One of the last shots before the movie ended were those of a cemetery – with rows and rows of graves – of soldiers. My mind went back to an afternoon in Pune a couple of years back. I was zooming towards the bus-stand to catch a bus to Mumbai – holding onto the rikshaw seat for dear life. I am not sure why but the vehicle stopped at a point and looking out I saw one such cemetery. Taken aback by its expanse, I wondered and found out that it contained graves of soldiers who died in World War – I am not sure which one though the world has seen only 2 so far.

It was fleeting but I remember wondering about those who must have passed on long before I came into this world – in fact long before it was their time to go. For at least some of them, this land must have been a foreign one. Did they die a painful death or were at least some of them lucky enough to not notice that they were breathing their last?

I asked the rikshaw driver if one could go inside the cemetery. He mumbled something about the timing and the vehicle moved on. I haven’t been able to go back since but that cemetery has remained in a corner of my mind.