If you have met old friends after ten to fifteen years especially if you were bosom friends then only then you will know what a joyful experience it is. You start picking up threads about each others lives until now, rejoice in childhood memories, wonder about what your other friends are doing and then say life moves so fast that ‘there is no time to stand and stare’ to quote Davies. You get up appreciating how aptly the poet puts it.
Something of this kind happened to me while I was waiting for my wife to show up at a posh restaurant. When the head waiter led to me to my already booked table I heaved a sigh of relief. It was hidden from view from the entrance and partially shielded from the rest of the restaurant. As I made my way to the table a shout startled me. “Oi! Mick!!”. I was startled because it was a childhood nickname of me only for my most intimate friends whose number was restricted to two. Well there is a long story behind this name but to cut a long story short the Cold War was at an all time high at that time, so the newspapers were full of reports of spies. We as kids were of course fascinated of these and spend many an evening playing spies and we referred to each other by a code name. The turning point in our friendship was Father’s transfer from there to Mumbai.
Turning around I saw Bhavan ‘Dave’ Gupta striding towards me with open arms. Where was the bony kid that I left behind? Right now he looked like a wrestler with bulging biceps, massive chest and huge arms. “Long time no see??” he inquired after we had exchanged pleasantries. “Oh.... Every time I thought of contacting you something came up. So...” I replied. “ you became a big city babu and forget about your friends” he said obviously enjoying my discomfort.
By this time we reached my table. I enquired whether he would like to join me. He answered with an affirmative however adding that he had an appointment to keep so could only spare half an hour. Soon we were drinking wine while catching up with each others life. From him I gathered that he was a lawyer and was employed at a very prestigious law company. Having finished the usual quota of questions I enquired about the other member of our ‘gang’ Shushil ‘Danny’ Misra.
“Danny? Yes I met him. He is doing well and has joined the army.”
“Oh. But when did you meet him?”
“Well... it’s a long story...”
I pestered knowing fully that the story would be out fully in an minute or two. In childhood he was always ‘boring’ us by his stories. But the truth was we always loved those but were affected by a common childhood feeling of jealousy that ‘he is better than me’. I was not wrong. He gave in.
“Well it happened so, that I was a struggling lawyer trying to make a buck out in the great city. During that time I was courting a girl, very beautiful mind you. After many a rejected proposals I finally got her to agree to be my girlfriend. For about 2-3 months we were very happy. But then the trouble started. We would have fights every other day and I was convinced that she had another admirer. After a particularly painful fight I went to a bar to drown my emotions. Guess how I met there? Yes Danny. There he was drinking bottles after bottles. He was literally drowning himself in them. I went up to him and asked what the matter was. From him I gathered that he was in exactly the same dilemma as I was. After drinking more than enough bottles we devised a plan to confront Danny’s Devil. We decided that he was to ask his girlfriends to make the other man in her life to come at a particular restaurant. This restaurant suited our purpose well as it as open air and had easy access point. And we also decided that Danny was pound the hell out of him.
When I met my girlfriend the next day she informed me that my suspicions were well founded and she indeed had another man in her life. The same had asked me to meet at the same restaurant coincidently the same which Danny and I had agreed upon. The next day with my chest overflowing with anger I went up to the restaurant and sat on the pre decided table. He (the Devil) was to come in a black shirt and blue jeans. Anything that remotely suggested this combination was coming up the drive. As he neared I could see his face and I tell you I was completely aghast. It was no other than Danny. As he neared the table I saw that he was also completely taken aback.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked bluntly eying my .
‘What are YOU doing here’ I replied.
‘Are you... Geeta?’ he asked.
‘Eh... yes you too?’
He nodded.
Suddenly wind picked up. A newspaper came flying and landed on my face. Something caught my eye and when I read it I became rooted to the spot. It read ‘We wish to announce the happy union of Raju C. and Geeta Raina. Please come and shower your blessing on the couple. The wedding is going to take place....’ I could read no more. I handed the news paper to Danny. He handled the news better than I had expected. After this event we became best friends and kept contact with each other. But before breaking up for the day we both decided to punch this Raja’s face if we ever came face to face with him.”
