The Grand Fall & the Big Guffaw (Part 1)

It was a Friday like any other Friday. I had wrapped up all my work and sent mails to my superiors updating them on the day’s status. Everything was done and dusted by 730 pm. It was going according to plan. But, as they say ‘Man proposes. God disposes’. I never knew that the day would transpire into such a very eventful evening.   The drive to my home was satisfactory and enjoyable. Usually, I had to wade through the ocean of traffic. As it was Onam, the roads were punctuated with clusters of vehicles here and there. So far so good, I was right on schedule.  The plan was to catch up with my friend after a long time and watch “The Man from UNCLE” in Sathyam. I had a hurried dinner at home and started by 915pm taking into consideration the Anna Salai traffic and the metro work that was supposed to be happening there. After a minor traffic hiccup in Velachery, I geared up on my gearless vehicle to be on time to meet my friend. Criss crossing and traversing the myriad cars, buses, two wheelers apart from the unprintable swearing and scolding by the auto wallahs, I finally reached the Aalayamman Temple signal. I heaved a sigh of relief that I could reach the theatre atleast before 1020pm. I never knew at that time that God was silently laughing from above and eagerly anticipating the exciting happening to happen. As soon as the signal turned green, I was flying like a F1 driver. All of a sudden, out of the blue, an old man came riding on his cycle on the wrong side of the road just few metres in front of me. It took me by complete surprise. To make matters worse and complicate the situation further, the old man was literally shaking his handle bar giving me mixed and confused signals whether he wanted to ride to my right or left. The only possible solution for me in order to avoid hitting him was to apply the brakes and then observe whether he had made up his mind to go in a particular direction on the wrong side of the road. The brakes were applied. As luck would have turned out, at that rushing speed of 75kmph, I skidded when my brakes were applied. The night and absence of road light caused me to not to see the sand that were scattered on the road. My Angelina Jolie flew in one direction and I fell on the opposite side thus creating a big thud. All I could see were hazy things and the loud horns that were screaming at me from behind. I realized that my specs were not in their normal position but lying around somewhere in the rubble. Two gentle gentlemen lifted me and helped me to a nearby safe enclosure. The gentlemen were asking me whether they would like me to take to a nearby hospital and I answered them that the abrasions and lacerations needed to be washed up first as the sand was hiding and occupying the injured area. I was actually surprised at myself that despite the serious accident that I was able to think clearly. They bade me goodbye after asking me to go the doctor and have a TT. I was thinking furiously, forgetting the pain, as to how I was able to remain calm and think clearly when any sane person would have fainted at the sight of blood dripping and flowing across the elbow and leg. Finally, it hit me - MEDITATION. Meditation really helped me at that point of time to see things as they were without panicking or getting scared. Cleaning up my wounds with minimal water so as not to infect and aggravate the wound, I made way for Sathyam to meet my friend in the same blood dripped and scratched body condition. I parked my vehicle in the premises with great difficulty as it was then the pain started to kick up and shoot in my hand. After exchanging pleasantries to my shocked friend on seeing my condition, I noticed the time – it was exactly 1020pm. I had lost complete track of time and was actually surprised to know that I was still on time as per the plan despite the herculean change of plan by God. Seeing my state, we went immediately to the Sathyam emergency ward to get the first aid so that I can visit the clinic and get a TT later after the movie got over.  When the loud and shrieking DTS effects ritual were completed during the first aid, we thoroughly enjoyed the wry spy comedy very much despite my friend jokingly complained that I smelled heavily of Dettol during the course of the film. After laughing out to our heart’s content, we made our way to the nearest nearby hospital for the TT injection and a professional clean up of the sustained injuries. Once when the doctorial formalities where completed after waking up the entire hospital, I mumbled my sincere apologies to them for waking them up at such an hour of night. Finally, after our “See you soon” were exchanged, I drove back unhurriedly to my home. I felt someone was looking from above while I was driving. Casting away my hyperactive imagination cells, without much ado, I quietly scrambled to my bed without waking or telling my mom that I was badly injured in that wee hours. I thought that instead of giving her the shock then, she can herself discover on seeing my condition when she wakes up the following morning. Thinking thus, I started to go to sleep when I heard someone was laughing uncontrollably and hysterically. Startled by the boisterous roar of laughter, I wondered who it can be so sadistic to laugh at my sad plight. Then, I realized that my hyperactive brain cells were once again playing and pulling tricks on me. Asking them to be quiet for some time, I was about to go to sleep, when I started to hear a ‘Jal Jal’ sound outside. The windows started to rattle on its own accord and the dogs started to bark incessantly. I knew this time it was real.  Something was out there lurking behind the windows and watching me. Now, I realized that it was the same thing that was watching me when I was driving back home. Despite my severe pain, I gently climbed down my bed to check out this mysterious I-do-not-know-what-it-is. I opened the window very slowly. The dogs had stopped their barking. There was a heavy stillness in the air. I felt the eerie silence to be very haunting. It was there looking right at my soul and giving me the same hysterical laugh.

