It’s strange. Sometimes things happen which make you take a step back and wonder – was that for real? In today’s fact paced world where people don’t have time for themselves, leave alone anyone else – how can someone come around to help you and not ask for anything in return?
It has happened twice till the time of writing this piece and I’m still amazed.
I was going to my office (Wipro Depot) from Durgapur and it was a slightly overcast day. As I got into the bus, it started raining but I thought that’s ok as the journey was 2.5 hours so the rains would subside by then. I reached Kolkata and from there took a second bus to Majerhat (where the depot is situated). From there on it is a small walk to the depot but as I got down, I saw the whole road submerged in water. Actually there is no road, it is a dirt track which was now muddy with water and people were wading through the water with shoes in one hand and trousers rolled up to the knees. I stood there standing, not able decide should I also do the same or should I do something else?
I decided to take a rickshaw across the water but couldn’t find any. I saw a car approaching and asked to take me across the water but to no avail. I tried flagging off a number of vehicles but none obliged.
Then a man crossed the water with his bicycle and turned around and asked me, “dada, oi side jaabe?” (You want to go that side?). And I hopped on to the bicycle and crossed the water logged track with ease. Once we were on the other side, I asked him how much. And he said, not a problem - just help someone when he asks for help. With this the man went back and I was left standing there, wondering if people still help strangers without anything in return.
The second time it happened recently when I was in Bhubaneswar and wanted to call my friend, but my phone balance was running low so I came out to find a pay phone. It was late in the night and no pay phone shop was open. I was just thinking what to do when a man asked what my problem was. I told him I was searching an STD booth and he said you won’t find any one open at this hour. He offered his phone to me and I was taken aback. How do people get so friendly? I used his phone to make an eight minute STD call and when I asked him how much should I give him, he just said – “koi na, kabhi hum Bangalore aaye to jagah ghuma dena”. (No worries, if I come to Bangalore sometimes, just give me a tour of the city). I was again dumb struck with the simplicity and geniality of the person.
These incidents show that no matter how cynical we become, how much profit centered our lives become, deep down inside each one of us is still the good human which God created in his own image and if we all can bring out that good human outside a little more, this planet would be a much better place to live on.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
That's Life
Hits & misses, stolen kisses
That’s Life.
Skipping a beat, spotting ‘the one’ across the street
That’s Life.
Waking up from a bad dream, only wishing you could erase the dream
That’s Life.
Hoping and waiting, waiting for a miracle to happen
That’s Life.
Waiting to break free, ready to push the reset button
That’s Life.
Looking towards a better tomorrow, a lot more joy and a lot less sorrow
That’s Life.
Going through a lot of storms, but finally knowing what really matters
That’s Life.
Leaving behind friends, no idea when and where; but when you are all alone, you turn back to see them still here
That’s Life.
Wiping the dust off the mirror, and finally meeting the real you
That’s Life.
In the end shedding a tear, but ultimately being free of the fear
That’s Life.
That’s Life.
Skipping a beat, spotting ‘the one’ across the street
That’s Life.
Waking up from a bad dream, only wishing you could erase the dream
That’s Life.
Hoping and waiting, waiting for a miracle to happen
That’s Life.
Waiting to break free, ready to push the reset button
That’s Life.
Looking towards a better tomorrow, a lot more joy and a lot less sorrow
That’s Life.
Going through a lot of storms, but finally knowing what really matters
That’s Life.
Leaving behind friends, no idea when and where; but when you are all alone, you turn back to see them still here
That’s Life.
Wiping the dust off the mirror, and finally meeting the real you
That’s Life.
In the end shedding a tear, but ultimately being free of the fear
That’s Life.
Monday, May 24, 2010
10 Things which let you know you are in West Bengal!
1.Starting from the Netaji Subhas Intenational Airport (which looks like an 80s Soviet airport)…when flight touchdown on runway at 10.20 pm means the shuttle bus will arrive at 10.45 pm…you know you are in West Bengal.
2.When people still carry aristocrat suitcases with military green covering (read Kau-Bho-Reeng)… you know you are in West Bengal.
3.When easily a 100 people are standing in line for a pre paid taxi and no one calls up a Meru or an EasyCab…you know you are in West Bengal.
