The Hunt

"Hey Samir! Are you tensed?".
"No"
"Then, cheer up, da! After all, it is your first attempt, right?"
"Hmmm. Yes "
Samir then took one last glance at the mirror to see if everything looked fine before leaving his home. Everything was fine. Or was it? He was indeed tensed just like his sister had said.

Though this was his first attempt, Samir had experienced a similar state of nervousness and excitement mixed in equal proportions previously, some years back. Dressed in a classic black and white that day, he was able to slay the fear and become victorious. He never thought that he would have to put so much of care in his dressing and grooming again as people at that time told, " Samir! Since you are now an IT employee in AtoZ software org, finding a girl for marriage would not at all be a task for you. That too, if you manage to go onsite to the US for a couple of years in between, you may have to hire 'Z' class security to keep the queue of prospective brides in check in front of your house". Years passed by and Samir after returning in the middle of a 3 year stint at US, couldn't find even a single person, let alone a queue to choose from and marry. After some 2 weeks, there he was getting ready  to visit a girl's (read bride :P)home nearby along with his dear and near. His first crack at the CEM(Compatibility and Eligibility for Marriage)Test which like every other test nowadays, has its fair share of unknowns.

After exchanging pleasantries for some time at the girl's home, the moment came. The moment which Samir was preparing for. The moment, which he thought might never come. The moment when 'He' had to answer his prospective 'She' for a barrage of queries about his job and his stay in the US.  Expecting 'her' to listen in awe of his life as a software engineer in the US, Samir found only empty laughs and faceless expressions in return. He was not able to make out anything from their reaction.

After getting in the car, his dad said, " Phew! Atleast this family didn't seem much concerned about the IT industry and abroad stay stuffs. Hope they don't change their mind!". Samir got confused. He was not able to understand what his Dad told. He asked his dad on what he was talking about. "See, Samir! Nowadays some parents are thinking hard to have their daughters married off to software folks especially if the guy is said to be working abroad." Samir realized that What was once seen as the 'the duck that would lay golden eggs forever'  is now looked down on , thanks to various reasons. "To hell with the person who told about the queue when I took up the job,  it is now a null pointer exception!". On the way back home, Samir suddenly asked the driver to stop the car in front of a shop. He went in and came out with a couple of books, one of which read "Bank officer's exam guide!!".

The New Born

It was busy everywhere. Everybody seemed anxious and disturbed. Some of them found it difficult to remain in their seats. They preferred to walk the length and breadth of that small hall. Some were anxiously peeping through the small opening in the door leading to the next room. Some were silently praying to God with their eyes closed and hands folded. Inside the closed room, were people murmuring in hushed voices which were not clearly audible to the outsiders. A tinge of worry masked everybody's face. I sat in a corner of the room, watching everything with a numbness in my mind. After all, these were a repetition of the scenes I could witness some 30 years back, when I too was a worried man, praying to God Almighty. It was also a special moment in my life, something we long for but something we pray not to backfire.

The nurse showed her face through the little opening in the door and called a name. Some six to seven members rushed to her and she gave some instructions to them and a medical prescription. One or two of them immediately rushed to the pharmacy to get the medicine quickly.

After about half an hour's time, she called out another name. My wife, who was by my side, till then, sprang up to the door to reach to the nurse without delay, I too automatically followed her. We were asked to wait at the next door of the room. We were kept in the dark as to why we were asked to wait there. Within 10 minutes, she came out with a new born baby in her arms and handed over the baby to my wife. We found no boundaries to our joy. A baby girl, wrapped in smooth shawl. Yes, it is our Grand child. Some unknown joy filled my heart. A feeling which could not be expressed in words. A twinkle in our eyes, which cannot be explained. At least a new blood of ours in the form of a new born baby.

The same joy, the same feelings and the same twinkle in my eyes were experienced that 30 years ago when I stood before the labour room of a hospital where my wife was admitted for delivery of my child, and was handed over a baby boy by the nurse of that hospital. I felt history is repeating. Then our own children and now our own grand children. It will go on as a chain.

The innocent look of that new born took me to a world, which I have conquered, to be joyful, to feel the unexplainable feelings that ran through my mind.