......to be continued & concluded..... 

Sycophancy - The ultimate lunacy !

In this dynamic and rapidly changing world, there are countless right instances which irritates and frustrates an individual that literally fires up your anger beyond the normal words of description. Corruptions, endless manipulations by the media, female foeticides, Manual scavenging, duplicity, double dealings and I can continue ranting the innumerable diseases that has deeply penetrated and pervaded into every inch of our society. But, there's also one other important aspect in the list which makes me to feel nauseated at the very thought of it - being a sycophant! For all the Tarantino fans who had watched Django Unchained, I wanted to slap Stephen's character when he used to say 'yes yes' in that deep servile tone to Dicaprio. I know it was just  a movie . But, my sense of right and wrong was so strong that Stephen's character made me to lose myself whenever Stephen , to put it in tamil, "jaalrad' Dicaprio despite I knew Django Unchained was a work of art and that Stephen was a fictitious character. Unfortunately, there are many such Stephen's whom we encounter in our day to day lives. I am sure there would be at least one Stephen in your work atmosphere - The guy/girl who says extremely bad things about their boss beyond his back but flatters and butters them up by saying 'ah ha ho ho' in front of his face to be in their good books for a good appraisal. The worse part is that when confronted they justify their actions by saying that they are being practical and that every one does it. It would have been their interpretation and perception about the world. But, their distorted reality is not the actual reality. There are still very few people left like me who condemn this act to be highly deplorable and view these persons to be highly despicable and hypocrites. They falsely think that toadying people can serve their interests in the long run. But, it happens otherwise as every action has an equal and an opposite reaction

Every cloud has a silver lining. It is really difficult to deal with such people when your value system is not aligned with theirs. But, it gives a tremendous scope of opportunity to test our own integrity and will power amidst such double standard boot lickers who will try to lure you into their abominable world to "ching chang" at every opportunity. Likewise, what I have learnt from my experience is that when you interact with these kinds of people. you can actually become open minded and tolerant and understanding to the world around you without surrendering and giving up on your values.

Penitence - The confessions from a lackadaisical

Soccer is the most popular and watched sport in the world with more than 3.3 - 3.5 billion fans across Europe, Africa, Americas, Asia etc. The spread and reach of Soccer is such that it is estimated that this high octane sport is played by over 250 million players in at least 200 countries. The numbers are mind boggling. But, there is just another game in the world which trounces Soccer in terms of the sheer magnitude of the numbers and is played by most of the 7.3 billion world's population on a daily basis. The game's name is blame and it is the most widely acclaimed universal sport that is played by men and women alike at one level or the other at some point in their lives.

The most overused and trite expression for escaping the consequences of our action is to say " I did not have time to do so and so activity". How many of us would have said this in our lives till now to different stakeholders - mom, dad. brother, sister, teachers, friends, relatives, pets, managers, bosses and the endless list can be kept on listed endlessly! Writing has always fascinated me as it gave me the complete freedom and creative scope to explore the abyss of my subconscious to be innovative in my expression. As a kid who used to devour comics and then moved on to fiction, I have always had the penchant for writing. Being an active blogger during my engineering days , I found out very recently and acknowledged, accepted, admitted and confessed that it had been more than 720 days since I had written something new - something fresh - original - to uphold the magnificent greatness of this admirable art. Though I had been conceiving an interesting story line to pen down for my new blog, never even in my wildest dreams I was aware that the 720 days had vanished like a wisp of smoke.

When I was in the know that it had been more than 2 years since I had a blog entry against my name, my first reaction was "Time - the unpardonable culprit". Then, instinctively, my intuition bell started to ring and I understood very clearly that it was I who was culpable and punishable for my negligence in discharging my rightful duties to this sacred art. The only problem with me was that I used to update my blog whenever I had an interesting experience - seen, heard, read or experienced personally - in my life and then weaved into an intricate story. When I started to time travel in my memories, I realized that I could not mentally see even a single, tiny and an iota of instance that was remotely close to the spelling of interesting. It was then I had another bout of monstrous epiphany. I comprehended the indisputable fact that the involvement in my professional work and studies had made me to perceive life as one dimensional - wake up, eat , work hard and sleep, thus forsaking the natural occurring exciting events that were unfolding right before my eyes and nose. I felt I had been isolated and shut off amidst the thick of happenings and understood that my right brain ceased to exist for the last couple of years. I remembered Lord Krishna's majestic and eternal voice in the Bhagawad Gita " Self-knowledge is the fire that burns away your ignorance and enables you to think crystal clearly". He was right. He has always been right. I realized that instead of idling away my free time even after a tiring week's worth of work, I can very well put in enough efforts to be more productive by whetting and honing up what I love to do most.

