Whispers and Words of M R Maiti

It has been two months since I came back from Rupin Pass Trek. The memories and feelings are in abundance. They catch up with me sometimes during a long meeting or during a random hangout with friends. And for a moment, I zone out and a smile spreads across my face. When somebody around me notices it and asks the reason, I just shake my head like an idiot. All that is fine, but during the past two months, I have been haunted by a question, something a fellow trekker, Rajib, said to me during the return journey. "Manish, you are a gem at heart. You are a silver lining for many. Keep smiling, brother...One last question, you don't need to answer it though: तुम इतना जो मुस्कुरा रहे हो | क्या ग़म है जिस को छुपा रहे हो ?" Normally, I would automatically respond with a witty or funny comeback. But I was speechless. Rajib had caught me off guard. It was as if a CCTV recording of a bank robbery showed my face in Ultra HD. There was no evidence to prove otherwise. All that remain...