An Enigmatic Evolution

"Molu! Turn off the tap. Don't waste the water. Water is very precious. Also don't forget to switch off the light when you leave the room." No, this is not an environment conscious mother educating her spoiled brat to use water and electricity judiciously so that the future generation can live a happy life. This is an ordinary housewife/mom yelling at her house help Robot to use the little water available in the tank and the 10 units of electricity yet to be drained from the inverter to the minimum so that they could somehow manage till the electricity is restored or till some help arrives from the Universal Space Station(USS)

The people are getting excited, in spite of the falling oxygen levels, whenever they hear the sound of any spacecraft hoping that it would be the help from the USS. It has been 2 weeks since these people were hit by a mammoth tidal wave which caused destruction in a gargantuan scale in their colony. The automated seismic monitor bots which were devised to predict such calamities had failed. Without the disaster relief robots developed for such emergencies, all the mankind in the colony would have been dead.

No one knows if there would be another killer wave . With the monitor bots damaged, the relief robots programmed not to leave the colony under any circumstance and the oxygenator completely destroyed, the people have no other way but to depend upon their demigods at the USS to rescue and move them to some other safer planet. A distress signal was sent to the USS through their drone Pidge-IV, but no help has come. The USS , though anchored near the lifeless earth's atmosphere now and some 20 light years away from this new home to the elitest of mankind, should have done something by this time. Don't they? After all, that is what they told when they came here virtually to campaign for their elections.

Which is better?

"ABCD party calls for statewide Hartal next Friday", Vinodh read the newspaper headline. His face turned pale, as another Friday holiday meant another day of PT period gone in school. Vinodh is the captain of the school football team and is touted to be a future Football star. Though he had his daily training sessions from the coach, the boy still in his eighth standard loved to play with his classmates in the PT period. "Why do these people call for bandhs only on Fridays?", he thought. After skimming the dozen and half pages of the newspaper almost at the speed of Chitti(The Robot), he concluded that newspapers are not having anything interesting these days barring the full page promotional ads. With nothing interesting to do on a boring Saturday morning, Vinodh opened his drawing book and started to sketch.

"Da Vinodh! Close that useless drawing book and study your lessons. I heard from Sunil's mother that you have your monthly tests from Monday. I also learnt that Sunil got the first rank in the quarterly exams! What have you got? A worthless tenth rank! He is also like you right? His Mom told that Sunil studies for five to six hours everyday after school. That is how students should be, especially when they are nearing the Board exams and not wasting time like you in doing trivial things", lectured Vinodh's mother. Vinodh got irritated and angry, not with his mother, but with Sunil who actually didn't do any harm to him directly. From that day, Vinodh visualised Sunil as his No.1 enemy, whenever his Mom talked about Sunil and compared them.

Comparison, thus could be the triggering point of enemity, jealousy and the feel of pessimism. I am not sure, whether the tendency to compare is inculcated in our genes by Lord Brahma during the development process. But the comparison process is seen immediately after the product release aka a baby's birth. "Lachchu! The baby is fair and cute but not that fair as Karna's daughter. You know how beautiful the baby is? Probably you didn't get Kumkumapoo for your daughter-in-law as I told. Anyways congrats di Amma!"

Another random conversation that we could hear very often in this time of the year would be " That tall fellow got a rating of 4.6, whereas I am given only 4.59. How come? I will surely go to the HR and demand an explanation for this atrocity. After all, I stay more hours in office than him" Thus from LKG marks to ratings to Dowry(sorry to say, but learnt that it is also compared) people attribute success in something only if they have gained more when compared to others or they start feeling jealous of the so called successful one.

Though there is no denial that we evolve by relating ourselves with others and comparing how good or bad we are, it should also be remembered that what is easy for Tom may not be that easy for Harry and each has their own way.

Who knows Sunil might have been scolded by his mom for not indulging himself in sports like Vinodh. After all, we sadly believe that we and our closer ones are faring poorer compared to our neighbours and other relatives. I am waiting for the day when we understand that everyone/everything is different and hence stop comparing with the so called successful ones.

My sincere advice is 'Why don't you start this journey towards realisation by not trying to compare this post with my previous posts. After all, this post is different from the other so called 'good' posts of mine :)'.

Ekalavya

Recently I got a chance to go through an article in a popular magazine about the transplantation of an arm to an Army Officer from Afghanistan, who lost his arm in a mine blast there. Kudos to the doctors who performed the miracle. Gaining inspiration from that article, I wish to  submit this blog for you.

Arjuna, the champion in the art of archery, came to know about a tribal boy, who has mastered the art all of himself without the guidance of a Guru. It is widely spoken that if he was allowed to practice in such a way further, one day he would beat Arjuna himself. The Prince of Hasthinapura spent sleepless nights over that issue and atlast brought it to the notice of his Guru Dronacharya.