Just like how Birbal used to point out Akbar's mistakes in his own humorous and witty style, I realized that I need to be my own jester to take full responsibility for all our intentional and unintentional wrong doings to make a difference in this world.

EPILOGUE:

This may not be a story. Slowly but surely it gave me the perfect opportunity to write again to vent out and liberate my repressed feelings after I discovered my folly , thus marking it to be one of the most interesting and insightful days of my life.

FRAGILITY – THE NEW STRONG

She woke up with a start. The sonorous sound waves of the thunder were still resonating in her ears. Right from her child hood, she always felt an unsettling queasy feeling in her stomach whenever nature blew its loud trumpet. Getting up slowly from her bed, she made her way unsteadily towards the water cooler in her lacy pink night gown. The usual barking of the dogs in the neighbourhood was completely supplanted by the continuous rhythmic beat of the rain. It was raining cats and dogs with the only exception that there were no dogs in the nearby vicinity. As soon as she gracefully removed the tumbler from the left holder on the water cooler, nature wanted to have its own moment of fun with her. Instant flashes were clicked from the sky as if she were a huge celebrity, waiting to walk the red carpet at the Oscars. Through the window atop the cooler, she could see that her entire street was flooded with water when the lightning struck. Sipping the chilled hydrogen  oxide, the delicately carved mirror hung on her right reflected a 5 feet 4 inch tall, fairly fair, straightened hair damsel. Riya was cognizance of the fact that she was beautiful in her own respect yet the most striking aspect which she found in herself was her expressive eyes. She knew that her eyes could speak volumes where even a single word would be sufficed. Inhaling deeply, Riya’s lungs were completely inebriated with the fresh perfume of Mother Earth emanated from the leaves, trees, land and her. She was being taken into a drunken state of unconsciousness by the creator of the universe when another clap of thunder disrupted this blessed blissful state of calm serenity into a chaotic mess of destructive confusion. 

She remembered the adage “A single blink during the ‘Inception’ movie can make you to lose the plot utterly”. Likewise, her train of thought led her into the situation where she happily went to her boyfriend, Kunal’s residence when she witnessed that tragic moment. Even though a month had dragged slowly yet swiftly since the event, the scene still remained frozen in her mind like a giant lump of majestic ice berg. Every time, Kunal used to pick her up from her PG. On that particular day, Riya wanted to give him a big surprise by seeing him in his residence. Kunal had told her that his doors would always be open. True to his word, she merely pushed the door and it was unlocked. Seeing his impeccable consistency and honesty, Riya smiled to herself that she had found herself the true soul mate of her life. Just like the Titanic went into a nosedive into the endless abyss of the ocean, her heart plummeted from a cheerful disposition into a despair position. Kunal was passionately cleaning her best friend, Sonal’s cheery red lips with his baby pink lips – thoroughly and competently on his leather couch. They were so immersed in the process that they took no heed of Riya’s arrival. Riya was livid with anger. Her heavy breathing created more sound than the outside traffic. Disturbed by the sudden change in velocity of energy in the room, Kunal looked straight into the fiery jet black eyes of Riya. Her eyes conveyed the monstrosity of the intense wrath which she felt for them at that moment. For a fleeting second, Sonal and Kunal cowered and cringed at the sight of this tigress. Without saying another word, Riya sobbingly exited to her den. No amounts of phone calls from either of them could appease her. She felt betrayed that her best friend who knew that Riya was in a relationship with Kunal could actually end up with her boy friend. Her heart was broken beyond repair. 

Being a NCC cadet at school and college, she knew that the first and foremost priceless thing that a person should have in an uneventful event of adversity is not to lose their confidence and belief in them, however trying the situation may be. Overcoming the turbulent turmoil in her heart, Riya started to collect her life bit by bit. She was not bothered even when she heard the news that Sonal and Kunal were going marry in 20 days time. Riya dug her heels firmly into her work – Painting. She put her heart, soul, mind and body into creating master pieces. As the day to Kunal’s marriage was around the corner, she heard from her trusted source that the marriage was called off. Kunal caught Sonal red-handed when she was kissing his best friend, Sahil. Why she kissed him, what made Sonal to do it - Riya did not care. Justice and equality was there in this world and so was God. Kunal wanted Riya in his life once again. He made desperate attempts to reach her. She found herself saying a strong”No” to him. Riya was astonished at this revelation. She had considered herself to be a mediocre, weak person. But, here, in this scenario, her mind wanted her to be with Kunal despite his treacherous betrayal whereas her heart wanted otherwise. For once, Riya listened to her inner voice. She became aware that her brittle heart was now capable of facing any challenge in this world. 

