Neel - The Fighter

Neel is a fighter. He has always been. He is a born gifted. But today is the first of the days when he lost a fight defiantly…..against himself. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' he pondered hunch backed. 'what is it that they call me now-a-days? Ran-chor-das? The one who turned his back on a battle? The one who choose flight over fight?'

Wedged between the cerulean skies and the turquoise waters, he brooded over his voyage from Brindavan to Dwaraka. It was as adventurous as challenging. Chills and thrills running down his spine he cried theatrically 'Can't they see I'm still fighting? The toughest of the battles? One on one. Against oneself?' Dwaraka ignored his rhetorical question and welcomed him with splayed arms. Lest! It lacked the warmth of his mothers hug.

Thinking of the red eyed fierce yashoda made the sparse hair on his neck stand out. How he wished he could see her cloud of anger melt in to a shower of smiles when he poured out one of those Appealing-innocent-wide eyed-faces. He squeezed his eyes shut, searching his beloved mother against the purple of his eyelids. He could almost smell the rain lashed greens and mosses. He could almost hear the bubbling of the muddy brown waters of yamuna. He could almost see the buffalo heads, the zebras, the cats and the tigers . Yet he could never feel the gentle touch of his yashoda mayya.

Irked by the train of his thoughts Neel shot open his eyes to admire and acclimatize his new edifice. Dwaraka is an architectural marvel. Its tailored to his taste with ingenious engineering.  The polished walls mirrored his face. The scintillating crystal gravel, embedded golden pebbles, Grandiose airs, sculptured archways, Gardens twined with Golden moneywort, whole wide roads and squares, parks and pools what not? One can say it’s like an all encompassing ray of light which beholds a thousand brilliant dazzling rainbows. An 'ALL-IN-ONE'.

The pythonic walls hugging the city offered the best defense to his kingdom, yet it crushed him with claustrophobia. The waters here are serene and tranquil yet they sunk him to the depths of desolation. The parks of Dwaraka are decorous with the civilized crop of coffee leaf anubias yet he preferred to run amok in the wilder woods of giant leaf anubias tailed by Bala, sharp as a shark and Sudhama, slower than the snail. 'Life is too comfortable, like a throne of thorns, without the jabbing and ribbing of your friends'.

He missed them all. Bala, Sudhama, Gopi, Gopika, Gauri, Ruby, Molly, Marigold. His love 'Radhika' most of all. He has no words to describe her. Her long sliver hairs, her gold-sparkling skin, her divine Angelic eyes. GOD! She is one of a kind. She is an Angel.

The Neel chuckled at the memory of how he stole peeks at her, hiding behind the willow weed, while she is in the pool with her sakhis, blissfully unaware of the stalker. And when he was caught in the act, he thought she would look daggers at him but….but she smiled…that very sweet smile which he could never forget.

It is her smile that makes him go crazy. Especially the one that blooms on pouted out lips after a lover's tiff. He knew the sure way to piss off Radha is kissing Gauri. Radha would predictably throw a tantrum and sulk behind a bush of mermaid weeds. Neel would sing, melodiously melancholic, How-his-body-is-lifeless-without-his-soul-RADHA. It takes all his charm to cajole her out of her self-imposed exile but in the end it's worth it.

Neel wheezed a sigh which rippled through the waters like the notes of a flute. He guessed Radha might be at her favorite Mer weeds, with the black widow, her heart bleeding for him. He is sure that even the clown could never make her smile again. He pictured her tears flooding the brimful yamuna. He knows he could never see those eyes again. Never wipe her tears. Never…

Neel blinked convulsively at the huge set of eyes that gazed back at him through the skies. He recognized those eyes only too well but what he couldn't comprehend is a 'HOW?' He is too ecstatic at the moment to engage his mind with what the world calls logic. It feels surreal. He could feel the aura of love in the very airs of Dwaraka. He could feel her presence like she is omni-present.

"Hello Neel! welcome to Aqua Dwaraka" he heard a voice from the skies. He fluttered searching the skies. "you must be hungry. Aren't you Neel?" she asked gently again. "Here you go". Chunks of food showered down the skies. Neel ignored the red and green balls floating on the waters. "Oh! lost appetite?" said the melodious voice again. "I see. I think I know what you want Mr. Neel. I'll get you some company. How about an angel fish?"

Introducing the cast:

Neel : My blue fighter fish.

Yashoda : Red fighter fish.

Brindavan : The open roofed, moss walled, muddy water tank at the pet store.

Yamuna: The hose that filled the tank with running water.

Dwaraka: My aquarium

Bala/ Balaram : Bala shark.

sudhama: Red head turtle

Radha: Silver Angel fish.

Gopikas : Multi colored, florid tailed, slithe Gappy fishes

Rosy: Rosy barb

Ruby: Ruby barb

Molly: 24-carrot gold molly

Marigold: marigold sword tail, Marigold wag tail.

Gouri: Dwarf Gourami, Honey Gourami, Moon light Gourami, kissing gourami.

Others:  Tigerbarb, zebra barb, cat fish, Buffalo head fish.

             Black widow fish, blind cave fish, Bleeding heart tetra, clown loach.

             white cloud mountain minnow, Emperor fish.

Aquarium plants: Mermaid weed, golden money wort, coffee leaf anubias, gaint anubias, willow moss.

Thanks to Shirlie sharpe for the info on fishes and her splendid catalogue of fishes.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/fishespecies/tp/profiles.htm