Engulfed in an Enchantment

We constantly play cat and mouse in our daily lives. Each day where dog eats and rat eats rat. We don't have time to stop and take a deep breath, fill up our lungs with air and breathe all worries and problems out. But, sometimes we resort to the dark confines of our minds to pick out memories...Memories locked up and buried deep down.....

The flight announcements for boarding were underway. I grabbed my backpack and proceeded for security checks prior to boarding. Armed with a magazine and my ipod, I tried to come to terms with a mind tired from the past journey. It was a long one. Caffeine consumed did not seem to help. They never seem to. Lazily, I stood in line and emptied my pockets of it's belongings to their routine scan and passed though the human scanner myself. The procedure was over before I realized it. I had close to an hour before boarding the aircraft. Aimlessly, I wandered around to find a seat and proceeded to read, having found one. Uninterestingly, I scanned through my ipod to find a soundtrack to relieve my weary mind. Suddenly there was a faint thud right next to my foot. I turned to see a passport case lying right next to it. Out of spontaneity, I picked up the passport case and looked up to hand it to it's owner.

She was still fumbling with the lot in her hand but stopped quickly to thank me. She proceeded to the seat opposite mine. I continued to follow her actions as she put her passport case back in the purse. She had a novel in one hand and a beverage in the other. She looked up to acknowledge me once again with a smile. I was transfixed on her. She must have been in her twenties, was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Her feet were covered in knee length boots. She had some sort of scarf loosely wrapped around her neck. Her face was resplendent with a glow indicating that she was not fatigued by her previous travel. Her reading glasses were thick rimmed and oozed some fashion sense. She had lovely blue eyes which complemented her blonde hair. Her tresses, unevenly spawned across her shoulder had twists and curves at their ends. She started reading her novel, stopping occasionally to sip her beverage. Her lips adorably tightened and closed after each sip. Frequently, her fingers swirled around her hair-locks in a beautiful waltz. She looked absolutely stunning and her actions, quite bewitching.

As I continued to observe her from head to toe, I could sense a free kindred spirit. I concluded that she was either a journalist or an environmentalist....

....She looked up to hear the announcement meant for boarding and stood up to join the growing line. I followed suit, my mind no more weary and completely transfixed on her....

My joy knew no bounds when I realized her seat was right next to mine.During the course of the journey, I learnt that she was from Sydney, Australia. She worked as a freelance journalist with a popular newspaper and was quite smitten by the wanderlust. She was heading to Goa to meet up with some friends. She was looking for some suggestions and I offered some. Our conversations were interlaced with bits and pieces of anecdotes and did not result in anything gripping. How I wished for something more!

As the plane touched down, it was time to bid adieu...To this ravishing lady who had simply stolen my breath away. We stood next to each other waiting to claim our bags. For one last time, I turned around to look at her, at her beautiful blue eyes, at those golden locks gently resting on her shoulder....For one last time, my mind heaved a huge, pitiful sigh as I walked away....

Her face turned into an image etched in my memory. It surfaces now and then to serve as a cold breeze wafting into an otherwise mundane life. It must go back now....to the deep confines, hopefully to resurface soon.....

Wishes

-> On that hot afternoon on the Mumbai local, he was there
-> On that worn out audio cassette tape, he was there
-> On the day 12th board results were announced, he was there
-> During the days of adolescence, he was there
-> Over arguments on rock and roll, he was there
-> On the Sony walkman, he was there
-> During my days away from home, he was there
-> During the days of failure, he was there
-> During the days of discovery, he was there
-> During the times of friendship, he was there
-> When I spent hours staring at the wall, he was there
-> While preparing for exams, he was there
-> After my first rejection, he was there
-> On that February evening, he was there!
-> During the days of lonely travel, he was there
-> During long drives into the night, he was there
-> In foreign lands, he was there
-> On trans-continental flights, he was there
-> In my life today, he is there

Happy birthday, Mark! You have crafted my life to the tunes of your guitar. I'm still picking up the chords.....

Dare To Dream

I do not like reviewing movies. This article, though embodies a movie in it's context, is not a review but, more of an after thought. I might seem to be treading on the borders of both, nevertheless.