The rain had stopped. It was already 5 am in the morning. Riya slowly climbed back into her bed, fully conscious of the fact that she couldn’t catch another wink at that hour of day. She realized that everything in this world happens for a reason and it is up to the individual to find and decode the reason or to not to. As the first rays of the sun slanted inside her museum of a bedroom, her mind became very light. Her heart was dancing with the sun’s rays to the beats of the fluidic singing of the birds. Riya comprehended that this entire episode was a blessing in disguise to discover the latent potential power that was within her for so long. Hope and optimism pervaded completely in each and every blood cell in her body. She was ready. 

There is no more juice left in me yet there is (concluding part)

BOOK 2 : Love - The loveliest logical relationship between two entities (individuals) wherein words are more often replaced with silent smiles in their hearts and souls. She felt every tiniest bit of her thousands and millions of nerves and nerve cells smiling with all the liveliness in her body. He understood her perfectly as she wanted her to be understood. She knew then what she had for him was more than just love. It was true unadulterated pristine love uncontaminated with not even a modicum of impurity. Their unison came to a grinding halt when they were abruptly interrupted by the sound of a falling knife.Cursing the fallen knife, he tried to continue but found out that his dear one wasn't even remotely interested. Understanding she wanted love but not 'love' at that precise moment, he acceded to her wish and gave her his heart out. They spoke about many things ranging from their likes, dislikes to their past, present and future life amidst the silent whisper of the twigs on the roadside. The smiling red light was the only witness to witness this romantic endeavor. She was quite unsure as to when she fell asleep, but in reality, she had slept for sometime. She woke up thinking that her sweet heart would be there to greet her. But, the spectacle in front of her eyes undid her senses completely. She was insanely livid with fury when she saw her and him together in that presumptuous posture on the bed on the floor in the nearby room. The moans and groans shook her even more. Her world and the entire future with him ,which she had so meticulously constructed ,suddenly fell apart to smithereens - to dust. She wanted to kill that mean lady who stole her dear from right under her very nose. All of a sudden, she realised that even if that mean lady had tempted him to perform such an act of injustice to her, how could he have done such an untrustworthy act when she had so gracefully given up her complete self to him. When this new, sudden thought hit her, her entire rage was directed at him too and she wanted to rip him apart to pieces. However ungrateful he might have been to her, she loved him truly. She saw him being blissfully happy in communion with her and that was what she had wanted when she had built her future - Him to be happy and of course, her. Somehow, this prevented her from killing them. Still , the mounting ire within her ,caused by this deep treachery of his, had to be let out and she found no other better alternative than to take up her own life. To live in the world where she had to see such a disloyalty was beyond anything and she couldn't bring up herself to explode at him for such an atrociousness. she knew that to take up her life was the only sane solution to this interminable problem wherein atleast he could be happy in the aftermath of her departure from this cruel world . A wild wind blew the windows ajar and she realized that her end was just 2 feet away. Screaming "I Love You a lot , Dear" to him, she rolled out of the floor and fell right through the window, she felt the chillness of the cold wind brushing against her skin as she awaited her death with open arms. It did happen. The red light started flickering sadly. Hearing a feverished high-pitched scream screaming "I Love You a lot , Dear", immediately, he pushed her aside forcibly and rushed out of the nearby room to see his beloved to take that extreme step of castling her life for death. Instantly, he grasped the full extent of the situation and before he could reach to her, he saw his beloved falling into the chasms of endless darkness. With no other thought in mind, he pursued her into that inevitable absence of light. The red light was on the verge of being fused. Slowly, gradually, she fell asleep with exhaustion. He was fully aware that the minute has come for him to put out his plan into action. He called up to a nearby girl and requested her if she could act like having an intimate relation with him when his girl was about to awake. When she heard this, the girl was aghast with bewilderment. He explained to her patiently that he wanted to find out if his girl was in true love with him or just merely attracted to him because of his heavenly features and attributes. Also, it would prove the magnitude of trust which his girl had it on him. Hearing this two-fold rationale for his requestion, she replied "Your girl will get angry with you and me if she sees us doing such a monstrous act of betrayal". "Yes. I am truly conscious of the ramifications of such a play. But, she will surely understand once her anger gets subsided and if she loves me truly, she will forgive me and accept me as her complementary". "If it is okay with you, then absolutely, it is fine with me ,as long as you shield me from her when she sees us, for, I know how a woman would react if she is betrayed". Heaving a sigh of relief, he assured her with his twinkling smile "I will. Thanks a lot". "Your girl will take ages to wake up. Do we have to wait till then??" "Yes" came his whipping reply and the nearby girl fell silent. Somehow, he understood that she was going to wake up and instinctively, he woke up the nearby girl and asked her "Are you ready??". "Yes" came her whipping response and they were on the bed on the floor of the nearby room where he saw her waking up, searching for him frantically, her intense disappointment on her face when he wasn't there nearby to greet her ,thus making him to comprehend the fact that she loved him truly. Unfortunately, desire overtook the nearby girl upon seeing his manliness and she started to "do" what was just supposed to be a staged act. It was then his girl caught sight of them and threw herself violently from the nearest window. The rushing air brought back the memories of the night to him as he pursued after her. He saw her hitting the road with a thunderous thud. Never ever did he think of the remotest possibility of her committing suicide. Such was the trust which he had on her. He cursed himself many times for believing the nearby girl and wiping the tears , he knew he was going to join his beloved in a matter of micro seconds. As he hit upon the road and his body split into two, the red light, which couldn't bear to see such an ending, also fused itself completely. Drop by drop , the remaining juice present in her body flooded the road and the lifeless Grecian God lay besides his darling sundered. EPILOGUE: A romantic story as said from the eyes of the beautiful Sweet-Lime before and after she has been squeezed on the Grecian God - SQUEEZER ! EPILOGUE 2: The nearby girl - another sweet-lime, hacked herself to death with the fallen knife. (CONCLUDED)

