TURBULENCE (A day in the life of a man) BY RAJA MANNAR

Arun (our protagonist) opened his eyes after a troubled sleep however that was norm for him as he hardly remembered the day when he slept long and peaceful, now he looked forward to the sight and taste of his morning coffee, it gives him a boost but that day they had run out of coffee powder so he had to do with milk, it is then Ashok, a creditor troubled him over the phone for he wanted to know the status of the money that Arun owed him thus it was an unpleasant invasion of the rude world into his life in the morning itself, now he went for a jog mostly to take his mind of that, there he met his friends, the topic of discussion was the new law set by the government and everyone felt that it will affect everyone negatively. Thus, the day was shaping up negatively; then he saw an outlet selling his favourite snack. He wanted to indulge, but he knew about his high cholesterol and his duty towards his family. So, he built up resilience and abstained from it, but he was thinking about that snack all the way home.
Arun reached his house; his wife started her routine activity of dishing it out on him. Arun always considered her his first child, and she was a little of it too, as she did not know about life; she carried expectations and dreams, making things horrible for everyone, especially for Arun. Now, Arun took all the painful words and reciprocated only silence, for he knew that was the best weapon, but there were times when he felt that dagger.
After a quick breakfast, Arun had to hurry to his office; he felt that his workload was getting heavier day by day, and the money it yielded seemed the same. Now, after negotiating with heavy traffic that which always gets one’s nerves, he reached his office but his ordeal did not end there, for his boss beckoned him and used unpleasant words to describe his work but Arun knew that the fault lies with his boss for it was the boss who did not have the calibre to understand that good work done by him and ofcourse those words did hurt but beyond that he was troubled by the system that at times positioned the naïve atop and the able below. Now, Arun picked himself up and went about his work like the unpleasant conversation never happened. Now, beyond all that, he knew he was being observed, for there were animals present in his office; they functioned like wolves chewing on unhealthy happiness by watching people fall and suffer. Thus, he had to use his wits and smarts to navigate this concrete jungle, and it took a lot from him.
Thus, all of these were happening, and Arun was fighting; a voice had to constantly tell him “don’t succumb, don’t succumb,” but even that voice knew the stress that is present and that will be ahead.
It was then that his daughter came to meet him; she brought him the morning medication that he forgot to take, and she also brought him, a well-brewed coffee. Thus, this simple act of love gave our protagonist rejuvenation and the strength to fight on.
Thus, the fact is that pain, pressure, and strife are omnipotent in this world. Now, a man has to travel in these waters; his psyche may desire relaxation, but his obligations do not allow it. Now, his mind contains worries and negativity, for he is finding pain at every turn. He also feels that the situations around him are inflexible. Thus, his heart contains problems weighing a ton.
Now, they picture a man like the Greek God “ATLAS”, holding the world for eternity through any problem that comes.
However, the truth is, a man is not a God, for he does feel vulnerable; at times, he desires peace, but that is rare in his life, and there will always be a kid in him who wants to forget everything and play in a garden.