Jannat

It is about 5.30 in the evening. I sit in the balcony of our house which overlooks the main road, reading a work of fiction by my favourite author.

The sun by now is mellow enough and I bask in its soft illumination as it starts setting in the horizon on my far left. The light is perfect; neither too harsh and neither too dark and hence I know I can continue reading for at least another half an hour to 45 minutes in this light.

In between the reading, I cast my glance at the traffic on the road in front and below me. 2 -wheelers are rushing by, some of them honking un-necessarily even if the road ahead of them is clear. A delivery guy in his ubiquitous orange t-shirt worn over a dark full sleeve shirt, zigzags past a couple of cars aware that a hungry customer waiting for the order might just get impatient and call him anytime.

SUV’s of varying sizes, in all their masculine grandeur and shiny metallic hues roar past the smaller vehicles, as if courtesy their bigger size they have the right to own a greater share of the road!

One of them as large and menacing as a shark, glides through the traffic threatening to devour anything which comes in its way. It is a millionaire’s toy and the setting sun’s golden rays hits its gleaming white exterior, reflecting off in admiration.

Every time a vehicle zooms past the median which divides the road equally into 2 halves, like a ridge slicing an apple fruit at its middle, the bougainvillea plants growing within the median rustle and move in the blast of the air which hits them.

Away from this mad rush on the black tarred road, a masked, middle-aged man in knee length shorts walks on the red coloured, weather-coated pavement meant for cyclists. With him is his fierce looking Alsatian dog whom he has taken out for a stroll.

Though the master seems intent on completing his walk on time, the dog is more relaxed. It is wagging its tail and even stops for a brief moment to bark at a street dog, who in its rough, dirt brown coat and lean frame, looks like a poor cousin of the well-groomed and well-fed Alsatian!

Overtaking both man and beast easily is a lady out on her evening run. She checks the smart watch on her wrist to make sure all parameters of her exercise schedule are on track. Clad in a loose, dark blue sweatshirt and a black figure-hugging track suit, her stylish sneakers pound the red gravel as she is completely focussed on her run.

Maybe she is not aware that watching from a short distance away, seated in a privileged balcony chair is me. From my vantage position I soak in all these sights and sounds as I realise, that from the fast-moving vehicles to the jogging lady and to the evening walker, each of us are in our own mode of motion.

I am like a mute spectator, stationary but moving in my thoughts. How perfect is this set-up, I think to myself! My book of fiction transports me to a different world altogether but right here is the real world which is alive, vibrant and ticking over like the clock.

People are going about completing their tasks, running errands and meeting deadlines. But for me this hour brings in lot of peace and relaxation. As if to prove my point further, I lift my left leg and fold it comfortably on the wicker armchair. This relaxes me even further.

I lift my teacup and take a sip of the hot green beverage embellished with ginger and tulsi leaves. The feeling of utopia is complete.

Surely heaven will be like this! Just the thought of being so much at peace with myself and my surroundings is pure bliss. My heart beats softly, in even rhythmic beats and I take in a deep breath.

A sense of calmness pervades my entire being.

Over time, I have understood that every day brings me such moments which makes me realize that on Earth itself, I am in Jannat*. One other such moment is when I wake up in the morning but continue to lie down on the bed for few additional minutes, well aware that the moment I get up, the day will start and keep me busy with its myriad activities.

Jannat – An Urdu word meaning ‘paradise’ or ‘heaven’.

Yet those 10 minutes in bed, lying with eyes closed but fully conscious that I am not expected to do anything at all, is simply heavenly!

After all, as the popular saying goes -What if we die and meet God and HE asks, “So, how was heaven?”

Copyright © 2021 Wasim Jawaid

This work of fiction, written by Wasim Jawaid is the author’s sole intellectual property. All rights are reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including printing, photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author. For permission requests, send an email to the author wasim.jawaid@gmail.com 

Dear Reader,

Do you have any such moment(s) during the day when you feel lot of peace and bliss? A feeling that perhaps comes closest to being described heavenly?

If yes, please do share your thoughts below!

26 thoughts on “Jannat”

  1. I wish the lady was wearing a RED sweat shirt and black sneakers 😀 and the dog possibly could be a German Shepherd 😅.. Any ways the havenly feeling to me is that in between Friday evening time when office work is over but week end has not yet started… thinking about the endless possibilities of what one can do in the coming two days gives me a sense of euphoria. Waking up late on a Sunday after watching a old classic movie post dinner on Saturday night is equally blissful

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    1. Haha..yes that is a good suggestion. More striking combo! Well I am glad to read about those moments which give you so much happiness 🙂 Indeed they make life worthwhile.