4.When the only time people are a little active (no offence meant but a lot of rice tends to slow down mere humans) is when they have to catch a local (read Low-Caal) train… you know you are in West Bengal.
5.When phonetics goes for a toss and a ‘shirt’ becomes ‘shaart’, ‘wipro’ becomes ‘bheepro’, ‘santoor’ becomes ‘shontuur’… you know you are in West Bengal.
6.When in a compartment full of people a lady saunters in with a cup of tea in her hand and by her own mistake, brushes against you and spills her cup – Gives the shrillest shriek you’d have ever heard and the entire compartment is ready to take you down, unless you say sorry for something you haven’t done… you know you are in West Bengal. (These people literally FEAR their women!)
7.When you see opulence on one side (Tollygunge, Salt Lake) and abject poverty on the other side (Howrah Station Underpass, Burdwan Station) (And I have seen enough poor people but this is the point where human life ceases to carry the dignity of being human)…sadly… you know you are in West Bengal. (I sincerely want to ask the CPM govt. what it has done in 32 years of its unchecked reign.)
8.When moms interfere in cricket matches , snatching cricket bats and balls when their dear son (read shona-muuni!) gets out and they think that is was wrong… you know you are in West Bengal.
9.When at the slightest wind blowing, people tend to cover their ears and put a muffler around their necks (the same can be seen at beaches)… you know you are in West Bengal.
10.When rice is a staple food atleast once a day and if you take away that, the ‘Bangali Bhoot’ threatens to start a ‘Chakka Jaam’…you know you are in West Bengal.
I’m no one to comment whether a state is good or bad but what I write is purely my personal bias for or against anything. I may not like West Bengal but that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad place to stay, perhaps a different kind of place to stay.
2.When people still carry aristocrat suitcases with military green covering (read Kau-Bho-Reeng)… you know you are in West Bengal.
3.When easily a 100 people are standing in line for a pre paid taxi and no one calls up a Meru or an EasyCab…you know you are in West Bengal.
4.When the only time people are a little active (no offence meant but a lot of rice tends to slow down mere humans) is when they have to catch a local (read Low-Caal) train… you know you are in West Bengal.
5.When phonetics goes for a toss and a ‘shirt’ becomes ‘shaart’, ‘wipro’ becomes ‘bheepro’, ‘santoor’ becomes ‘shontuur’… you know you are in West Bengal.
6.When in a compartment full of people a lady saunters in with a cup of tea in her hand and by her own mistake, brushes against you and spills her cup – Gives the shrillest shriek you’d have ever heard and the entire compartment is ready to take you down, unless you say sorry for something you haven’t done… you know you are in West Bengal. (These people literally FEAR their women!)
7.When you see opulence on one side (Tollygunge, Salt Lake) and abject poverty on the other side (Howrah Station Underpass, Burdwan Station) (And I have seen enough poor people but this is the point where human life ceases to carry the dignity of being human)…sadly… you know you are in West Bengal. (I sincerely want to ask the CPM govt. what it has done in 32 years of its unchecked reign.)
8.When moms interfere in cricket matches , snatching cricket bats and balls when their dear son (read shona-muuni!) gets out and they think that is was wrong… you know you are in West Bengal.
9.When at the slightest wind blowing, people tend to cover their ears and put a muffler around their necks (the same can be seen at beaches)… you know you are in West Bengal.
10.When rice is a staple food atleast once a day and if you take away that, the ‘Bangali Bhoot’ threatens to start a ‘Chakka Jaam’…you know you are in West Bengal.
I’m no one to comment whether a state is good or bad but what I write is purely my personal bias for or against anything. I may not like West Bengal but that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad place to stay, perhaps a different kind of place to stay.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
10 Things which let you know you are in Small town India!
1.When there are very few or hardly one shopping mall and a number of SOPPING COMPLAX…you know you are in small town India.
2.When each and every wall is plastered/painted with slogans like – “dilli chalo! ABVP ka andolan hai!!” , “ Neem Hakim Baba Bengali se ilaaj karwayei..khoyi mardana takat wapas paayein” or “Learn English – join AMARICAN Institute”… you know you are in small town India.
