the answer was same. But when our eyes met the warmth & smile regained. And she asked the question again. I felt that the poor girl had written enough. I kept it short and meaningful, “that’s the place where feelings and emotions emerge. The source of love.” She quite accepted the answer & moved on.

Next to me sat a middle-aged man. He seemed to be sad & appeared to be somewhat a LONER. His eyes poured melancholy and his failure was evident from his body language. As their eyes met the girl’s eyes also spoke to him in a similar manner. As though his eyes were spreading the disease of loneliness. She asked, “Sir, what is heart according to you?”

He nodded & laughed sarcastically and gave a wry smile. As he looked down, his lips then opened to speak, “Heart…what do I say what it is? My dear, it’s a very wrong question you asking me. Heart is a source of feelings and emotions is what many say. But what will a man like me feel and emote if that organ’s broken. Several times! For me heart is source of pain and suffering. A toy for people to play with! Source of loneliness, depression, grief, sorrow…” And he stopped to look at the girl’s eyes and face, which went pale.

His eyes turned red and were watery and his voice cracked a bit, “I’m sorry but I said the truth. But that’s what I feel. I don’t want to instill all this in you. You still have a long way to go”
“I’ll only give a piece of advice if you want to hear and follow. Judge and Confirm the person you giving it (heart) to as not all know the value of it.”

As he said this he rose and walked away. My eyes followed the man till I couldn’t see his figure. His answer made me think. It was getting dark and I had to head back home. The answer was very thoughtful and heart felt, if I can say so. My thoughts were blocked by a voice of a young urchin who was selling small heart soft toys, “Dil le lo dil le lo, sirf 10 rupaiya mein…le lo le lo…”

The man’s words reverberated in my head, “…Confirm the person you giving it to as not all know the value of it.” I smiled to the little boy and headed back to my routine.