The letter riverside...

A nostalgic breeze kept playing with my mind  as I sat on the banks of the river. The dusk had silenced the water currents. The birds’ chirping filled the sky, blaming the twilight for ending their day's play. A couple sat across the river whose love for each other blended perfectly with the ambience. I had just relocated to the town and the evening was an ideal welcome. My college days were gone and a new phase of my life had begun. I sat there savoring the emptiness of my mind when an elderly woman came and sat beside me. There was a pleasant glow on her face. She was quite relieved to find me. She acknowledged it with a soothing smile. She seemed to be looking for help restlessly. She carried a small bag which was very neatly maintained. It was easy to guess that it had her most valuable belongings. She took out a pen and a sheet from her bag and waited till she got my complete attention. She cleared her throat and began to speak as I wore an inquisitive face. She requested me to write a letter to her daughter for she didn’t know how to read or write. Her daughter studied in a college far from town. Her obsession for her daughter was second to none. She immediately showed her snap to let me appreciate her feelings for the beloved. Her daughter was very beautiful indeed. Her words of praise never stopped until I reminded her of the letter.

 

Finally she began dictating the content. Her voice was intimate enough to make anyone feel that I was her daughter and that she never felt the distance. I was touched by her ingenuous words. Once I finished, the glow on her face grew brighter. She lightly touched my head to express her gratitude and left with a hope of seeing me again. The whole evening left me feeling good about myself and for the woman who was gratified. The following week kept me busy in adapting to the new place. After the hectic week, my pursuance of solitude took me to the river again.

 

The place had to offer a different meaning and beauty this time, adding to the perception I carried previously. The pensive mood was about to capture me when I was interrupted by the same woman. She bore the persistent smile and carried the same bag. Surprisingly she didn’t recognize me. Neither did I mind nor did I try to remind her. She requested me to pen a letter to her daughter again. I silently agreed. She began to dictate the content and to my surprise, she had exactly the same message to convey. I couldn’t contain my curiosity and reminded her that she had already met me the previous week to get the same letter written. Her face turned pale and she seemed terrified. She grabbed the letter and disappeared before I could ask anything. I was completely clueless as an onlooker shouted “Don’t mind. Her daughter passed away in an accident few years ago. She has lost her mind since and troubled the visitors here”.

Wretched!!!

I was done for the day and was waiting for my system to shut.I was hungry as i ate less for lunch. My colleague rang me to know if i was ready to leave.We had decided to head for a long drive that evening for it was week's last working day at office and the weather was inviting.Enroute to the highway we pulled over at a eat-out to compensate for the insufficient lunch.This place had just everything we could imagine for a fast-breaker.I ordered a double veg sandwich while my friend went for a patty.We settled on the chairs outside the cafe as we waited in a reflective mood.The ambience was a typical weekend one.School kids were happily rushing towards their school bus.The road was jammed with office goers eagerly wanting to return to their families .Few men were busy shopping for fruits and delicacies to turn their evenings into celebration.College couples crowded the near by coffee shop and joggers park, hoping for the weekend to last forever.Others kept their mouths busy with golgappas at the adjacent Chat shop.Everyone seemed happy and were least bothered about the past and future.I sat there picturing how i once lived and would live these peoples' lives.

The thought of sandwich interrupted me for the good and as we sat there waiting,i felt a tiny finger poke my arm.I turned to see who it was.I couldnt move my eyes off what i saw.It was an abandoned,weak and a beggarly kid who was not more than 6 yrs old .He had four other kids of same age standing behind him.They were staring at me with their innocent eyes which spoke of nothing but Hunger.They had only torn vests hanging around their bodies which had turned brownish over the years.They were acutely malnourished and their eyes were a testimonial of their struggle for existence since birth. Their expressionless faces had tanned completely and only dried mark of tears below their eyes was evident.They didnt even possess the energy to speak and simply stood there helpless.It seemed like they were devoid of food for ages.They all looked desperate but skeptical.Somehow the kid who approached me was the least scared of them all.He simply kept pulling my sleeves.I reached for my pockets and was looking for coins when the waiter came down with the sandwich and patty.The sight of these raised their heart beats.It came as an oasis in a desert for the long lost and thirsty.They grew more and more impatient and desperate.They stared at each other as if they had found gold after digging for years.They were least bothered about my search for coins and turned selfish among themselves, thinking about who would get all the food.They were in a mood to gulp hundreds of them though.Right then,two of the kids quickly jumped on the food.My colleague tried to resist but their teeth were strong enough to bite his hand off and snatch them away.The two of them began to run away with the food.Me and my colleague were left gaping.The other kids also ran behind to get a bite .The waiter chased them for some distance but gave up midway.They crossed the busy road at lightning speed.We stood there to see what followed.The other three kids who ran behind, caught up with them.Soon after, all five were wrestling.In the process they dropped the food.It didnt matter.They didnt give up.They grappled for sometime and got hold of few crumbs each. We still stood there not able to digest.They saw us from distance and began to run again.We didnt speak a word with each other and silently left without ordering again.