3.When the local newspaper carries news like – “do bacchon ki maa chaar bacchon k baap sang bhaagi” , “ladki chedne k virodh mei do guto mei pathraav” , “Bhains ki current lagne se maut”… you know you are in small town India.
4.When electricity cuts and the subsequent public beating of the Junior Engineer or the lineman (“ o jee, sunte ho…fir bijli chali gai…zara Hydel k JE ko tight kare aao”) are a regular feature… you know you are in small town India. (And interestingly, people consider power theft as their birthright and then claim there’s a shortage of power)
5.When you hear words like “Bahut Rangbaaj bane firte ho” (Western UP), “Hum tumhe pel denge” (Jhansi), “Miyaan bhokaali ho rahe ho” (Lucknow) and not to forget “L*** fenk k maarunga, khaandaan C*** jaega” (Gwalior)… you know you are in small town India.
6.When the roads have more cows and dogs on them than cars…you know you are in small town India.
7.When the local administration declares a holiday for almost anything…be it rains, summers, winters and even university examinations…you know you are in small town India.
8. When the best place to hang out in the city happens to be a big garden maintained by the army cantt or a newly built maall…you know you are in small town India.
9.When people may not be able to commend on someone's job as a consultant in McKinsey or as a Bond Trader at Darashaw, but know what it is to be a Sales Exec for HUL and WCCLG…you know you are in small town India.
10.When the favorite pastime of people (read neighbours) is to poke your parents for your marriage (and you are only 24 and have just about start a job)…you know you are in small town India.
I come from this mofussil part of India which has probably been left out in the fast paced world of IT, SEZ, ICT, TechParks but maintains its own charm and has witnessed widespread exodus by young children to larger cities in search of the elusive “Great Indian Dream”. But look, sitting next to you in crisp clothes, toting a Blackberry and spewing flawless English is a person hailing from “Small Town India”. Cheerios :)
2.When each and every wall is plastered/painted with slogans like – “dilli chalo! ABVP ka andolan hai!!” , “ Neem Hakim Baba Bengali se ilaaj karwayei..khoyi mardana takat wapas paayein” or “Learn English – join AMARICAN Institute”… you know you are in small town India.
3.When the local newspaper carries news like – “do bacchon ki maa chaar bacchon k baap sang bhaagi” , “ladki chedne k virodh mei do guto mei pathraav” , “Bhains ki current lagne se maut”… you know you are in small town India.
4.When electricity cuts and the subsequent public beating of the Junior Engineer or the lineman (“ o jee, sunte ho…fir bijli chali gai…zara Hydel k JE ko tight kare aao”) are a regular feature… you know you are in small town India. (And interestingly, people consider power theft as their birthright and then claim there’s a shortage of power)
5.When you hear words like “Bahut Rangbaaj bane firte ho” (Western UP), “Hum tumhe pel denge” (Jhansi), “Miyaan bhokaali ho rahe ho” (Lucknow) and not to forget “L*** fenk k maarunga, khaandaan C*** jaega” (Gwalior)… you know you are in small town India.
6.When the roads have more cows and dogs on them than cars…you know you are in small town India.
7.When the local administration declares a holiday for almost anything…be it rains, summers, winters and even university examinations…you know you are in small town India.
8. When the best place to hang out in the city happens to be a big garden maintained by the army cantt or a newly built maall…you know you are in small town India.
9.When people may not be able to commend on someone's job as a consultant in McKinsey or as a Bond Trader at Darashaw, but know what it is to be a Sales Exec for HUL and WCCLG…you know you are in small town India.
10.When the favorite pastime of people (read neighbours) is to poke your parents for your marriage (and you are only 24 and have just about start a job)…you know you are in small town India.
I come from this mofussil part of India which has probably been left out in the fast paced world of IT, SEZ, ICT, TechParks but maintains its own charm and has witnessed widespread exodus by young children to larger cities in search of the elusive “Great Indian Dream”. But look, sitting next to you in crisp clothes, toting a Blackberry and spewing flawless English is a person hailing from “Small Town India”. Cheerios :)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
10 Things which let you know you are in New Delhi!
1.When a car stereo is not for the person sitting inside the car, but rather or the people outside to know that yes…this car has a stereo….you know you are in New Delhi. What show-offs!
