A Marathon

The alarm screamed. Manav woke with a start. Today was a big day for him. There was a marathon organized in his town. He was elated, when he heard the news the day before... A wonderful opportunity, he thought.

He went to the stated starting point, and looked for the organizers. He had expected a big gathering there. To his shock, there was just a calm old man sitting, coolly smoking his cigar. He enquired," Sir, where is the marathon?". The old man smiled. " Here...".
Manav's muscles tensed. " Sir, Am I late? " The old man smiled again. " Noone is ever late here. You may begin!"

"Funny", thought Manav. "Don't I need to wait for the others? Sir, May I know who you are?", he asked politely. He was doubting if the old man was indeed the organizer. The old man seemed to have read his mind. " I am the chief organizer of this sport." That very moment, gave a whistle, a signal to 2 persons who appeared on the horizon...as small as dots. " They will guide you in your initial stages. They are participants too."The idea seemed incredible to Manav. Why would they waste their time for me? The old man really seemed insane. But to his astonishment, the 2 people did stop and wait. They gave Manav a warm welcome.

Soon enough, he had outstripped them. The old man was wrong, he cursed him. He was indeed a bit late. The old man really seemed cracked up. When he had asked him, " How do I identify the way?", he had replied, " the way you take will be yours."

He rode on... He met numerous others on the way. People from all ages and walks of life. Few were too fast that he could not think of coping with them. He doubled his speed. Something was shining by the roadside. Gold coins. He picked it up. He thought that he would give it to the owner as soon as he met him.

The sky was blue... It was noon. He had begun the march at dawn. His speed was considerably slow than it was in the morning. He was wiser now. He knew the tricks of running, thanks to a lot of people who had shared it with him. He had found rubies, emeralds and diamonds on the roadside, the same way he had found gold. There was no one to claim it though. He pocketed them too...

His body wanted to take rest, but his mind urged him on. He had a long way to go, and he would not rest until he won.He quicked his pace and with a focused mind set out. He came across lush green trees,sprawling fields, birds and dancing children and some of the runners stopping to have a look at them. He did not spare them a glance though. "They were wasting their time in futile things, he thought.The cool breeze whipped across his face. He had initially started the road going downhill.Now it had slowly acquired a gradually increasing slope. But he wasn't a person to give up. He trod on and on...

At about 4:00 PM , he was on the verge of falling from exhaustion. He stopped and panted. A fellow runner offered him a bottle of fresh water. He drank it and felt fresh. " Are you a participant?", he asked the other man. "No... Everyone has an accomplice here to run along and guide them when needed." Manav was surprised. He had not noticed the other person till then. He told him so. The man laughed. "A lot of people only get to hear my voice. Very few in dire need get to see me. You can consider me as a combination of advisor and record-keeper." Manav was fresh. He remembered hearing some voice stating the direction to take." So it was this person", he justified to himself.

" I must take leave from you. Thanks for your guidance". He bid adieu. Though he had come a far way, he could often sense the other person coming along. He turned his attention to the road again.

He had to run fast. He still ignored the cheerful chirpings of the sparrows, the cool breeze, the colourful sky and the rustle of the leaves. There would be time for that later. He had an important business on hand. He had to win this race.

Soon, it was dusk. With an anxious heart, he saw the Sun set behind the hills. He could at most walk, a few steps at a time. The road was extremely steep now. He still had the precious stones he had collected with him. He saw some young boys outstripping him, laughing. As he considered giving up, he saw something that made his heart cry with delight.

The old man. For a moment he wondered how the old man managed to travel so fast. Then the truth struck him. He observed that he was back at the starting point of the race. The old man smiled yet again and asked," How was the experience? Did you enjoy it?" This time Manav laughed. "Enjoy? I was focused on winning.... Where is my medal? Have I won it??" The old man smiled again. "There are no winners or losers here. This is not a race, my son." " What was the purpose of the sport then? ",Manav cried. The old man calmly replied, " It is its own purpose. What matters is what you give rather than what you take" Manav's mind was numbed with exhausion and shock. He wasn't sure he understood what the old man was saying.

He felt himself unable to take the two steps necessary to complete. At that time, the old man put his hand into Manav's pocket and pulled out the gold, silver, rubies and diamonds. He threw them by the roadside, and to Manav's shock, told him that he could not take anything beyond the finishing point. " They are not yours either. You were just the trustee for them."

As he stepped onto the finishing line, Manav had attained a strange clarity of mind. The fog in his heart cleared as the storms of disappointment were pacified. He just wished that he had got this understanding a bit earlier. Even as he thought, he could feel a strange detachment from his body...that he no longer bothered about the tiredness... his feet gave way and he fell. Not onto the ground, but into the open arms of the old man, who smiled yet again. As his brain slipped into oblivion, he saw with his closing eyes another soul roaring to begin... begin the the marathon called life.