      And thank you Pritish for reading this and posting your comment!

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  2. In this busy life, only a few have such privileges. However, yes we do find ‘jannat’ and pure bliss at times in our very own haven! Those special moments when we are totally relaxed and have our thoughts and imagination wandering around making us blissful. A nice read! Keep penning down your thoughts and observations, they are very interesting:)

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    1. I think you have mentioned a very pertinent facet of Jannat – thoughts which crop up in our heads without any prior sense or links. I call them Random thoughts. Sometimes they are the seeds of something more meaningful!

      Thanks as always for dropping by Sunanda 🙂

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      1. Nice. Some sections feel like you are right there amidst the hustle and bustle and not just reading the setting in words, awesome.

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  3. Hi Wasim,

    Nice piece.

    Would heaven be a place where we have the ability to step outside our own selves and then look at our ownself, our thoughts and how that relates to everything around us? Would heaven be the moment when we remain conscious of stepping outside our own self, seeing our own self with curiosity that remains childlike?

    Would such a heaven be our Jannat?

    Best wishes

    Shakti Ghosal

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    1. Hmm interesting view point Shakti ji. So while I am looking inside-out, you are thinking of looking outside-In. Fantastic!

      Yes why not? I think that would definitely qualify as a ‘heavenly’ moment of our lives. Thank you so much for providing this perspective Shakti ji.

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  4. Actually Jannat ….lovely read… you just struck the right chord …these small moments in life are actually heavenly….👌

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  5. Fabulous narration Wasim!! Enjoyed each character of JANNAT..what’s more one could ask for in heavens indeed..doing the same without a worry in this worLd is a privilege very few can boast of today!!Transported to another world with your lines while sipping my cuppa here@cosmopolis🤗Good one bro..looking forward to more 👍👍👌

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    1. Love your enthusiastic response to my posts Vivek!! The way you reply with gusto and share what you think is like none other.

      Thank you so much bro for your love and for your appreciation…and for that phone call 🙂

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  6. I could list several such.
    Like waking up at dawn, at my parents’house and lazying that extra ten minutes and listening to my parents talking softly over their first cup of tea in the day. A memory that I have carried since childhood and feel heavenly to see them keep their tradition for over 4 decades. What more can a child want. Happy parents happy home happy child. God bless them.

    Another close to my heart and feels heavenly is to see the warmth and bonding between my son and his father. Or hearing my husband say, out of the blue, when my teenage son is awat at grandparents, ” it will be like this, just us when when we are old.” His thinking of our togetherness filled my eyes and heart. And I could just go on.

    To each his/ her own but it is the simple things that bring us peace and sometimes a tear of joy and you feel, bas, yahi to mera jannat hai. Aur zindagi main kya chahiye!

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    1. Your 1st para itself made my heart fill up with nostalgia and become emotional. Fantastic. Indeed these small, priceless moments make life on earth heavenly.

      Your description of father-son love reminds me of -‘Feels like heaven, feels like Raymond’ ad!

      And finally I am so happy to see you here Dipta! Your like and comment on my blog has made me day 🙂

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  7. What a blissful caricature of little sightings & their close personifications! Loved every bit of this ‘ Jannat’!
    Keep inspiring us with your thoughtful sweet expressions..

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  9. A relaxing and refreshing read. Sitting quietly and peacefully on your balcony sipping a cup of tea alone yet not lonely is a picture of sheer bliss.

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    1. Api thank you so much for visiting my blog and sharing your thoughts! Always appreciate them 😇
      Would have loved to hear about what defines Jannat for you 😊

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  10. So true! “Jannat” is very much in this world,in our daily lives.we have to see it,feel it…….and of course,relaxing in my balcony with a cup of tea is also my idea of perfect happiness 😍…….very well written

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    1. Reshmi..this is such a wonderful comment 😄💗 Glad you feel the same and happy to know about your moments of Jannat too!

      Thank you so much for liking and complimenting.

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  11. Jannat was really a good read
    So heart warming and so real
    I always used to think if you would ever write anything about spending time in your balcony… and here it was! That feeling of peace and calm that you’ve described is so beautiful ❤❤❤❤.
    My Papa used to say that home is Jannat… duniya mein hi Jannat hai. Apna ghar hi Jannat hai. Today I could feel the same feelings in your words.
    Made me emotional. It was very nice👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻Keep writing more. Cheers!

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    1. Hello Sofia..so good to see you here and read your comment. Thank you so much for liking it!

      Beautiful words by Acca 💗💗Honoured that it could bring back memories and strike an emotional cord with you :))

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