Of all the gin joints....

 “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine!”

Well, not exactly a gin joint, I was in the food court. But, who cares! I had already been on bench for 5 months, so at least I didn’t! There aren't many things you can do in broad daylight in Chennai, gets hot and humid as hell! So it was either my cube (where I slept all day long) or food court!! So it as well be mine, I literally lived there! Aah...the reasoning ability of a useless mind! 

The point is, I was staring at the gate doing my usual rounds of time pass!

In came a girl. She was a cute, little, pretty thing! Her hair was tied in a pony tail and she had brown eyes. Pardon me, but I am naturally biased towards cute girls. So there she was and I was looking at her and then it happened! Her friend walked in! Now, I have seen many a girls, believe me, girls who knock the wind out of you by a mere gesture – a wink of an eye, turn of a hip, you know, the usuals. But there was something different about her face. I don’t usually think a lot while looking at a girl. But I was thinking, for a change, what’s special about her face? Then it hit me- her eyes!! Her brownish-bluish eyes with long eye-lashes! WOW! 

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War and Life

Every generation fights its own war. It may not be against the Mongols, the British, the Chinese or the Pakistanis. But it’s a war all the same. Ram had his demons and even Jesus had his Romans. Every generation fights its own war.

And, every new generation forgets that every previous generation has fought its own war. I do, too and so do you. You may not realize it but you do.

It may be a public, a private or a personal war. We may not have a choice between fighting it and not fighting it, but, we do have the choice to pick our own battles and pick-up the weapons of our choice.

You will either die on the side-lines or you will fight and die. You will either die on the side-lines or you will fight and die.

Life is simple, the choices are simple.

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Life, or How not to screw it by chance - II!

“They should ban the polka dot dresses in office”, I was thinking. She was again wearing that white polka dress. Don’t know about others but this did set my heart a-flutter.

I do have a technique for dealing with these kind of cases, you know. Usually I turn and run away! But there was a slight complication in this case- she happened to be one of my good friends. Couldn’t escape even if I wanted to, which, to be honest, I didn’t.

I was deep in my shallow thoughts when I heard a fly or something buzzing. On further focusing it turned out to be Manish calling me for lunch!  Oh! The two hour lunches! I miss those. Good food, awesome company, what more do you need!

We went for lunch, all six of us. I sat in front of  her and focused on my rice and fish curry. Couldn’t help noticing that it was Bengali Fish Curry. Just saying, you know, serendipity and all! Our eyes met once in a while, she adjusted her hair and I went like, kill me! Why did I have to fall for the most gorgeous girl in the campus! And the ultimate cruelty was to make her my friend! Situations like these make atheist like me want to believe in God. You need somebody to blame.

[TBC]

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The Last Jump.

I had always wondered what it takes to stand at the edge, the very edge, you know, of a cliff, a bridge and the like.

Today I know it. Absolute courage or absolutely nothing. 

I take a look at the abyss and try to remember my God. Only, I do not have one. It is as if the God mocks me! I try to remember the reasons why I am standing here today.

Friends theme song comes to my mind - "Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A".

Yeah right, heartbreaks! Loads of them! By the way, never fall for lawyers, they give you the worst kind of heartaches! It's funny, me giving advice!

Where was I? Yeah, why am I here.

Am I feeling suicidal? Somewhat, no more than usual.

Do I need to prove anything? By jumping? I don't know! Who cares!

Does my family know? Naah, lets spare them the agony.

Doing this is lunacy, I know.

A cool breeze blows through my hair. I take a deep breath, as if it is my last one. 

I will not close my eyes, I want to see the ground rushing towards me.

I jump, eyes wide open.

For few seconds it seems my heart is in my mouth. 

Then, almost suddenly, I feel the tug of the band! Man! Bungee jumping sucks!

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First of the Many - II!

[Copied from my Facebook notes, sort of a travelogue]

Read First Part

My train starts climbing. I see below a rivulet flowing through grey stones, green grass not very far from it. The rolling green fields, you may only read about these in a travel magazine article about Switzerland or Scotland, are also visible. Very far away, I can make out different layers of hill ranges covered with clouds, farther the range lighter the shade of grey it projects! My view is obstructed as the train enters a tunnel, the first of the many yet to come! As it exits the tunnel, I see that the same rivulet has emerged into a strongly flowing body of water. Where in the heaven am I, I wonder!

The train just entered Chichonda station after passing through yet another tunnel. It has started raining. All things green turn into awesome. The road less traveled looks all the more enticing! A small stone wall runs along the boundary of a farm, ending at a well. I cross a railway gate, a lone, red Tata Ace stands shining in the rain. The rising and falling contour of the green land adds to its beauty. 

I decide not to write another word, just gaze at the wonderful scene, just be there and feel and do nothing else! The train whizzes past Barsali station as I continue to watch out of the compartment gate in hope of catching yet another breathtaking view! And to put it mildly, I was not disappointed!

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First of the Many - I!

[Copied from my Facebook notes, sort of a travelogue]

My train is snaking through a tunnel cut into a mountain as it enters Madhya Pradesh. The stones, originally light brown in color, drenched in rain water, are now slaty in color, with patches of green on them. I see an abandoned, roofless railway hut covered with moss. 

The scene quickly changes as I see farms, green farms as far as my eyes scan the horizon. I see a narrow road, washed clean by rain water, winding through the green land. Monsoon really brings out the poetry in the land! This is a place where you would take a long, long walk with your beloved, hand in hand, under an umbrella in a drizzle! And the best part? I haven't seen a single human yet! Perhaps the time has come to put down my pen as I approach Pandhuri, first human settlement for last half an hour!

The train started from Pandhuri about five minutes back. And now all I see are different shades, from fluorescent to dark brownish, green! As I enter Teegaon, a cool, slightly strong wind hits me in the face! Again, a red, rain-washed bench sits under a green canopy. Leaves of, what I assume to be a mango tree, are fluttering in the wind. Everything seems so surreal. Now the train leaves Teegaon and a single engine chugs by. I prepare myself for yet another awesome vista.

[Read Second Part]

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Life, or How not to screw it by chance - I!

The funny thing about life is that it doesn't give you a second chance. It will put your most desired thing right in front of you, just on the fringes of your fingertips, tease you with it, may let you taste it once or twice, and then pulls it away from you.

Mercilessly!

But most of the time, there is a split second window in which life puts that thing well with-in your grasp, and you have to decide whether you want it for life or let it go. That is the beauty of life, that it gives you an opportunity, a chance to get what you desire most, the thing for which you would pawn your soul to the Devil himself.

So what do you do when such a situation arises? Do you let it go and wait for something better? Or, you take that one leap of faith and grasp that thing and never let it go?

Most people are indecisive and through their indecision, they let it go.

This is a story of such indecision.

[TBC]

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