We all have big aims while we live.These kids' only aim is to live.

Toffee, the sweet currency!

Remember the last time you were standing in a queue at the billing counter of a Shop or a Restro? Did you walk out with anything other than the stuff you wished to buy? Let me help you if you are still beating your brains. It could be a toffee or two. Still wondering? They are the replacements you get for denominations of a rupee,50 np etc, which have run short, as change. Lately this has become a regular practice which can be witnessed in almost all pop and mom shops or any small retail outlet. Majority of customers shop for odd amounts which calls for issue of these denominations as a part of change. And this is restricted not only to retail outlets but extending across various counters (Yes, including ticket counters at Bus Stands!)

Consequences?.... Its worth wondering if it could make a strong marketing tool for the toffee makers. However that sounds!!! Primarily it relieves Cashiers’ headache of coin hunting and effects a marginal boost on outlet’s sales. Double Dhamaka!!! Or would it be goofy to think a step ahead and infer that it could also cut the coin circulation rate increasing its rarity. Good food for thought? Surely tastes better than the toffee at the counter I feel.

Cheers!!!

To all those who would be growing richer by around 45k p.a this year on ( read, the populist budget'08 by the FM). This figure sounds so soothing to a salaried, especially for mortals like me who are contemplating to own a Yamaha workstation. Whats on your mind. Better start listing them out. FM struck a good trade off which has put the smiles back on pitiable farmer's face, not to mention the major share of citizens falling into this category. With the ground work for elections on the anvil, he has done well to cut a dash. It would be difficult, not to draw any negative response though, by a negligible few who have to bear the brunt of it. Hence the word ‘Trade off’. On the whole, the budget has earned more smiles than frowns. Me all smiles in particular for I am en route to the Yamaha showroom at connaught place….Kudos!!!

PaSsIoN

Passion (from the Latin patior, meaning to suffer or to endure). Passion is an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for anything and often requiring action.

CQ + PQ > IQ. Here the Curiosity quotient when added to the Passion quotient becomes greater than the Intelligence quotient.

This is what a Lexicon and Thomas Friedman have to offer in the name of Passion. Is the populace outright cognizant about it? Though yes in most cases, have they been able to get wind of the one that accentuates such emotion? It’s a perceptible NO. Hardly two per hundred would possess such burning desire. Yes, the keyword is ‘Possess’ for not every soul conceives it as an asset. Not many have a deep slumber at the end of the day owing to the mental gratification of having spent it in pursuit of their passion. This underlying verity clearly marks the difference between the few who die as legends and the multitude who perish unremarkably. Its well established that a newborn is indued with umpteen innate abilities out of which one can recognize quite a many and excel , as he matures. Its the cacoethes that lets one, carry off the bell. A great mind who commands prodigious words on his narrow bed and pages of history concurs to this. Who do you want to be?........

Dogging his dreams

5 pm it was, when the seemingly endless chemistry class was on. It was one of the usual classes where Dhruv was eager to elude the session to have a patty or a tomato soup in the near by Mayura's. But the only option was to sit in the class and wait for the final bell to go. His girl of dreams, studying in the adjacent class, was the only motivation to remain seated. The Lecturer’s words sounded like condolences to him. He was fancying the black board to turn into a glass so tat he could see how beautiful his Dream girl looked. He used to wonder if she even knew him as it was only a month since the admissions had taken place. No wonder he had spotted her on day two for the kind of spell she cast on him.

