Conversations with Bade Saab
The evening was settling over the sea.
Bade Saab and I sat on a bench on the promenade, watching the last light fade beyond the monsoon clouds.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
It felt good.
“Have you noticed,” I said, “how tiring it has become to listen to people?”
“People?”
“Everything. Television, social media, WhatsApp, opinions, counter-opinions. Everyone seems to be speaking, and everyone expects to be heard.”
Bade Saab smiled.
“And you?”
“I think I need a little time away from all of it.”
“Where will you go?”
“Nowhere in particular. I want to disappear into some books for a while. Read properly. Perhaps reread a few old favourites. Listen to music without doing three other things at the same time.”
“Sounds like a good way to recharge.”
“That is exactly what I have in mind.”
He looked out at the sea.
“Sometimes we need silence not because we have nothing to say, but because we have heard too much.”
I nodded.
“And yet,” I said, “we can’t always avoid people.”
“Of course not. There are family gatherings, dinners, weddings, obligations.”
“And what does one do then?”
“Be there.”
“That’s your advice?”
“Be there without feeling obliged to participate in every conversation.”
I smiled.
“Meaning?”
“Listen to what is worth hearing. Be courteous about the rest. You don’t have to correct every opinion, defend every position or win every argument.”
“That sounds almost liberating.”
“It is.”
He paused.
“Keep a small corner of your mind to yourself.”
A wave broke against the rocks below.
We sat quietly again.
“That,” I said, “is exactly what I need.”
“So do I.”
The light was almost gone.
“So, when do we meet again?” I asked.
“When you have finished your books.”
“That may take some time.”
“Good.”
“And you?”
“I’ll wait until I have something worth saying.”
“That may take even longer.”
“Better still.”
We got up and shook hands.
“Until we meet again.”
“Until then.”
He walked away along the promenade.
I remained for a moment, listening to the sea.
Then I turned towards home, with a sense of freedom.
¹ Blaise Pascal, Pensées: “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
Editorial Disclaimer
This article is part of the fictional “Conversations with Bade Saab” series. Bade Saab and the conversations depicted are literary devices created by the author. They should not be interpreted as accounts of actual conversations or as representing any identifiable individual. The views and reflections expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of TheNews21 or Kalpak Digital Media LLP.