2.When your neighbor(s) come(s) to your house to show his/her son/daughter’s school report card….you know you are in New Delhi. “My child got an A+, what’s your child’s grade?”
3.When women get all dressed up to go to the airport to board a plane or even worse…to receive someone at the airport… you know you are in New Delhi.
4.When the first greeting you hear in any conversation (be it a friendly one or a fight) is “B****C**D” (Sister F****r)…. you know you are in New Delhi. Apparently, according to a study this is the most common curse word used in entire NCR.
5.When in any fight between people there are less fisticuffs and more of verbal volleys like…”do you know who am I?”, “I know the ACP Karol Bagh”, “I have contacts in the ministry”…. you know you are in New Delhi.
6.Coming back to fights…when fights happen over trivial issues like parking, breaking the queue at KFC or McDonald’s…. you know you are in New Delhi.
7.When every second guy in the age group of 15-22 sports a crazy hairstyle(mostly faux-hawk, emo and other extremes), has a real skinny body frame and has a fake accent…. you know you are in New Delhi. (These call centers should be given awards for making India style conscious)
8.When every car has to have a scratch mark (big cars…small congested roads…has to be) around one of its bumpers…. you know you are in New Delhi.
9.When all roads are in circles and if you miss one turn you have to go a long distance around the city to find your way back, all this while you ask for directions and they’ll be something like, “take a left from the 3rd traffic light, then take a right from the 2nd over bridge and then you’ll see a green building….take a u-turn and then take a left!”…you know you are in New Delhi.
10.This one is very crucial….when peak office traffic at 8.30 AM in the morning is brought to a complete halt because a minister’s convoy has to be given way…. you know you are in New Delhi.
These are some of my observations about India’s capital New Delhi. There might be more which I am not able to remember at the moment. None of these are meant to demean the city in any way, every city has a distinct flavor and this seems to be New Delhi’s… hot and spicy with a dash of lime.
So pack your bags, and come to New Delhi to experience this wonderfully crazy city.
2.When your neighbor(s) come(s) to your house to show his/her son/daughter’s school report card….you know you are in New Delhi. “My child got an A+, what’s your child’s grade?”
3.When women get all dressed up to go to the airport to board a plane or even worse…to receive someone at the airport… you know you are in New Delhi.
4.When the first greeting you hear in any conversation (be it a friendly one or a fight) is “B****C**D” (Sister F****r)…. you know you are in New Delhi. Apparently, according to a study this is the most common curse word used in entire NCR.
5.When in any fight between people there are less fisticuffs and more of verbal volleys like…”do you know who am I?”, “I know the ACP Karol Bagh”, “I have contacts in the ministry”…. you know you are in New Delhi.
6.Coming back to fights…when fights happen over trivial issues like parking, breaking the queue at KFC or McDonald’s…. you know you are in New Delhi.
7.When every second guy in the age group of 15-22 sports a crazy hairstyle(mostly faux-hawk, emo and other extremes), has a real skinny body frame and has a fake accent…. you know you are in New Delhi. (These call centers should be given awards for making India style conscious)
8.When every car has to have a scratch mark (big cars…small congested roads…has to be) around one of its bumpers…. you know you are in New Delhi.
9.When all roads are in circles and if you miss one turn you have to go a long distance around the city to find your way back, all this while you ask for directions and they’ll be something like, “take a left from the 3rd traffic light, then take a right from the 2nd over bridge and then you’ll see a green building….take a u-turn and then take a left!”…you know you are in New Delhi.
10.This one is very crucial….when peak office traffic at 8.30 AM in the morning is brought to a complete halt because a minister’s convoy has to be given way…. you know you are in New Delhi.
These are some of my observations about India’s capital New Delhi. There might be more which I am not able to remember at the moment. None of these are meant to demean the city in any way, every city has a distinct flavor and this seems to be New Delhi’s… hot and spicy with a dash of lime.