Cutting a Short Story Shorter

In the midst of a densely populated jungle, a sonorous blaring noise brought the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex to a grinding halt. Its gleaming black-red eyes swayed in the direction of that rambunctious raucous for a fleeting instant and when it could not discern the source accurately , it continued its ambling along the paved pathway. It was sunny beyond the hot sultry sun. Nauseated by lack of any wind and bored from the long walk, a rumbling noise started shaking the earth violently. But this time, it discovered the source of the noise quite easily, for , it was from its very own stomach. As its luck would have been, the Tyrannosaurus was very unlucky despite the jungle's immense population . Its hunger started to scream at the top of the voice for some food - Anything. Baring a very dejected look on its otherwise graceful face, a small gust of air was its only salvation. It was then it started to believe in angels. Just like a perfect sinusoidal wave, the tantalizing aroma of something caught the right side of its nostrils unawares. Sensing that its mid-day microsleep was very much round the corner , it lunged itself forward towards the unsuspecting prey. After a sumptuous meal, it embarked on the final lap of its journey to accomplish its ultimate final destiny - Sleep. Suddenly, its instinctional alarm went-off, causing it to be consciously aware of any anything in its vicinity. 

'Excuse Me. You are Rahul. Right ?' was the only thing which he heard from behind, thus proving his alarm was right once again . Her tightness of pink T-shirt was the first thing which caught his sharp black eye balls. Moving further up a bit, he could see her lipstick smeared slightly lightly above her luscious lips. Finally, he rested his gaze onto hers. The reflected light from him, through her optic nerves, entered her brain and she could see a person who was atleast 5 cms taller than her own height of 173cm. 'How do you know my name?' was his curt reply. He saw her being flushed at the blunt abruptness of the question. Patiently awaiting her response, he scrutinized her from toe to head. Still, she was flushing as if she had accidentally seen a man bathing in his shower room. His eyes lingered upon " I see what you see" imprinted in tiny bold red letters between her delectable honky ponky. He was also completely surprised by her total lack of disconcerting nature when he ogled her tracks of land lecherously in that momentariness .His insides was relieved when he saw her smiling . Looking at her, breaking the ice berg, casually he said "Nice Pair". "I work out regularly in the gym " was her prompt response together with a smile which went beyond her impeccable artistic countenance. "Kindly tell me how do you work out with your eyes" said Rahul with a deceptively innocent look upon his charming face . It took a second longer than the normal time for the impact of his reply to register in her brain. The second she deduced that he meant her eyes to be ‘nice pair’ , her initial flushing transformed into a bright red blushing which was more than sufficient to stop a moving vehicle. But, she still managed to maintain a degree of commandness over herself which made him to start liking her. “ I have an important work now. I need to be leaving immediately”. There was a tremendous urgency in his voice. She said coolly “You do not have any work. As of now, you are awaiting your admission”. He was amazed by this unknown girl’s knowledge of him when he did not even know her name. This time though, it was he who regained his composure and spoke slowly “You are right. But, sleep is work, according to me. Anyway, unless you are not prepared to tell as to why you stopped me in the first place, I have work at home”. Hearing this, she looked amused. Without any forewarning, she uttered “I Love You”.

