A Stranger Proper

Exordium

It's the month of February!

Its noon! The warm sunlight is consolatory. Farmlands, harvested crop fields are like evacuated houses relaxing after the wedding. Air rushing through the trees and plants on its way before it fondles me. Air is clean, fresh, brittle, and is brimming with earth scent.

Walking on the road which leads to my destination, I took my breath sharply and started marching. The Village stretched like a great quilt of green and golden squares held together by the thick brown stitching of the hedgerows.

The expanse of green there are more hues than anyone has ever named, yet here they are for any eye to see. The land rolls as it always has through the ages as much as to the horizon. Over it is laid a path, one that branches through the open landscape, and as I begin to walk there is a frisson of joy for all the choices to come, each one of them laden with discoveries.

A deep sense of serenity overcame me as I stared in rapture at the expanse of blue that lay beside me. Rays of lights danced delicately across the water, birthed from the afternoon sun that both limited my sight and made the view all the more beautiful.

As I crossed the lake and walk further "Noorpur" my village be visible before me. Noorpur is a village of 200 adobe houses built on the banks of the lake "Shudh Sagar" of clear water that ran along the soft golden sand and the bed of gleaming pebbles which are small, in shades of black, grey, green, brown and white.

Even though Noorpur is a small village the roads and the houses here are well designed and well built. Whoever visits Noorpur knows that this place is abundant of well-grown vegetable, fruit and paddy farmlands.

The village has a "chouraastha" where the village panchayat office is built. At the apex of the office Our Indian national flag is hoisted and flying high in the sky with tricolors. This office is also a place for all the senior citizens to meet in the evenings and blather their views with each other.

There is a street opposite to the panchayat office, to the dead-end of the street there is an elegant house with a big gate, my ancestral House. As I reach the house all the memories from Age 1 to 25 reprise in me. It's been 3 years that I have visited this house.

We visit this home every year during our vacations. As I passed through the gates I heard a squeaky voice. A diminutive middle-aged man came out from behind the trees "Udham Singh Ji" house helper of this house came towards me. He felt a surge of happiness and screamed out loud, which made all the people in the house to come out and see what is the source of such a scream was.

It was strange, being here again after so long. Despite how long I'd been away, I still remembered everything about the place; the green creepers planted in the front yard, the soft tinkling of the wind chimes that reminded me of summer afternoons. The  paint had faded since I had last seen it. Oh.... Ohhhh...... ohhhh... ohhhh..... Wait... wait..... From the beginning I am saying, I am this I am that I........ I........ I......... so who am I?

Let me portray myself

Name : Vraj Aurora

Age : 28 years

Profession : Assistant Commissioner of Police, (Special Branch) Pune.

Family : Mother, Father and Younger Brother.

I am a man of practicality. Likewise, I am not arrogant nor modest, not ruthless nor easy, not loving nor aloof, not a philanderer nor a steady man. Like, everyone, I Love my family. I opt for engineering without exception. Later in engineering final year suddenly this endeavor to become an IPS officer shove into my brain and heart. After a constant effort for 2 years, I cleared the Indian Civil Services examination in my 2nd attempt. For me, it is/ was/ and will be always right/wrong, legal/illegal. When I wasn't preparing perfect paperwork at the office, I would be chasing down criminals with that action-man in me. Like everyone around me, friends and Colleagues were busy with their family, wife, children, girlfriend, I clocked more hours in the firing range or playing basketball and studying case files. I overlook the fact that I am not pal around the person. I am "single by choice" thanks to my parents they never censure by my choice of being single.

Ours is an average middle-Class Punjabi family. My father is Divisional Clerk in FCI Mumbai. My mother is a home economist. Why I defined her as a home economist you will know that in further future. My younger brother is doing his Masters in Computer Science in the USA. He is 2 years younger than me. My Other family-like Dada, Dadi, Taya, Taye, Chacha, Chache, Bhua and my cousins all are living in Noorpur, a small village in Punjab, India.

I walked up to the gang of my family, dragging my luggage behind me came Udham Singh Ji. I hold my Dadi and embraced her in a tight hug. All my family members are so excited to see me after 3 long years of IPS training in Mussoorie and Hyderabad.

The sole purpose to come here to Noorpur is to attend my cousin's wedding, Taya Ji's son's wedding. (Taya Ji – My father Elder brother) and to meet all the family, I am posted in Pune as Assistant Commissioner of Police. As I will be absorbed in my duties after joining in my post, it is difficult to meet them all at once.