Now I must allude to the sitting arrangement at our table. I was sitting facing the aisle leading to our table while Bhavan sat with his backside towards it. As I looked at it my heart sank. Coming up the aisle was my wife. Before I could do anything she was at the table and was on the verge of saying “Sorry I’m late” she saw my companion and turned deathly pale. He in turn seemed to be gasping for breath opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish.
I decided to do the inevitable “I dare say you have met each other. Anyhow Bhavan this is my wife Geeta.............”
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Life and Death
It had started out as a regular Friday morning. Ever the optimistic he got up singing a song from the movie he saw last night. But that was when the trouble started. Just outside his house was an eviction notice which was just been pasted in the presence of his builder. He grew pale as he read it.
“What!? I have to pay you 1 lakh?”
“Ahh you know how to read.”
“I... But... Why?”
“No use butting me. You have to pay up by Monday. Good day.”
Atrocious! What a baseless demand! He already had cleared all the monetary matters with the builder. Surely there had been a mistake. As he read on he realized that he had some how missed this particular detail or rather the required amount altogether. Ah but life still goes on. There are always ups and downs. There is nothing you could do about it.
Soon he reached his office determined to make his boss cough up the required money. He calculated it was just about time for his monthly bonus. What awaited him at the office was not a bonus but a pink slip. Flabbergasted he rushed into his boss’s office for an explanation.
” What’s the meaning of this?” he asked.
“Well can’t you read?? You have been dismissed.” His boss replied in a matter-of-factly voice.
“I... But... Why?”
“That’s the decision of the board. I have nothing more to say. Please close the door as you go out.”
It had been his dream job for which he had worked very hard for and now it had been taken away from him for no good reason. Why?? Why was the life so unjust to him? First the house, then this. Why? Why? Why? Soon he was out on the street carrying his office belongings and in one hand the little piece of paper that had messed his whole life up. Stopping at a nearby bar he decided to drown his feeling with a bottle or two. It was on his third bottle that he remembered that he had a date with his girlfriend.
He rushed home in order to dress up for the night. This night was to be very special; he had decided to propose to her. Ah but life is so full of turns and twists that even the most experienced drivers receive a jolt sometime. Something of this kind happened to him. When he reached the restaurant, which he had so meticulously selected for this great juncture in their relationship, he realized something was amiss. His girlfriend was sitting there stone-faced with a determined smile.
“So how’s my sweetheart today?”
“Don’t get too mushy. I feel that this relationship has hit a saturation point.”
“Eh.... What?”
“Yes. You nave guessed it right. We have to stop seeing each other.”
This was the second time that day when he became tongue tied. The ring was starting to burn a hole in his pocket.
” Don’t look as if you didn’t expect it.” She said as she stood up.
“I.. But.. Why?”
But she was gone. Gone was his love that just had so bluntly dumped him. So much was he in shock that when the waiter came he jumped as if startled out of sleep. After about a half an hour he came out into the cold a determined man. All he wanted to do was to die. He had weighed various methods and soon was on a cliff just outside the city.
It started raining. It seemed as if the gods high up there were also sympathizing with him and were shedding tears as a symbol. As he stood out in the rain on the edge of cliff he rethought about his decision. Doubt was stirring in his heart. His optimism was slowly crawling up the dark chasm that the present circumstances had pushed it into. The money he could pay it. Yes he could. He had to. He was going to. About the job hmmmm there were tens of others which could be just right for him. Why do a job? He could start a business. Yes a business would be fine. It felt wonderful that at last he could be his own boss. As far as his love life was concerned there were hundreds of other fishes in the pond. Several of his friends were bachelor and would be sure of having an encyclopedia on girls especially beautiful ones he thought as he went back to his car. He mused about trying out speed dating.
It was still raining when he started to cross the road in order to reach his car. All that he heard was the screeching of tires.
“Nobody could have survived a hit like this. Wonder what he was doing here on such a stormy night.” , said the medico as he lifted the body on to the stretcher,”Wait something fell out of his pocket.... it’s a suicide note!”
“What!? I have to pay you 1 lakh?”
“Ahh you know how to read.”
“I... But... Why?”
“No use butting me. You have to pay up by Monday. Good day.”