In that split second, Rahul saw her chubby cheeks turn red and understood why she had smiled and did not say anything when he ogled her initially. She gave an askance glance at him. Glimpsing her glance straight, he gave her a nonchalant reply “What makes you think you are in love with me?”. Startled by this unexpected line of question, she took her time and in a self-assured manner responded “ 3 and half years ago, I saw you in the Anna University campus with your friends near the coffee shop . I was awestruck by your presence. I studied in AC Tech and am currently employed in TCS. Starting from college to my Team Lead at TCS, I have received numerous proposals. I rejected each and every one of them to be with you. I have been following your every step like a shadow for the past 3 and half years till now”. Even the vehicles around them stopped honking their horns, the rustling of the leaves fell into an unmitigated quietness and a pin drop silence ensued . “So?” was his indifferent reply which broke that eternal stillness. “What do you mean “so?”” was her angry retort. “It means I just meant “so?”” remarked Rahul jestingly and caught her gentle left hand gently and proceeded towards Tuscana from where he had had his sumptuous meal before he encountered her. Seated in a remote plush corner of the pizzeria, Rahul ordered Tantrum and when asked about her preference, she requested “+ 1” to the pleasant steward which made Rahul to exclaim “Hey. Just because I had ordered Tantrum, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you must also have the same beverage. Do get yourself whatever you like the best”. “I like Tantrum the best” she said. But, it was very evident from her facial expression that she had wanted that drink only to please him. Saying no more on the topic, Rahul’s sole comment “ Infatuation is sometimes confused with true love” and like a boomerang, he got her response “Sometimes, infatuation leads to true love if one loves truly” which eventually made Rahul to go into a big smile and think to himself “Beauty and Brains going together – Deadly combination”. In the mean time, the steward kept their items on the table and dispersed with a low bow. Taking a small sip, he enquired “ You told me that you were awestruck by my presence when you dished your eyes on me for the first time, then rejected many a proposal, and followed every movement of mine. First of all, I am touched by your entire gesture. But, kindly tell me what made you to choose and think that I am the most appropriate person for you”. “You are street smart. Witty. The prince of my dreams. And the most important one – You see. This one is a woman’s thing. Don’t take me crazy. We, women can always say when we see a person whether he will keep us happy or not. And you were the only one who fitted the bill exactly”. Saying thus, she drank even more slowly than him. All this while ,her sight never ever lost a single sight of him. She felt she was in a paradise where none existed excepting them. 

A loud tinkle of china in the background made her to keep her foot firmly on the terrafirma. Rahul had only half his share left when he answered “ Okay. Let us analyze the situation practically and come to a solution. From what you have said, all I could understand was that you love me because deep in your heart you feel that I will keep you happy in this life. Right ?”. ‘Yes’ was her happy prompt reply. ‘So, it means that incase if I met with an accident today accidentally and lost my brain and in due course all the other things which you said - Street smart, witty etc etc . You will cease to love me. Correct ?’. Her expression changed from instant happiness to instant cheerlessness and started to nearly shout “No. No. I didn’t mean anything like that. I love u truly”. With the same sangfroidness in a calm steady tone, he said “Dear. You did not mean it. But, your well-chosen words meant everything I said. Street smart. Witty etc etc are all my attributes. They are just a part of me. I will exist without them even if I land in a coma for several years. I want someone who loves me completely even in such a situation incase if I were pushed to that state also. I am strongly of the opinion that such a love ,which does not demand or expect any expectation, has the power to cure even the most incurable coma. So, basically, you loved my attributes which are your personal expectations in life. That makes it an infatuation than true love. Expectations hurt big time, dear. Unfortunately, I am rather a person who wants someone to love me for what I am, as an individual ,and not for what I possess. What I possess may or may not be there with me tomorrow as I had demonstrated to you with the accident example. I may have fitted your bill exactly. But, sadly. You are way off the target of mine”. Saying thus, he finished his remaining share of the drink. When she heard what he said, she started crying like a child who had lost her lollipop - defying and denying everything which Rahul told her then. Like a melodramatic film actress, she started cursing him “You won’t marry any other person in this life”. Placidly, he replied ‘ Tell me something which I do not know already. I will learn from you”. She being an intelligent girl, he knew that she understood every word of what he said. But, she was adamant enough to make him see her way which was absolutely dangerous for both of them . 

