A short trip to Amsterdam, turned to be a trip down the memory lane. With few free hours in hand, a map at our disposal, we became the accidental tourists and started scanning the map for tourist destinations. As my eyes went thru the map with guidance by my index finger, I came across, 'The Anne Frank House'.
A flashback started running in my mind on an instant basis. I was reminded of the time when I had first laid my hands on the book, ' The Diary of Anne Frank'. I was about to enter my teens then and like Anne, felt I had grown big and had new found love for my independence and 'private space'. My life was also welcoming secret crushes and I had a sudden concern for my looks and appearances. It was an instant love for the book. As I proceeded, I was to read a first hand experience of a jewish family in the world war 2 and their travails. With further reading, how I wished and prayed the safety of this family, but all in vain. Anne's family hid in a secret annex, from the Germans, they were eventually discovered and sent to concentration camps. Anne died there, her father survived and discovered the diaries. He later publish them. Millions like me read this and realized, that Human rights are the most essential birth rights of every individual, and should be enjoyed by all.
'The Anne Frank House' was immediately circled by me and the tram route to the house was studied. Freezing winds, temperature in negative and an eternal wait for the tram did not dampen my spirit. The house was a straight walk from the tram station, in the native language '6 dams away'. As we walked, My husband lend his ears to my endless jabber on the memories of the book and how it inspired me to start with my own diary. Yes, true enough I had started writing a diary too, penning my insignificant day activities which were of extreme significance at that time. My brother, would occasionally open the lock of the diary with my hair pin with as much ease as if he had the key. He would then take my case royally by giving me the look ' I know all you secrets'. Eventually, after a couple of months later we both weaned out of our new found habit, he got bored reading the gibberish of a new teen and I got bored writing it down. When we were 2 dams away, I also narrated the tale that I along with my girlfriends had built a secret annex, chamber to be more precise on our terrace, its roof was made from the old bed sheets from our house and the walls were made from our mum's old sarees. We imagined, it to be our refuge from the rest of the world, where we could have our secret meetings, secretly we wanted to experience Anne's way of living in our own way.
With all dams crossed, we saw the board that directed the tourist to the Anne Frank House.The streets were relatively free of crowd owing to a chilly day, but as we approached the house a long serpentine line of tourist welcomed us, All had one motto, to see the Anne Frank House. While we stood in the line and waited for our turn, I was amazed with the mass appeal this book had. People from different cultures, different societies, different ethnicity and different background all waiting patiently to see the house where the little girl spent the last few years of her life. This not only showcased the immense popularity the book has enjoyed over the years, but also strengthened the fact that all of us believed in Human rights and were united in its cause. After a long wait, when we got the chance to enter the house, I felt I had come there before. Anne Frank's amazing power of description thru words, made all the readers, like me feel familiar to the secret annex. As we climbed the narrow staircases, it was very heart rendering that there was no iota of sunshine and the place was a complete disconnect from the outside world. Some of Anne's words still rankle in my mind. She stated many at times her desire to be a free bird and go out in the open, sadly the basic right of freedom was devoid to her and her family. I also remember reading in her diary her desire to be a journalist one day and write for human rights. Alas, she could not fulfill this, but her diary has been an inspiration for many a journalist in today's times and shall be for many in the making. Also, her story has inspired many to fight for their rights. As for me, though I never continued writing my diary but definitely Anne Frank's diary left an indelible mark on my tender mind and made writing my best way of expressing my thoughts and inner feelings.As a reader I would like to say that Anne, your dream to write for human rights is being lived by so many who got inspired by you and many more shall take inspiration from you. Your dream definitely lives on!