Atrocious! What a baseless demand! He already had cleared all the monetary matters with the builder. Surely there had been a mistake. As he read on he realized that he had some how missed this particular detail or rather the required amount altogether. Ah but life still goes on. There are always ups and downs. There is nothing you could do about it.
Soon he reached his office determined to make his boss cough up the required money. He calculated it was just about time for his monthly bonus. What awaited him at the office was not a bonus but a pink slip. Flabbergasted he rushed into his boss’s office for an explanation.
” What’s the meaning of this?” he asked.
“Well can’t you read?? You have been dismissed.” His boss replied in a matter-of-factly voice.
“I... But... Why?”
“That’s the decision of the board. I have nothing more to say. Please close the door as you go out.”
It had been his dream job for which he had worked very hard for and now it had been taken away from him for no good reason. Why?? Why was the life so unjust to him? First the house, then this. Why? Why? Why? Soon he was out on the street carrying his office belongings and in one hand the little piece of paper that had messed his whole life up. Stopping at a nearby bar he decided to drown his feeling with a bottle or two. It was on his third bottle that he remembered that he had a date with his girlfriend.
He rushed home in order to dress up for the night. This night was to be very special; he had decided to propose to her. Ah but life is so full of turns and twists that even the most experienced drivers receive a jolt sometime. Something of this kind happened to him. When he reached the restaurant, which he had so meticulously selected for this great juncture in their relationship, he realized something was amiss. His girlfriend was sitting there stone-faced with a determined smile.
“So how’s my sweetheart today?”
“Don’t get too mushy. I feel that this relationship has hit a saturation point.”
“Eh.... What?”
“Yes. You nave guessed it right. We have to stop seeing each other.”
This was the second time that day when he became tongue tied. The ring was starting to burn a hole in his pocket.
” Don’t look as if you didn’t expect it.” She said as she stood up.
“I.. But.. Why?”
But she was gone. Gone was his love that just had so bluntly dumped him. So much was he in shock that when the waiter came he jumped as if startled out of sleep. After about a half an hour he came out into the cold a determined man. All he wanted to do was to die. He had weighed various methods and soon was on a cliff just outside the city.
It started raining. It seemed as if the gods high up there were also sympathizing with him and were shedding tears as a symbol. As he stood out in the rain on the edge of cliff he rethought about his decision. Doubt was stirring in his heart. His optimism was slowly crawling up the dark chasm that the present circumstances had pushed it into. The money he could pay it. Yes he could. He had to. He was going to. About the job hmmmm there were tens of others which could be just right for him. Why do a job? He could start a business. Yes a business would be fine. It felt wonderful that at last he could be his own boss. As far as his love life was concerned there were hundreds of other fishes in the pond. Several of his friends were bachelor and would be sure of having an encyclopedia on girls especially beautiful ones he thought as he went back to his car. He mused about trying out speed dating.
It was still raining when he started to cross the road in order to reach his car. All that he heard was the screeching of tires.
“Nobody could have survived a hit like this. Wonder what he was doing here on such a stormy night.” , said the medico as he lifted the body on to the stretcher,”Wait something fell out of his pocket.... it’s a suicide note!”
Sunday, September 03, 2006
CONFESSIONS OF A KLEPTOMANIAC
Here is just one of my earlier writings.... by earlier ie when i was 13...
God has given me an extra projection in my spinal cord that controls my kleptomaniac actions. These actions is involuntary . Whenever I go anywhere ,my hand involuntary picks up an article and pockets it .I have the tendency to whisk off things for my own but lately my conscience has been stopping me.
I recently subscribed a magazine called “Kleptomania Today ”. Through this I have become aware of many people like me, how their lives differ from mine. This has made it easier for me to accept my “diagnosis”. Mohan Das Klepto, the editor of this magazine, is currently involved with the kleptomaniacs of U.K., making them realize that it is a disease they suffer from and it’s curable. After going through the life stories of kleptomaniacs from all over the world, I too was inspired to confess…to share my own experience with my brothers!!!
So here it goes…I was walking down a street in Missouri when I met him. He was a well to do businessman. I got to know him a lot during the walks after dinner. His name was Akash Patel and he had a huge estate back home in Gujarat. According to him his company’s annual turnover was one crore. It seemed too far fetched but his quiet nature made me believe that.