Seeing her unstoppable flow of non-stop tears, he shouted ‘ Otha! Thevdiya!! In the event that you do want to humiliate yourself by crying in public, do it as you wish. Don’t disgrace my prestige and status in the process’. When he addressed her like that, she was completely shell-shocked. Wiping her tears - all love forgotten, she was besides herself and her voice shook in anger when she almost screamed ‘What did you call me now?’. Unperturbed by her livid anger, Rahul sat up straight in his chair and by the same coolness with which he had uttered those cruel words, he said ‘See. You have stopped crying. All thanks to Ravanan film’. Her anger changed from confusion to total confusion and she exclaimed ‘Pardon me?’ He started laughing and with the same tone continued ‘Well. You wouldn’t have stopped crying if I had tried to console you at that time unless you had gotten what you desired – Me. I had no other option but to say those harsh heart-pricking words which I knew would make you stop crying automatically but instead make you focus on me like a lioness going for her kill.’ She gave him a weak smile and responded ‘Yes. I was going for the kill if you hadn’t given me this explanation. Infact, I intended to butcher you. But, one thing which I don’t understand is why you thanked Ravanan film’. ‘ If you had seen ‘Usure pogudhey’ song, Vikram would have told Ash that guys could very easily digest a girl’s bad words but not their tears. This dialogue prompted me to act in that manner with a flair and dash of my own style’. Deeply impressed, she replied feebly, ‘You are the most complicated and interesting person whom I have ever met so far in my life’. ‘On the contrary, I am just an ordinary simple living thing’ was all that he said. “Chanceless” she muttered under her breath .Finally, she acknowledged and accepted the hardened fact that her love story might one day very well become another script for Gautam Vasudev Menon’s film. Her smile then returned in full vigor yet she egged him on persistently once again ‘So, your final reply would be?’ ‘Ah! You are a tough little nut to crack. Aren’t you?’ he responded with an even bigger smile and proceeded further ‘ Fine. If I say ‘yes’ to you now, there will come a time in the future where I will definitely give you a divorce notice for lack of compatibility . For just a small ‘no’ , you started crying here. From what I have perceived about you since we met today, you will be surely torn to grief and lose your entire life if I were to give you the notice at that time. I am the sort of person who wants everyone to be happy. But, at that moment, seeing my ex-wife shattered, I would be sad too and dashed to pieces . It is not just about yours or mine but everyone’s happiness will be in jeopardy. I have laid the complete future to you as to what will transpire if I do say ‘yes’ now . 

So , you think and decide whether I should tell “yes” or “no” . I will abide by your decision ‘. After a lot of deliberation and contemplation, during the time which the steward brought and kept the bill, she said ‘ Yep. You are right. You better tell me “no” than “yes” ‘. ‘Are you saying this with full-hearted or just like how you ordered Tantrum for the sake of mine, you are saying this to me’. Raising her eyebrow, she tweeted ‘You are very sharp. But, this time, I am telling you with my full conscience involved. Nevertheless, there is one thing which I want to say from the bottom of my heart - I will miss you very much’. She gave him a sudden kiss on his right cheek. ‘You will surely get a person who fits your bill exactly'. He placed his hands over hers and added further 'But, one thing dearie. Just be extra careful and cautious when you select your next person, for, I do not want to see or hear that you are unhappy again’. With a lot more confidence in her voice, she said decisively ‘Yes. I will. For you and most importantly for my happiness’. Saying thus, after paying the bill on a fifty-fifty basis, she knew this might be the last time she would see him. She clasped her hands tightly on to his for one last time and before she could bid him adieu , Rahul commented again ‘Nice pair’. Magically, an extra inch of smile attached to her face and she remarked mischievously ‘At least do you mean now what I think you mean?’. ‘Of course dear. I really meant your dangling’. He gave a short pause and said ‘ear-rings’. Both of them looked at each other and burst out laughing until tears of happiness rolled from their eyes. After their laughter had subsided, she gave him a big hug which Rahul reciprocated with the same intensity. She felt a drop of water drenching her T-shirt and realized that he had shed a drop of tear. 

Throughout this entire episode, he had shown a character of remarkable flawlessness which none would have displayed and this act of his aroused her curiosity. She blurted out asking ‘What’s wrong?’. To which, he replied with the same old characteristic coolness ‘ I never knew any girl would love me so deeply and sincerely. I am indeed a fool to miss out on such a wonderful person. I sincerely pray to god that no harm comes to you’. She was overwhelmed with emotion when Rahul actually told her this. He wiped her tears off and bade goodbye to her and started walking when she swiftly caught him by the hands and kissed him on his lips – gently, warmly , passionately and then lovingly . Had it not been for the pizzeria employees, they knew they would have been mummified in that posture for several eras together. ‘What was that for?’ he asked her teasingly when they had unlocked their lip lock. ‘A parting gift to my favorite person in this world ’ was her terse reply and she started walking without turning her back again. Rahul could distinctly hear the sound of her sobs very clearly. But, he knew there was no way for oil and water to be mixed together. It is only best when they are left unmixed. She understood it too. He saw the last of her tight pink T-shirt disappearing over the horizon. Standing alone, his mind and heart was heavier than osmium. The nearby trees blew a gentle breeze which cleared away his heavy thoughts. In a matter of minutes, they became lighter than the lightest feather. The Tyrannosaurus Rex was ready for its next grueling battle – SLEEP. 

