Flags Never Flutter in Vacuum

Ivan's father whose eyes were closed before, were now open. A strange light shone in them, one filled with courage and defiance. In a dry raspy voice, he began singing the Ukranian national anthem. Ivan watched in horror as his father was hurled to the ground and kicked black and blue by the lieutenant. The lieutenant ordered a soldier to give him his pistol and he then fired multiple shots into his captive (who was sprawled on the ground in a pool of blood) until his pistol clicked empty. Mr. Kravencho remembered very vividly all the details of that day and found that it was not very different than today. His town was overrun once again, and his people were subjugated. 

'It's on a fine day like this today,that I present to you the decree by our President that all the inhabitants of the town of Lubeik are now Russian citizens,' the Kremlin installed official said to a small gathering infront of the roofless town hall which was barely standing on its foundations. Russian troops had poured heavy bombardments on the town for unending days until they finally overran it. A deadly battle was fought on the streets until the remnants of the Ukranian forces withdrew. The Russians had to use everything non-nuclear to break the sturdy Ukranian resistance and after a month-long battle leaving fifty thousand soldiers and civilians dead and a town razed to the ground, the Russians flew their flag over the town hall. The Kremlin official saluted the flag as he joined the soldiers in singing the national anthem.Town residents who had gathered there or were forced to do so were mostly the elderly who could not escape when the evacuation was going on. Some had even resisted leaving.

Mr. Kravchenko, an eighty-year-old retired teacher was amongst the few who had stayed back. He stood infront of the town hall with his peers wearing Russian colours on his arm. Mr.Kravchenko remembered the time during World War 2 when the Nazis had overrun his town. His father was shot dead by the Nazis as he was working as a spy for the Soviet Army. The SS had rounded up the identified spies infront of the city hall, had knelt them on the ground and an SS lieutenant had shot each one of them with his luger pistol. Mr. Kravchenko then a ten-year-old boy had watched his father's execution with tears in his eyes while holding onto his mother's hand. His father had been the last man on the queue and when the lieutenant reached his father, his pistol had jammed. It had been a cold winter morning and a chilling wind had whistled through the town piercing the silence that was intermittently interrupted by the sound of loud gunshots and bodies falling to the ground. Mr.Kravchenko, fondly called Ivan, had watched his father with rapt attention and a slim hope had been surging in his heart that the goons would let his father go. Surely the lieutenant must have a heart. Surely he must be a father too- he had fervently hoped.

Ivan's father whose eyes were closed before, were now open. A strange light shone in them, one filled with courage and defiance. In a dry raspy voice, he began singing the Ukranian national anthem.

Ivan watched in horror as his father was hurled to the ground and kicked black and blue by the lieutenant.The lieutenant ordered a soldier to give him his pistol and he then fired multiple shots into his captive (who was sprawled on the ground in a pool of blood) until his pistol clicked empty.

Mr. Kravencho remembered very vividly all the details of that day and found that it was not very different than today.His town was overrun once again, and his people were subjugated. A chilling wind blew through the ruins of the town flapping the Russian flag wildly in the air.

As the Russian national anthem was coming to an end, Mr.Kravchenko started singing the Ukranian national anthem out loud-

"The glory and freedom of Ukraine has not yet perished. Luck will still smile on us brother-Ukrainians. Our enemies will die, as the dew does in the sunshine, and we too brothers, we'll live happily in our land."

As Mr.Kravchenko sung he could clearly see his father (kneeling down) in front of the steps of the town hall smiling at his ten-year-old son in the crowd. There was no fear in his eyes, only pride.

Mr.Kravchenko felt a sharp and numbing pain.A bullet had pierced through his thick overcoat and seared through his chest.He had been shot by a soldier on the instructions of the Kremlin official. Mr.Kravencho fell to the ground. Although his lungs were swelling with blood, he continued singing a hymn praising the pride, perseverance and resolve of the Ukranian people in a dry, hoarse voice. He was shot again; up close this time. A bullet seared through his forehead ending the song and a life that had preferred death over subjugation.

A strong wind whistled through the town mitigating the silence left by the resounding gunshots. However, the Russian flag raised above the town hall somehow got entangled around the pole and couldn't flutter anymore.

By Biprajit Datta Choudhury

biprajit30@gmail.com

Also Read: Remedies for Vaastu Defects at the Southwest

Also Watch: