pleasant

Pintu was alone walking back to his home, singing a song in his mellow voice, swinging his water bottle to the rhythm of the song. He jumped and stopped whenever there was pause in the song. It was a nice evening. The road was wetted by the rain. Breeze of the stopped rain was still in the air. Those were some of the unconscious reason for his happiness. The real reason for his happiness is he don't have any homework that day, and no class test scheduled for the day next.

When he reached home, went running to his mother in kitchen and hugged her from back. The smell of his mother made feel warm, he always loved that. Even before she turned, her hands quickly probed through her kid's head, hands and back. Sensing they aren't wet her worry of would her kid get caught in the rain got lifted away. As she turned back, for her lips to reach her kid's cheeks, who was just her waist high she grounded her knees.

He happily announced that he doesn't have homework. After giving him a "wow, that's great", with a helpless authoritative tone, "Again, you had left the shoes in the floor, and not in its shelves". With a 'sorry mom', he ran back to fix the complaint. She walked into his room to leave his school bag. There, she quickly confirmed there were no traces of torn pages in his school diary, one of his old pranks to escape homework.

After munching some snacks and milk, he ran out to play with his dog. Before his mom realized and stepped out to warn him, his shirt and shorts had rain-mud footprints of his dog. She just smiled at that sight and enjoyed the scene of her kid joyfully playing with his dog.

The dog which was running to pick a ball he through, stopped all in a sudden at a place, started barking looking at the ground and smiled through his waving tail. Pintu ran to see what was it. Reaching the place, out of joy he started jumping and shouting to call his mother. She came running to the place. It was a seed that just emitted from the earths womb as a thin stem. The stem was crowned by a half open leaf, guarded by symmetrically placed pair of leaves, all in warm green. Its out of Pintu's first seed, so it is special.

The new born was put into a container to protect it from heavy rain and the container was left in the portico.

Next morning Pintu came running to the portico, as soon as he got out of bed, to see if the crowning leaf had opened fully. His mother didn't heard him for some moments, except the harsh barking of their dog from its cage. She walked to portico to find her kid standing there frozen. Standing right behind her kid she witnessed that the container was lying there turned upside down. The last night's heavy rain had even washed away all the sand without any traces around the container. Her hands ran thought his left shoulders and gently pressed his chest against her legs. He turned and hugged her legs. She quickly went to her knees and held his face, wiped the running tears and put it his head on her left shoulder and hugged him. She didn't know what words would console him.

"Hey, don't breakdown my baby, lets check it'll be lying somewhere here, it's not easy to take loved ones away from us", with those words she parted him and walked around the portico searching for it. And to clear a strong doubt she turned the container, gosh! the plant was there like a puppy caught in a bunker. She turned and smiled at him. He walked to her, held her face and gave her a heavy kiss on her cheek.

calling a call girl

"I need a kutti for tomorrow da macha", Asif shocked me. "I'm coming to your room tonight, will spend next two days in Chennai, find some contact by then", he hanged the call. Family guys like him make use of poor bachelor like me, finally their's wife we'll crib, "my hubby is innocent, his friend in Chennai spoils him, dirty minded bachelors". Yet Asif is one of those guys to whom we cannot say no, but this is too complicated.

I called another friend Manish, expert of 'those' matters,

Me: dai, I need 'that' number da

He: (causally)which number

Me: (felt too awkward to say it) for 'that' da. the lady's number you were telling the other day

He: oh! ooooooooooo. at last, welcome sir

Me: Hey its not for me, for a friend

He: hmmm, I know

Me: Believe me da

He: Okey, Okey. enjoy. note it

Me: Sir, come to my room tonight, you have to do the talking part

He: No probs, anything for you dear. Will fix a best one for you

Me: Whatever

Asif and Manish met in my room that night. Like two immortal souls trying to enlighten a mortal soul, they were advising me. Manish said, "dude, there is nothing wrong, this would clear all such thoughts from your head. So you can concentrate on your work even amid beauties". I was sitting there and wondering their arguments. Asif said, "You are not understanding, see me taking 'holiday' from family once in a year", turned to Manish and continued, "Boss, leave him, useless fellow, lets call her".

Manish dialed and talked, "hey, this is manish....[four dots replaces talk from other side of phone, please adjust] sorry, who is this....Oh fine, can you come tonight....tomorrow morning" he turns to Asif and gesturing with his head 'fine?'. Asif wages 'double ok' with his blissful head. Manish continues, "is absolutly fine, make it 9....hope you'll be as good as her, how about the payment....that's fine...."

When I was just wondering how would he do 'that' in the morning, Manish says in the phone,"a friend want's to talk to you" and thrust the phone between my face and palm. Just to put an "everything normal" act I struck a normal conversation, "Hi....i'm a software engg, and what do you do....", for such a question, not just the people around me laughed but even the phone speaker.

Manish was summarizing, "boss, I'll message her this room address, she'll come by 9'o clock, by evening pay her 2500". I got shock of my life, "Hey, not in my room, the house owner would through me out". Those guys didn't even felt my existence.

Next day early morning, Asif wakes me up, "dai, clean the room". In the early morning, binned all the used cloths peacefully sleeping all around the room, dismantled the spider settlements, painfully parted all the dust I had shared the room for months. At last Asif told, "the bathroom too da", loosing my patience, "dai, I don't even clean this much when my parents come here". Asif pleasingly shook his head, pushing me gently, "just this da macha". Locking myself into the bathroom, with murmuring curses in lips, I cleaned the bathroom.

I was sent out of the room by 8.30 and was expected back only by late evening.

When I came back to room by set of the night, he was fully drunk. He broke-out on seeing me, "macha, I'm hundred percentage black da, she is two hundred percentage black da. Did nothing, just gave money and sent her back. She was looking as bad as that unwashed toilet". Oops I never realized that my curse when I was cleaning the toilet would come true with the words accuracy.

The drinks kept him going, "I asked for Australia team to play with, but he fixed West Indies team to play with me. All my batting dreams, "That Manish should accept the responsibility and resign his job"(as if that was his profession).

I don't have a bull's eye

Lying in the bed on a sunday afternoon, having already done with movie in a theater, movie in laptop, enough FB, bored with a book, game of badminton, lunch and dinner with friends. Cannot think of something that I could do. All in a sudden I got a thought, "if i got nothing to do, why am i living".

That thought is a typical of mental instability of a mind taught to think in western culture. By "western culture", here I refer to questioning anything and everything. "why should i do this", "what is wrong with that". And the self had to be convinced to do or no to do anything and everything.

Indian culture on other hand stereotyped the life. We are assigned with expectation at every stage of of our life. As kid do study well, then get married, then do a good job to earn money, at last take care of your family. There is no room for questions here. We are trained enough that don't even know why should we even question this. There is nothing wrong in this culture, it keeps one busy feeding us, with enough challenge, fun, pain, happiness and most importantly a relation at any given point in time.

As a kid though I didn't liked most part of the education I forced myself to get through it with decent score, as it was projected to me that it is the only way life is supposed to be. Now me having stepped out of my home town, seen different people, I'm evolved to question and even stepped out of various aspects of the Indian culture's "stereotype". In the same time having my mind trained in that culture for about a quarter century, so that it feels disturbed about uncertainties, I'm immensely fearful about stepping out of the culture entirely.

In the current stage, i'm just doing things the makes me happy for that moment, without any long term goal or plan. In Indian culture this can be termed as being irresponsible (like my granny calls me).

hatred crippled

Thousand girls is what I would have seen in my life. Hundred is what I would've talked to. Five is what I enjoyed accompanying. Two is what I wished to live with. One is what I felt comfortable and told that. Ironically the coin wagged its tail when head was my call.

At least the automated voice took pity on me and told "the subscriber is not picking your call" whenever I called her thereafter. Wished for first time, that I could hate her.

One fine day "clients in her office let her to spare sometime for me", "her distant relative stopped visiting her letting her spare sometime for me", "her doctors told that she is fit enough to talk", "the Sunday mass stopped extending throughout the whole of Sunday". And the day before that fine day I told her "that's cake walk for me, I'll help you with that".

"see you later"'s turned to "watzup", "wishing safe journey"'s extended to "reached safely?", "miss u" & "had good time"'s surfaced.

Those fine days were like cream on the cold coffee, unexpected chocolate flakes on that cream, lava in Chocó lava, extended euphoria.

Amid a terrible question popped "why did she offered all these sweetness to the kid (yah, that's me) she had abandoned all these days". Wished for the second time, that I could hate her.

She said "I'll explain, but in person. Since over air emotions would be lost".

Met her. A day filled of a movie, a lunch, a beach walk and a coffee. Yet she ends the day with "not enough quality time in the day to explain why”. Yet I rejoiced over her other parting words “wish the day keeps going” and I meant and sounded back the same.

Logically the question mark is yet to be erased, but I’m crippled to hate her.

when I’m drunk

When I was drunk, I became what I liked to be.

In a conversation, when some comment or joke or funny incident stuck my mind, ‘normally*’ before I could finish thinking of “would it make sense to tell it here” the context of conversation changes, so I miss the timing badly and so I would remain silent. Eventually this would make me a dull listener in the group rather than an interesting contributor of the conversation. When ‘drunk’ the voicing of any thing stuck my mind replaced any thinking.

First time ever I was part of discussion with Roy “me talking”, in group of friends I cracked some jokes and everywhere I talked without any kind of fear (except that I would get a pink slip ;)).

Appreciating others, ‘normally*’ I won’t do it explicitly. My egos would not let me. The egos briefed.

• Would the person being appreciated think I’m trying impress or please them (I’m not able to find a appropriate word, help with a better word here).
• ‘Why should I appreciate now’, the lethargy. I can do it anytime in future. But the ‘anytime’ never comes.
• When it comes to girls, would they think I’m trying to flirt.

And when I was drunk :) :) none of this thought comes up to my head. I just walked to the person, sometimes pulled them aside, stopped others from interrupting us and told them what made me feel they are worthy humans.

Similarly when it comes to giving some feedback to someone, I mostly put a step back with the fear of how the person would take it. But when I was drunk, I pulled out the personals and talked to them. And I liked the way I put it across.

Being ‘normal*’ now, it’s a lie if I say “I don’t remember what I said when I was drunk”. Being drunk I didn’t walked to some random person and said some random things. I meant what I said to anyone.

All this makes me conclude, when I’m drunk I don’t think (or relatively very less thinking) before doing or saying anything. Hence exposing my inner self as such. Incidentally he turned out to be good guy ( as he is ;) ) though idiot as the ability to think was disabled.

hunted - in the reverse

Though she is not gorgeous, I liked her for, the way she presents herself, her way of dressing and her fixed gaze on me at all possible chances. I decided to propose and win it….

But when, where & how? Not by mail or phone, it has to be in person. The best time is during her way back to home, since she is always accompanied by her friends on the trip to office, during breakfast and lunch. But to make things worse I had no idea at what time she will leave from office, which ranges from 6 pm to ……….(s/w industry na!!!!).

That day, I checked the 6’o clock bus around 5.59 pm, she was not in so I got down sounding as if I’m not comfortable with the last seat, the only free seat. I did the same with 6.30 bus. To my shock, when that bus was about to leave she came running and got into the bus, so I. The driver gave me a grimy look as if he read what runs in my mind.

Throughout the trip I rehearsed within myself what I’ll speak and how. A fearful thrill engulfed me; intensified than the one I’ll have just before any of the exam or interview results.

I got down from bus with her, a stop before mine. At that moment, a dilemma caught me, whether to go behind her or to my place. I decided for later and proceeded, but the thought that, “I’ll not get another chance like this” made me to choose the former.

By this time she walked far from me. I ran behind her, when I was about to call her, a heard thought struck me, that, I don’t know her name.

It was around 7 pm, the roads were dimly lighted. I hastily ran to her side and said a wary “hi”, gasping for air. She got stunned. I was about to tell “I need to talk to you, n I don’t mean any harm” but no words came out. Quickly regaining from the stun, she understood me intention, through my complex facial expression and body language. She shrugged, and calmingly she told “let’s walk n talk” covering her smile.

I kept debating where to start and how, rehearsals in vain. She broke the silence and introduced herself with her name and so I. She tried to engage me in casual chat to ease the situation, but I was too excited for it. After few minutes of silent walk I made up mind and talked “……..err………. I’m disturbed by you……….’m na sure is dat luv ………” No response. To my questioning gaze she bewilderedly replied “this is a surprise to me” and alienated shrug with her raised eye brows and tight lips.