The Memorable Evening

Lights beautifully bedecked the hemispherical dome. Lamps dazzled the already refulgent black and brown structure stained by oil. The stillness stimulated my senses to a degree which I haven't read so far in Geometry. But then, there was one thing which I was able to say with such much certitude. I was entering into a paradise. All my hairs stood up like those of a porcupine by the very entry into it. The atmosphere was so very charged. Something as vague as epsilon multiplied by 4 pi entered my mind. I dismissed the very thought of it as I knew that even during my 12th standard, I had much difficulty in remembering that dratted electrostatic formula. Suddenly, a wave brought me back to the reality from my disillusioned geometry and physics. It was the wave that described the true quintessence of selfless devotion. The charged atmosphere was charged even more by the vibrant wave of people chanting 'Swamiye Saranama Iyyappa' in unison. I joined the multiple of 30 odd people who must be in the temple at that time, some semi-naked and others cladded in the typical black and black outfit. Wading through such an intense crowd was a herculean task by itself. After crossing many such hurdles (even PT Usha might have been proud of me!), a sense of accomplishment overtook me when I stood before the sandalwood-adorned Iyyappan. No words can describe such infallible beauty. Standing there, I was beginning to lose myself when, as ever, the over-hyped intuition of mine started hyper-ventilating like a playful puppy. I didn't know what was going to happen but I was sure something was about to happen then. Based on that premise, I started to circle the temple premises. Hardly I took 14 steps, I knew then I could trust my intuition. It happened. The 30 odd mutiple people reduced slowly and gradually, and naturally the number of persons wearing black declined in the same fashion. But, she was not to be. Her floral pink dress just could not be missed in the throng of endless blacks. Praying that she may turn , she did turn exactly after my obligation was completed. I have heard : Cleopatra to be an enchantress; Ramba, Maneka, Oorvashi penetrated the concentration of many a sagacious sage via their glamorous structural composition and physical effemination. But, those damsels were only "heard". But, this girl was for real. In solid flesh and bone. If they were alive now, she is sure to have swallowed them all in a single gulp. As I was thinking what should be done next, many a head turned towards her direction and instantly I knew that competition was brewing. I just did what I had to do. Taking long strides, I reached her first and kissed her gently on her fore-head. She blushed. The on-lookers looked at me flabbergasted. Knowing very well that I beat the competition, I asked them to continue their own way when my eyes caught hers. It spoke tomes of innocence which only an innocent could have understood the best. Belonging to the elite culprit category, I was trying very hard to decipher that purity and chastity which her eyes spoke so loudly and clearly, and in volumes. I felt I was being imprinted. Thinking it must be the hangover of yester night's Breaking Dawn effect, finally, I tore my eyes away to see what was she upto. She still bore hers onto mine and smiled a smile which made me to feel that I was virtually levitating against the profound gravitational effect. The more she saw me, the more I felt being rised higher and higher and I realised that heaven was not beyond our beloved Mother Earth but within her. I would have touched the illimitable sky if it were not a sharp-sounding raspy voice asking me "What are you doing with my daughter" , thus breaking the eternal connection. Getting my senses back after the mesmerization, I was beginning to be cognizance of the surrounding when a finger tapped on my shoulder asking the same question in the same exact tone. I could feel the nail impinge on my skin beneath my thick T. It was her mother. By the looks of her, I could tell that she was very wary of strangers and even more warier of those who give a kiss to her daughter. If I hadnt opened my mouth then, I was sure that she would have called her Tarzan ! "Now I know from where your daughter got her beauty" was the only sole reply I could tell on seeing her. She blushed even more than her daughter to the extent her cheeks went from pinky rose to reddish red. Needless to say, she was fair. Seeing her mom, she conveniently went and stood beside her as if nothing had transpired until then, keeping her gaze fixed upon me. By the look on our faces, her mother knew that some sort of invisible connection existed between us. She remained silent to see if I were to say something. Anything. But, I was just transfixed by the spell her daughter had cast on me at no cost. Her tufts of hair started to dance in a mellifluence melody as soon as the gentle breeze laid its foothold on her. It was a sight to behold. Seconds grew into minutes and yes, before the minutes grew into hours, once again, her mom disrupted the link by saying " It is time. We should go now". No words escaped my mouth. I felt as I was dumb all my life. Heeding her mother, the girl started walking with a disappointed look on her lovely face. With every step she took, it seemed like she was at a distant light years away from me. Finally, finding my voice, I asked "Aunty. What is your daughter doing?". "A person knowing how to kiss my daughter knows very well to ask her this question" . She gave me the terse reply with a smile. "Enna Panra??" was the only thing which sprang to my mind. She looked at her mom and a silent nod indicated her approval. Once again, she gave me that assassin smile (making my insides to soar again) and replied "Nan adutha varusham lkg sera poren" and left the place and me but her innocent graceful face and her ' kallakabadam ' iladha smile left me with a boundless magnitude of an infinite joy.