Dhruv, sixteen, had just passed his matriculation to enter the eleventh standard in a reputed pre university college. He felt euphoric to be freed from his uniform and so colourful did everything seem to him after passing out from school. He used to wake up unexpectedly early in the morning to expend more time to select his outfit for the day. He made sure his apparel blended perfectly with his, carefully picked, thick soled footgear. This artless Dandy shaved his inconspicuous moustache on a regular basis on account of tips by his leg pulling pals. He kept swanking in front of his younger brother for comments. But he couldn’t beat his brother’s sleep and hence, couldn’t cut a dash. This didn’t bother him though, for his pet dog did the obeying and wagged his tail in affirmation to his questions like “Do I look dashing!!!”. His mother’s holla for coffee fell on his deaf ears. Somehow he managed to get to the college early by discounting on time for supposedly essential things like breakfast.

It was the thirty first morning in college and fifteen minutes to go before the classes commenced. Dhruv was found near the bulletin board reading the same age old notice which wont come off because of the luckily strong glue. This scene was obvious and regular as it was very close to the entrance of the college and as was common, he hoped to catch a glimpse of his girl’s angelic face as she entered. This routine act of his had built a symbiotic relation between his ocular muscles and aesthetic brain. Notice board was just one of the three locations which he resorted to, in turn. Second one was a phone booth, opposite to the entrance, which had dark translucent panes and enabled him see her enter the college from a considerable distance. Finally, the favourite Mayura's ,from where he could see her walk over a stretch of three hundred yards before entering the college ,taking atleast three minutes which easily measured upto three years to him. All three had their own advantages based on distance and time.

As he was noticing the board, she entered .He felt the electricity from a distance which only intensified as she closed in. He eventually got his much awaited coup d’oeil. Her eyes had the same dampness .For him, they conveyed a kind of helplessness which, only he could empathize and alleviate. He felt that they were the only two souls in the world at the moment. Her smile made him breathe slowly as if he could slow down everything around him and bask the moment. It was godsend for him. He was as afraid of being spotted by her as much as he longed to see her. He moved away from there and went in search of his pals. His biggest goal then, was to talk to her once. His every morning pledge was to accomplish the task of introducing himself to her. He had thus spent twenty eight days unsuccessfully. He felt it was far better to savor his dreams than mess it up by letting her know for he was scared of failure. Oh boy!!! Was he in love or was it just infatuation that every teenager of his age goes through. The trance prevented him from distinguishing between them. It just didn’t bother him as he was oblivious of technical aspects of both. Did it really matter? Why should it? After all he was going through a magical phase of his life which meant so much to him.

Dhruv chose the last bench of the class and had remained an introvert. He didn’t take part in class discussions. He wasn’t bad at his subjects though. All he did in the morning sessions was to plan his venture for lunch break. Nothing significant happened in the break though, as he didn’t dare enter her class without a reason. He wondered if any of his classmates knew her before joining college. The thought of answer ‘YES’ excited him. But it was easier and pragmatic for him to make one of her classmates his friend and know more about the elusive.

5 pm it was, when the seemingly endless chemistry class was on…….Few minutes later, the final bell rang. It resounded in his head like euphony. It was drizzling outside and was season’s first rain. He could smell the sweet aroma of the clay. He had gathered all the guts in the world to talk to her then. It was a perfect set up. He waited in the corridor impatiently for her to exit. All he had done in the class room for the last eight hours was to fantasize his acquaintance with her and how he would instill in her, a liking for him. Tension was building up and slowly was he forgetting what he was supposed to do.

At last she walked out of the class. Every step of her’s was daunting for him. As she drew tantalizingly close he stood there losing everything in the mind on the spur of the moment. She didn’t even seem to notice him. He felt like an ‘also-ran’ but didn’t give up. He waited till she left the corridor and ran immediately towards the main entrance through a different route. He now had a new plan of facing her en route but failed this time too as the exit was too crowded.The thought of being beaten up by the mob for eve teasing struck him for the better. He felt like an outright loser now. The only consoling option was to hurry to the Mayura's and see her walk back all the way from a distance. He did so. He ordered a soup. The drizzling had stopped, but clouds still hung in there turning the whole place into a nostalgic one. He sat there watching her pass by. She tardily disappeared beyond vistas. The sun, though invisible at the moment, was plausibly setting. His soup was cooling.The taunting trees,birds and wind added to his misery. He felt like a baby craving for the elusive moon. He silently left the bakery with a hope of seeing her the next day, hope of talking to her, hope of winning her......