So pack your bags, and come to New Delhi to experience this wonderfully crazy city.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Sign of the Times
Oink Oink...pigs are about to take on the world.As Allan’s status message suggests,”Revenge of the Ham: Pigs are ready to rule the world.”This would be George Orwell’s most dreaded day…remember Animal Farm?
The whole world is in the grip of the H1N1-A Influenza virus commonly known as Swine Flu.It all started in Mexico and spread outward like a nuclear blast’s plume.And finally it has to come the one place where it is beng accorded celebrity status…INDIA.
Officially 21 people have died so far due to complications arising from Swine Flu and the nation is on a high alert.Many are infected and even more have what can be called “I-think-I-have-swine-flu syndrome”. Everything in India has to be larger than life otherwise we just don’t like it, do we? Governements all over the world are tackling this pandemic but here the response is knee-jerk. In any case the point in case is the hype surrounding the Swine Flu.
I was in Noida for four days and what I saw again strengthened my belief that the NCR is a land of hype and “15-minutes-of-fame”. Imagine this:
N-95 masks are the standard advised masks to be worn for protection against Swine Flu but in the NCR a whole new thing has sprung up called “Mask Couture” where-in multicolored masks with different logos, motifs and cartoons are being sold in stores.Sporting a “different” mask is becoming a new way of asserting one’s unique identity.Waah Delhi!
Some people have gone to the extent of organising…guess…”SWINE FLU PARTIES”! The logic behing these parties is equally hilarious; you invite a lot of people known to you and try to especially invite all those who are showing early symptoms of swine flu.Then you dance and mingle with them to catch the virus.Reason being that if you catch the virus when it is relatively mild you build up your immunity against swine flu!!!
And to top it all, what if more people in India are dying of AIDS than swine flu, after all you can flaunt only what you can show.So bring out all your colorful masks and put on your dancing shoes…I’m cordially inviting you to my own Swine Flu party… who knows,we might just build some immunity.
Cheers!
P.S. For the information challenged people like me, Swine Flu isn’t caused by pigs.It’s been given this name simply because it attacks pigs equally fast as it does to humans.The meat of an infected animal poses no risk of infection when properly cooked.Why to hurt the poor pig then?
Grief
So here I am again, typing away on my rickety old HP writing one more of my wildly imaginative stories.Read on….
It was a semi clouded Friday night; the stars were shining like small diamonds sprinkled on black velvet separated by white mist, and the ocean was not in a good mood (probably trying to prove its point to the rock face).Sitting on the pier at the waterfront, Guy was not his usual self….
It was as if something was brewing within him or was it that something had actualy stopped ticking inside?
“I am not able to function in all normalcy but I’m good at keeping up appearances so as along as I don’t want to show who I am, nobody will come to know”, he said to himself.Probably this was what was causing him all his troubles, he kept his feelings to himself just as a poker player kept his cards close to his heart.
He had to TALK to somebody…..he had hidden his grief way too long and it was killing the most important thing in his life had ended some nights ago.The plans, the dreams, the promises…..
He saw a stray dog approaching the pier and called the dog toward him.The dog came forward shakily, balancing its fear of humans mixed with the hope of getting some food to eat.Guy took out a pack of biscuits and gave some to the dog to eat.The dog sat next to Guy and Guy started his story….
“It was May 1, 2008…my dream date had finally agreed to meet me for just one time.I was more than excited, after all it was after 7 months of being nothing more than an anonymous face had she said yes.Technically, that was the last time I could probably see her.I had got admission to a premier B-school and won’t be coming back to New Delhi for the next two years. She had decided the date and I decided the venue – a coffee shop.I know it sounds so unimaginative to meet a girl for the first time at a coffee shop but she said she’d be safer in a crowd if I was dangerous.Look at me doggie man, here I am telling you about the most important date of my life and you’re busy licking your feet.”The dog looked up and as if taking cue, immediately sat still with all its concentration on Guy.”Much better, thank you”, Guy said.
