FAN MAN

FAN MAN
P K Routray
The name may not be there in Google net or any dictionary,
But it is a real name of a trade in past never an imaginary.
It may be year of nineteen fifty nine,
in rural India there was no electricity seen.
The well to do persons had fans on wooden frame,
decorated with arts and crafts with colored cloth put on the same.
The frame is hung on the roof of the room, generally with thatched roof of straws and a wooden false ceiling,
A rope is tied with this frame and brought out side for pulling.
A man sitting outside pulls and pushes the rope tied to the fan,
the master and his family enjoys the sleep as long as they can.
As a child I felt pity for the man known to me as a fan man,
What piteous life he had day in day out jn pushing and pulling the rope for his master’s fan.
There was no reliever to relieve him still he had no worry.
My curiosity was “When he sleeps, Why is always in merry?”
I watched all his activities as much as I could do,
I observed him taking opium twice daily without much ado.
I also came to know in his house he had always to fight,
As with low income affording for opium was too tight.
On this job he was happy so also his wife,
she comes daily to him with food with fun and pleasure in rife.
In night and noon he sleeps with rope tied to his leg,
the leg automatically did the job and he had no excuse or mercy to beg.
He found pleasure in the job with innovations he had,
I do not remember ever he has failed ill, grieved and sad.,
Is it love for master, need of the family or thirst for opium alone?
To me till date his source of joy is not yet known.
The episode of my long lost experience is brought to the readers to muse for a while for an opinion.
Is opium good or is he better off than us in his inhuman job as he was happier than us in that position?