With self-reliance I asked “Can I have ur number”. She: “hmm……..”, and added strongly but with a sooth “I’m sorry”.

I ceased walking and told hesitantly “Fine, there is no point anymore in walking together.”, and promisingly added “I won’t disturb you anymore, n I’m sorry about all this” and started back.

She stopped me and told “Hey, don’t get embarrassed, this will be between us” with a pity.

In my room that night, “Da I had lost the bet” said me to Parthi. Joyfully he grabbed the money from me and told sarcastically “I know the girls da, she wouldn’t have even given her number na? don’t get carried away by the way they look at you, dear”

Ya, I did all this just for a bet and if lucky, a flirt partner ;) She proved me wrong, not just that, but also won me with her goodness, tolerance, and understanding.

I’m happy now, irrespective of loss in bet or the embarrassing incident, I found my girl at last. I’ll win her with perseverance.

cheers,

deepak p

starving for your critic reply, please nosh me!

hail his dream of crucifying India

It’s not mission critical I argued. My prejudice was growing stronger as he, a good friend, made the following claims.

• They are going to save Rs.340000000000 (stop counting the zeros, its three hundred forty billion or three thousand four hundred crore) for India every year.
• They turned down an offer of Rs.2000000000 (again, its two billion) which they promised themselves that they would do it for free.
• Heights of all, the American president referenced their work on one of his speech.

Hearing his gyan was more like a teleshopping bullish ads that promises you a TajMahal as your loo for just nine hundred and nine ninety rupees only.

He said all they are going do is making a piece of software work for each and every government doctors in India, in suggesting medicines. And the catch is that it need not even say what medicine would cure which decease. I thought, then what the damn it got to do with suggesting medicines.

And if you give an extra ounce of analysis on “software in every government hospital in India” would serve as a great joke upon which we can laugh for hours. How many government hospitals have a computer to run the software? Sieving out the politically showcased ultramodern urban government hospitals, most of the rural hospitals don’t even have proper electricity. And not to forget there are thousand plus doctors who trek mountains, boat wild rivers, cart ride miles to make a government hospital made of nothing but them. From where they could afford electricity, computer, internet and then the software comes.

He an overgrown in knowing the myriads of software and information systems, a premature technologist whose door steps is queued with projects and companies to better tune their solutions to keep its heart beat going. His stature made me to take a step back, emptying my mind cup and rationalize his reasoning's.

Hope you would realize that most likely we doze, over an hour or more, after any medication, be it for cold & cough, headache, fever, injury, toothache, back pain, sprain, skin allergy, etc. to name any disease or illness for that matter. We would leave our mouths ajar out of shock if we consider the multiplying effect of the ‘doze over an hour or more’ considering each one among the thousand million Indians, each time falling for either minor or major illness across three sixty five days of a year. The lost productivity because of the ‘doze over an hour or more’ alone costs India three hundred forty billion rupees for every year.

A military doctor explained, “In a war room hospital if a doze for an hour after medication is avoided, we’ll get beds freed sooner for next injured soldier hence avoiding congestion and chaos”. Same is the story with disaster recovery hospitals during flood, earthquake and other disasters. So it is mission critical.

Its found that, when certain enzymes present in different medicines come together causes the doze. The solution is find would a combination of the medicines given, considering their countless versions, dosages and brands, cause the doze or not.

Having found the plot of the criminal, my friend with a team of seven members that includes a professor from IIT is working an solution to weed out the criminal. To impart required response speed, couple of months back they scraped a solution developed for more than five years and started freshly with the lessons learnt and without loosing the hope or any bit of energy. That speaks their commitment. And he says, “We need more passionate people to help us, not necessarily techies or experts”.

The solution includes a software that run on computers and handheld devices that talk to servers through satellites. And believe me this description of the solution is just the tip of the iceberg, there are lot of effort going in for effective use of network and resources, to make it affordable for a country like India. Querying millions of data and to respond a doctor sitting in some remote corner of India in less than six seconds would brief the complexity.

He said that he wants to crucify India where his father was pushed to near death in a village hospital, and resurrect India with better rural health. Let us hail his dream and join hands.

It is Boojapathi I here referred as my friend here. My first two cents Booja ;)