Guru Dronacharya and his disciple set for the woods to meet the young boy. There they could meet him practicing archery. Everytime he succeeded in his attempt to hit his target, he came near a statue made of clay and bowed before it. Drona and Arjuna went near the youngster and praised him for his mastery in the use of bow and arrows. They wanted to know whose statue was that before whom he bowed every time he succeeded in his attempts. The lad disclosed that it was of his manaseeka guru, the great Dronacharya, whom he had had no chance to meet even once. Drona was very delighted to hear that. He hugged the young lad, patted on his back, though he was hatching a plot to undo that poor lad.

"Dear son! I am that Dronacharya, you wish to meet. I am your Manasekaguru whom you worship and I have come here to bless you in person that you shall mature into a good archer and nobody can beat you in this field. By the by your good name my boy?" Drona pretended as if he had much liking for the lad.

" I am Ekalavya. The son of the forest.". Ekalvya was very much astonished to see his guru by his side. He fell at his guru's feet. He was ready to do anything for his guru. Drona told that he was pleased with his performance with the bow and arrow and it was time for him to get blessings from the guru for which he has to offer Guru Dakshina. Whatever the guru asked for should be given as guru Dakshina; then only the blessings of the guru might befall on him and lead him to the heights of glory.

The archer was ready to offer anything the guru would ask for. Drona connived with Arjuna and thought that the young fellow henceforth should not handle his bow and arrows. Hence he asked for the young man's right thumb as guru dakshina. The poor young man could not grasp the ill effects of the demand and without any hesitation cut hs right thumb and offered it to his guru.

A jubiliant Drona with his desciple Arjuna left for Hasthinapura. Arjuna was relieved as he thought that one of his foes was destroyed and he could sleep peacefully thereafter.

After a couple of months, Drona happened to pass through the woods whereby he happened to meet Ekalavya. Ekalavya, as a mark of respect, fell at his feet and asked for blessings. Drona embraced him and enquired  about his archery training. "Perhaps you might have given up archery as you have lost your right thumb" Drona quipped.

"No Sir! I am performing much better than earlier"replied Ekalavya.

" How on earth can you do it without your right thumb? asked Drona.

" Simple Sir. Now I am having a new thumb in my right hand in place of the one you haven taken from me.Thanks to Medical Science and the ardent Medical Practitioners, now I am provided with a thumb donated by a dying patient, grafted to my right hand and it suits me better to practice my archery".

The Great Dronacharya's head sank in shame.

A Paradox

It was a pleasant evening with the Sun God maneuvering his chariot pulled by the seven horses below the horizon. The chirping birds seemed to be bidding adieu to the setting sun. The buzzing insects and the croaking frogs were getting ready to welcome the night. Ramulu's ears were deaf to the these buzzes and croaks, they were hearing only the sound of the gushing water in the river nearby. Ramulu had almost reached the river bank after his travel through the woods for a while. He moved as if in a trance towards the river.

With every step, his sixteen year old heart seemed to get heavier. He wanted nothing but justice. He wanted to know why he had to incur such a loss in his juvenility. He needed answers, though he knew that just answers couldn't douse the rage burning inside him.

He accelerated his walk towards the river; jumped over some broken tree branches and reached the swampy banks of the river. The river was almost full to the brim; so were his eyes. He had been to this place many a times before. But this was different . The affinity and love in his eyes, all these years, with the river was replaced by a blank angry stare. Ramulu was thinking how quickly his friend, this mighty river, turned foe and shattered all his dreams. It had been a week since the river spread its satanic tentacles in the form of flash floods and consumed his entire family and most of his village leaving him all alone grieving for the losses.

The river had calmed and retreated to its usual path, but Ramulu couldn't . He wanted vengeance . With tears flowing out of eyes , he prayed to the Sun God who himself seemed to be sharing Ramulu's rage with his reddish rays. Ramulu then took a handful of mud from the banks and looked at the river like a man possessed .

 "Your hands will get dirty! Take your hands from the window, Rahul", said Rahul's mother. Little Rahul had got excited when his train was moving on the bridge constructed on top of the river. The view of the mighty river flowing under the bridge was enough to excite the 8 year old. After all, he had rarely seen fresh water in such abundance in his concrete jungle. To top it, the view of the setting sun which looked like a red apple made Rahul even more joyous.'How lovely it would be to play in that river', thought Rahul. According to his Dad, that was the same river that acted as the source of drinking water for their city. "See Rahul! The river is almost full which means that we will get drinking water without any trouble for another 2 months. Hope the rains fill it more like last week , so that there won't be any scarcity till the next monsoon. Though Rahul was still too young to understand completely what his Dad told, he had seen the troubles his parents had to go through last summer to get some decent amount of potable water for the family. Just then, Rahul's Mom gave him few rupee coins and asked him to pray for better water levels in the river to the Sun God and throw the coins in the river.

