Over the centuries, in a timeless world of his own, Aab has watched man’s fascination with land. He saw nomads moving from one land to another, seeking better pastures, but never claiming the land as their own. Those nomads, like the Red Indians of America, were doomed for extinction, since they gave up land instead of owning it. Aab also considers himself a Banjara, a wanderer who owns no land.
Then Aab saw kings and emperors claiming huge chunks of continents, murdering, pillaging, and looting to increase their territory – only to be eventually turned to dust in the very same land.
When all the kings and landlords were done with, came the era of land sharks. In their absolute obsession with wealth, they coined a beautiful phrase “invest in land, God has stopped manufacturing it.” What they did not realize is that God has not stopped manufacturing humans – and every new lot, greedier than the earlier one, takes over the same land, allowing the earlier owner to merge with the dust of the same land.
From slum lords lording over tiny huts, to reputed politicians dislodging thousands of humans for progress of civilization, Aab has seen them all. He has seen ultra-modern structures come up on barren land, and has seen gigantic structures reduced to barren rubble. And no human, however powerful he thought he was, survived to gloat over what he “landed” up for himself. Some were burnt and their ashes merged with dust. Others were interred into two square yard graves.
Aab is happy he does not belong to either category. His remains will be cut up by medical students, and if they don’t want it, by vultures.