“I reached the place earlier than the fixed time, early would be an understatement.I reached a good two hours earlier.I roamed around in the vicinity checking out the various shops, making a mental map of the area.Looking at my watch, I decided to go to the nearest bookstore and do some book browsing.I went to some bookshop and picked up a copy of “The Rogue Economist”.Interesting, I thought as I read the back cover of the book.A couple of chapters later, I was so engrossed in the book that I lost track of time and my reading session was disturbed by a strange, harsh sound…my cellphone’s ringtone!O Lord, I completely lost track of time and she was now waiting for me in the coffee shop.Gotta run.”
“Out of breath I stormed into the coffee shop and looked all around to find a girl waving at me.(I had sent her my photos but she didn’t)I looked around, there was no one behind me.Was this girl waving at me?Then for the first time I heard her voice – “you are Guy right?”I was just floored by the sight of that beauty, she sure was one in a million.I managed to regain my voice and said a feeble yes.So much for the first impression, I thought.”
“And this is how I met Gal”, said Guy stroking the dog.
The dog seemingly had lost interest in the story, maybe even it wanted the slow paced story to pick up speed.Sensing the same, Guy started again,”When I got back home that evening, I felt as if I was among the clouds.Nothing could match that feeling, neither the thrill of sending a tink bomb to the girls hostel nor the fear of seeing a car approaching with absolutely no space to go.It was the happieast moment of my life till then, I had seen in person the woman I always dreamt of.It was like touching the sky itelf.After that things proceeded well, I came here and she got into TISS.She always wanted to help the down trodden and had a soft corner for abused women and children.We talked on and off through Gtalk.” At this point the dog’s ears spiked up as if it’d seen a ghost…the wind had picked up speed and it looked as if it was going to rain.Guy and the dog ran to a nearby shelter, both man and dog slightly wet due to the rain.The dog looked upto Guy as if wanting to hear the remaining story.
“We talked whenever we could find time, MBA is a time consuming course and leaves little time for interacting with people outside the confines of the B-school.But whenever we talked, we poured our hearts out to each other.We had all kinds of discussion possible under the sun right from predatory pricing to marital abuse to child trafficking. She was the one person I wanted to talk to before I went to sleep.Things kept on progressing and slowly we shifted from Gtalk to phone.Probably we both wanted to hear each other’s voices.Sounds silly, but I was kind of happy deep inside and knew I wanted more out of this.”Guy’s voice trailed off…
The rain stopped and the dog ran out to the pier, maybe to chase away the last drop of rain lingering in the air.Guy followed shouting,”Doggie… doggie…aarghhhh…..Dodo!” And the dog stopped.Then and there Guy decided the dog’s name – Dodo.”Dodo, listen to me or else you are not getting anything to eat and I might just throw you into the open sea.”Guy scolded the dog.
“Now is the part when it starts going downhill,”Guy sighed.”Everything was going normal, then one day while talking she became sad and I asked what was wrong.She just said, she almost remembered her past. And then she said guys like you make me remember my past again and again.That came as a bolt of the blue.How did I become a part of her past? After much cajoling, she told me her story…she had hidden such a big truth all this time.I was taken aback and at the same time amazed by the inner strength of this woman who had seen so much still was able to hold her own ground.I was even more drawn to her.”Guy stopped short…probably still thinking of her.He started again,”After a few days, I decided that now was the time to pop the question.I liked her, loved her, respected her and she was all I wanted.So why not now?One night, I gathered all my strength and blurted out the question.I had anticipated a slight rebuke kinda reaction but what happened next was way out of the ordinary.She screamed on the other end…all you guys are the same,someone confides in you and then you decide to become saviours for a broken soul.In turn you end up getting closer and closer and then go away leaving the soul even more shattered.You are no different.Just go!And she put down the phone.”Guy was almost on the verge of crying, when the dog snuggled upto him.Maybe the dog wanted to hug him, but couldn’t.”.I still don’t understand what went wrong.Was I too eager? Too early? Or was it something deeper? I guess the only logical explanation could be that she has suffered enough and doesn’t want to bear anymore.So she would never let someone get too close for comfort.I tried to breach that ice wall and the wall fell on me. She isn’t picking up her phone. She isn’t repsonding to my mails and isn’t online on Gtalk too.”Holding back his tears guy said,”Maybe this was where the story was supposed to end.Maybe we were supposed to come into each other’s lives only to go away.I may never understand why she said no.Maybe she had her own reasons.I guess this is where I should ask God why me?”Guy looked up into the sky and just stared; uttering nothing.Probably he was getting his answers without speaking out the question.”The only way I have now to get to her is to stand in front of her, but what are the odds?Will she even acknowledge my presence or would she walk across just as a stranger would? Nothing I do will change her decision, I know her well.”A tear rolled down Guy’s right cheek and sensing the mood, the dog started jumping around Guy as if to cheer him up.And all of a sudden Guy spoke, “I got my answer!! We were never meant to be, she only came in my life to teach me empathy.I learnt my lessons and she went away after her job was done.She was my dream, my angel.”With this, Guy stood up and started waling towards his car, the dog still at the pier.waling some distance, Guy stopped and turned back to see the dog looking at him.”Dodo”, Guy shouted.”Come, we are going home.”