He had a golden Rolex which was the first thing I noticed about him, though involuntarily. I was surprised at myself…what was going on??? My mind seemed to be working overtime. I could not seem to get it out of my mind all through the day and the nights were torturous too. Even if I did manage to catch a wink or two, I was haunted by the Rolex in my dreams. I had to have it…!!!
Looking for opportunities every now and then, I finally got lucky…It so happened that he had called me to his room (we both were staying in the same hotel) and he received an urgent call. After the call he told me that some urgent work had cropped up and if I could excuse him for a few minutes enough to attend to the work.
The watch was lying on the side table. I was tempted to pick it up but my conscience bade me not to do it. My hand suddenly went to the watch and pocketed it. It happened so fast that I could not react to it. My heartbeat had soared high and even before I could clear my mind and keep the watch back in its place he came back. We went for dinner as planned before and I was being reprimanded by my conscience all through it. I was hoping desperately that he did not realize anything amiss in my behavior.
My stay was over and I was to go back home that night. We met at the coffee shop and promised to stay in touch. My conscience was bothering me and not letting me go back until and unless I returned the watch. I stole back to my room and got the watch. I put it back in his room exactly at the place from where I had taken it.
That night, in the train, when I was going through my handbag for something to read, I realized with horror that my coin collection was missing. I frantically started searching for it. It was the most prized possession of mine.
Later , I realized that when I had shown it to Akash, he was quite hungrily staring at it. With a sinking heart I realized that I had been given a piece of my own medicine.
God has given me an extra projection in my spinal cord that controls my kleptomaniac actions. These actions is involuntary . Whenever I go anywhere ,my hand involuntary picks up an article and pockets it .I have the tendency to whisk off things for my own but lately my conscience has been stopping me.
I recently subscribed a magazine called “Kleptomania Today ”. Through this I have become aware of many people like me, how their lives differ from mine. This has made it easier for me to accept my “diagnosis”. Mohan Das Klepto, the editor of this magazine, is currently involved with the kleptomaniacs of U.K., making them realize that it is a disease they suffer from and it’s curable. After going through the life stories of kleptomaniacs from all over the world, I too was inspired to confess…to share my own experience with my brothers!!!
So here it goes…I was walking down a street in Missouri when I met him. He was a well to do businessman. I got to know him a lot during the walks after dinner. His name was Akash Patel and he had a huge estate back home in Gujarat. According to him his company’s annual turnover was one crore. It seemed too far fetched but his quiet nature made me believe that.
He had a golden Rolex which was the first thing I noticed about him, though involuntarily. I was surprised at myself…what was going on??? My mind seemed to be working overtime. I could not seem to get it out of my mind all through the day and the nights were torturous too. Even if I did manage to catch a wink or two, I was haunted by the Rolex in my dreams. I had to have it…!!!
Looking for opportunities every now and then, I finally got lucky…It so happened that he had called me to his room (we both were staying in the same hotel) and he received an urgent call. After the call he told me that some urgent work had cropped up and if I could excuse him for a few minutes enough to attend to the work.
The watch was lying on the side table. I was tempted to pick it up but my conscience bade me not to do it. My hand suddenly went to the watch and pocketed it. It happened so fast that I could not react to it. My heartbeat had soared high and even before I could clear my mind and keep the watch back in its place he came back. We went for dinner as planned before and I was being reprimanded by my conscience all through it. I was hoping desperately that he did not realize anything amiss in my behavior.
My stay was over and I was to go back home that night. We met at the coffee shop and promised to stay in touch. My conscience was bothering me and not letting me go back until and unless I returned the watch. I stole back to my room and got the watch. I put it back in his room exactly at the place from where I had taken it.
That night, in the train, when I was going through my handbag for something to read, I realized with horror that my coin collection was missing. I frantically started searching for it. It was the most prized possession of mine.
Later , I realized that when I had shown it to Akash, he was quite hungrily staring at it. With a sinking heart I realized that I had been given a piece of my own medicine.
The First Post
well this is the first post i ever made so here it is!!!!!! wait for a few days and i will start posting my writings........
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