"Oh! The Lord on Seven horses! In your mighty presence, I curse this sinful river which breached its limits and consumed many a lives to go dry and be of no use to anyone. May this river get stripped off its so called holiness!" , shouted Ramulu on top of his voice and threw the handful of mud in the river.

A few metres apart, the 8 year old quietly prayed the Apple like Sun God to bless for good rainfall and better water levels in the holy river. He then dropped the coins in time before the train crossed the river completely.

A curse and a wish expecting opposite results. How would God be able to balance this and satisfy both? Maybe , this is why rivers go bone dry during summer and overflow during Winter. After all, that could be one way to solve this paradox.

The Wait

It was almost 9 in the morning. Shambhu lal was still lying down on his mat. The foggy cold morning was cajoling him to sleep for some more time. But he had to go. He had to succeed today at least. There was no more room for failure . He quickly got ready and went to his destination. Alas! There was a huge line of around 20-25 people waiting before a closed shutter, hoping for the best. Shambhu had been seeing such lengthy queues for the past couple of days and returned back to his home disappointed like the Jarasandha retreating after each failed attack on Lord Krishna in the Dwapara yuga. But Jarasandha aka Shambhu couldn't return empty handed today. He had to believe that that would be 'his' day.He quickly took his position as the last man in the queue. He had to lose the 'last man in the queue' title in a jiffy as there were more and more people joining at the tail.

Shambhu started scanning the people in the queue. There were people of almost all ages, from adolescent to elderly with the middle-aged like Shambhu forming the majority. They were unfazed by the cold weather and were braving the cold by wearing mufflers and sweaters. Shambhu was surprised after finding few women in the queue in spite of the poor weather. There was a hue of sorrow painted on all the faces with a few venting out their anger and frustration with their neighbors in the queue. Shambhu was also having similar feelings and questions. But he knew that that was not the time to get angry. He wanted to move forward in the queue. As per him, he was too far back which would mean that the probability of him not getting his quota was more.

He had many acquaintances standing before him. He could easily seek their help to get for him too. But with the limits and other new rules, everyone would be thinking only for himself/herself. It had been almost an hour and a half. There was no trace of the gentleman aka 'the saviour for these people' in his guarded vehicle. He was getting restless, so were the others. Though it was cold,  Shambhu was feeling thirsty. His hands had started shivering. His knees were getting weak. His vision was becoming blurry. But he stood his ground in the queue. He couldn't give up. He was sincerely hoping that after going through all these, he should get his due and not a board telling to come later. He was praying that not even his enemy should have such a fate.

Just then 'he' appeared out of his vehicle with his bag. There was a loud cheer from the people followed by some chaos. The guard who had come along, somehow managed to restore some order . Once the guy who went behind the shutter, signalled a 'Go', people in the queue started entering one after the another. The more the time it took, the more tensed were the people still in the queue. It was Shambhu's turn. With the sudden rush of adrenaline, Shambhu forgot the pains in his body and ran inside.  After getting his full quota, Shambhu came out clutching it tightly close to his heart. Why wouldn't he? He had been having a nightmarish 3 days. He was not able to sleep or eat well . He then opened his hand to take another look at his hard earned.

Photo Courtesy

 There it was ! In a newer design and style. Shambhu was fondly remembering the days when the people could easily walk in and get theirs at any time. The days, when people like him would sink themselves in the oceans of nectar and enjoying the world as if there were no tomorrow. The days when this magic thing at hand could make the sky their costly roof and the rocky ground their comfy bed .He blessed the guy loudly who came with the stocks . He did a quick check around him before opening his quota. He then gulped it in a single sip. Gone were the chills and pain in his body along with the senses. He then turned back at the guy who opened the shutters of the liquor shop a while back and started yelling "Thanks! Oh Saviour!!" and he fell down unconscious thanks to the liquor hacking his CPU alias brain that just went inside.

The people who were still in the queue to get the liquor didn't pay any attention to Shambhu's theatrics.No one bothered to give a hand to him. They knew once the effect of alcohol subsides, he would come back to senses.After all, who would want to lose their hard earned place in the queue to get the liquor before the stocks run out.