The dog went running to Guy.The first rays of the sun were peering from behind the clouds.In Guy’s heart too, the grief was turning into gratitude for the woman who taught him about life.
Into the rising sun, Guy and his Dodo walked…..a man who needed a friend and a dog who never had a friend……….
It was a semi clouded Friday night; the stars were shining like small diamonds sprinkled on black velvet separated by white mist, and the ocean was not in a good mood (probably trying to prove its point to the rock face).Sitting on the pier at the waterfront, Guy was not his usual self….
It was as if something was brewing within him or was it that something had actualy stopped ticking inside?
“I am not able to function in all normalcy but I’m good at keeping up appearances so as along as I don’t want to show who I am, nobody will come to know”, he said to himself.Probably this was what was causing him all his troubles, he kept his feelings to himself just as a poker player kept his cards close to his heart.
He had to TALK to somebody…..he had hidden his grief way too long and it was killing the most important thing in his life had ended some nights ago.The plans, the dreams, the promises…..
He saw a stray dog approaching the pier and called the dog toward him.The dog came forward shakily, balancing its fear of humans mixed with the hope of getting some food to eat.Guy took out a pack of biscuits and gave some to the dog to eat.The dog sat next to Guy and Guy started his story….
“It was May 1, 2008…my dream date had finally agreed to meet me for just one time.I was more than excited, after all it was after 7 months of being nothing more than an anonymous face had she said yes.Technically, that was the last time I could probably see her.I had got admission to a premier B-school and won’t be coming back to New Delhi for the next two years. She had decided the date and I decided the venue – a coffee shop.I know it sounds so unimaginative to meet a girl for the first time at a coffee shop but she said she’d be safer in a crowd if I was dangerous.Look at me doggie man, here I am telling you about the most important date of my life and you’re busy licking your feet.”The dog looked up and as if taking cue, immediately sat still with all its concentration on Guy.”Much better, thank you”, Guy said.
“I reached the place earlier than the fixed time, early would be an understatement.I reached a good two hours earlier.I roamed around in the vicinity checking out the various shops, making a mental map of the area.Looking at my watch, I decided to go to the nearest bookstore and do some book browsing.I went to some bookshop and picked up a copy of “The Rogue Economist”.Interesting, I thought as I read the back cover of the book.A couple of chapters later, I was so engrossed in the book that I lost track of time and my reading session was disturbed by a strange, harsh sound…my cellphone’s ringtone!O Lord, I completely lost track of time and she was now waiting for me in the coffee shop.Gotta run.”
“Out of breath I stormed into the coffee shop and looked all around to find a girl waving at me.(I had sent her my photos but she didn’t)I looked around, there was no one behind me.Was this girl waving at me?Then for the first time I heard her voice – “you are Guy right?”I was just floored by the sight of that beauty, she sure was one in a million.I managed to regain my voice and said a feeble yes.So much for the first impression, I thought.”
“And this is how I met Gal”, said Guy stroking the dog.
The dog seemingly had lost interest in the story, maybe even it wanted the slow paced story to pick up speed.Sensing the same, Guy started again,”When I got back home that evening, I felt as if I was among the clouds.Nothing could match that feeling, neither the thrill of sending a tink bomb to the girls hostel nor the fear of seeing a car approaching with absolutely no space to go.It was the happieast moment of my life till then, I had seen in person the woman I always dreamt of.It was like touching the sky itelf.After that things proceeded well, I came here and she got into TISS.She always wanted to help the down trodden and had a soft corner for abused women and children.We talked on and off through Gtalk.” At this point the dog’s ears spiked up as if it’d seen a ghost…the wind had picked up speed and it looked as if it was going to rain.Guy and the dog ran to a nearby shelter, both man and dog slightly wet due to the rain.The dog looked upto Guy as if wanting to hear the remaining story.
“We talked whenever we could find time, MBA is a time consuming course and leaves little time for interacting with people outside the confines of the B-school.But whenever we talked, we poured our hearts out to each other.We had all kinds of discussion possible under the sun right from predatory pricing to marital abuse to child trafficking. She was the one person I wanted to talk to before I went to sleep.Things kept on progressing and slowly we shifted from Gtalk to phone.Probably we both wanted to hear each other’s voices.Sounds silly, but I was kind of happy deep inside and knew I wanted more out of this.”Guy’s voice trailed off…
The rain stopped and the dog ran out to the pier, maybe to chase away the last drop of rain lingering in the air.Guy followed shouting,”Doggie… doggie…aarghhhh…..Dodo!” And the dog stopped.Then and there Guy decided the dog’s name – Dodo.”Dodo, listen to me or else you are not getting anything to eat and I might just throw you into the open sea.”Guy scolded the dog.
“Now is the part when it starts going downhill,”Guy sighed.”Everything was going normal, then one day while talking she became sad and I asked what was wrong.She just said, she almost remembered her past. And then she said guys like you make me remember my past again and again.That came as a bolt of the blue.How did I become a part of her past? After much cajoling, she told me her story…she had hidden such a big truth all this time.I was taken aback and at the same time amazed by the inner strength of this woman who had seen so much still was able to hold her own ground.I was even more drawn to her.”Guy stopped short…probably still thinking of her.He started again,”After a few days, I decided that now was the time to pop the question.I liked her, loved her, respected her and she was all I wanted.So why not now?One night, I gathered all my strength and blurted out the question.I had anticipated a slight rebuke kinda reaction but what happened next was way out of the ordinary.She screamed on the other end…all you guys are the same,someone confides in you and then you decide to become saviours for a broken soul.In turn you end up getting closer and closer and then go away leaving the soul even more shattered.You are no different.Just go!And she put down the phone.”Guy was almost on the verge of crying, when the dog snuggled upto him.Maybe the dog wanted to hug him, but couldn’t.”.I still don’t understand what went wrong.Was I too eager? Too early? Or was it something deeper? I guess the only logical explanation could be that she has suffered enough and doesn’t want to bear anymore.So she would never let someone get too close for comfort.I tried to breach that ice wall and the wall fell on me. She isn’t picking up her phone. She isn’t repsonding to my mails and isn’t online on Gtalk too.”Holding back his tears guy said,”Maybe this was where the story was supposed to end.Maybe we were supposed to come into each other’s lives only to go away.I may never understand why she said no.Maybe she had her own reasons.I guess this is where I should ask God why me?”Guy looked up into the sky and just stared; uttering nothing.Probably he was getting his answers without speaking out the question.”The only way I have now to get to her is to stand in front of her, but what are the odds?Will she even acknowledge my presence or would she walk across just as a stranger would? Nothing I do will change her decision, I know her well.”A tear rolled down Guy’s right cheek and sensing the mood, the dog started jumping around Guy as if to cheer him up.And all of a sudden Guy spoke, “I got my answer!! We were never meant to be, she only came in my life to teach me empathy.I learnt my lessons and she went away after her job was done.She was my dream, my angel.”With this, Guy stood up and started waling towards his car, the dog still at the pier.waling some distance, Guy stopped and turned back to see the dog looking at him.”Dodo”, Guy shouted.”Come, we are going home.”
The dog went running to Guy.The first rays of the sun were peering from behind the clouds.In Guy’s heart too, the grief was turning into gratitude for the woman who taught him about life.
Into the rising sun, Guy and his Dodo walked…..a man who needed a friend and a dog who never had a friend……….
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