I saw Christopher Nolan's Inception yesterday and am scrambling to write this when musings are fairly fresh in the mind. This movie, in its simplest explanation, is a journey of an estranged man trying to re-join his little daughter and son. While most artists would choose physical modes of transport to complete the journey, Nolan chooses ideas and dreams, and indulges the viewer at the speed of thought. The Master has truly become the Maestro!

I walked out of the dark confines of the hall into the light not knowing what had just hit me. I remember my lips bore the distinct shape of a smile. An idea was revealed, a concept materialized and the mind tried to decipher. Nolan chose a point on the circumference of a circle to start his story, comes back to the same spot and then takes off tangentially to complete his narration! I am still trying to answer most of the questions but am eager to get this post away, purely because of the raw joy I am experiencing. A drunken revelry, if you must.

I have oftentimes wondered about some of the questions Nolan asks but, have only managed to grope in the dark. Of-late, my belief in humanity and it's materialistic goals have only gone into a sour state. Plants and beasts would pull off living in harmony with Nature better than humans can or will do. Growth, efficiency and prosperity will not be at the cost of destruction. The so-called extra sense that apparently separates us from them is merely a farce. If spiritual sense were to be compared among the same sample set, observations and inferences will be different.

Then this movie comes along...A two something hour epic that engages every grey cell. It felt wonderful to be part of an intellectually challenging task to which, there were no absolute outcomes. Forget about strife, oil-spills, global warming, pollution, depletion of natural resources. Go-ahead, and indulge in this masterpiece, in this idea, in this dream -and it's Inception!

Vision

-> I see the beauty of creation
-> I see the power of destruction
-> I see corrugations on hard rock
-> I see uniformity in the sky
-> I see the shadows of rocks caused by the setting sun
-> I see shrubs with foundations laid on solid rock
-> I see shapes and colours
-> I see stillness in vast areas
-> I see giant arches formed by erosion
-> I see snow covered mountains
-> I see colour of the sky change it's hues during sunset
-> I see the little squirrel prancing on the rocks
-> I see striations of green amidst brown
-> I see rocks rocks and rocks
-> I see that once a mighty river had it's surface thousands of feet above where I am sitting
-> I see the little hummingbird and it's flight of fantasy
-> I see rows of tiny ants marching in a straight line

I see....
I see....
I see I am nothing.

Rambling -The Way It Is..As Is

"The Week That Was"

Remember this TV programme? As a kid, if you needed information about current events occurring across the country and globe, this was the programme every teacher and parent would swear by. A no non-sense programme conveyed brilliantly by Mr.Prannoy Roy.

That was then..the simpler times. Today, well, that's an entirely a different story. Journalism as we know it is more focussed on dirt, scandals and partisan views. Today, what underwear Katrina Kaif favours or what how many milligrams of mass Shilpa Shetty has developed on her belly is of more concern than Maoist insurgency or the Financial Budget. News agencies have forgotten to focus on state of affairs of national importance as fulcrum and treat these as and when they arise and forget all about it. One thing that stays on is bloody entertainment news, if one dares to call it that! Unfortunately, as a reader I am to blame as well. If titillating images are displayed to me right next to matters of home security, your guess is as good as mine as to where the little mouse pointer would go. As a two-way street, efforts from both ends needs to come. If given an option of pure, unadulterated news, I will very gladly soak it up.

This post will be mostly a medley of coherent and tangential thoughts. Bear with me...

Social Networking:
That's what everyone is apparently doing these days. Ever since the advent of Facebook, people are wanting to put themselves out there....literally!

Oh my God, I just farted...Status update
Oh my God, I just took a shit....Status update
Oh my God, I have a fucking bad head-ache...Need some coffee..like now!!...Status update

This is what we have come to being. Vanity is an inherent quality man possesses but keeps under check (well, most at least)! Now we have a medium to expose it. What is worse is hundred -million people replying to all status messages. Lots of constructive time and bandwidth into super productive use, really.

Tweet...Tweet...No no no..it's not Tweety, that cute little bird that kept us glued to TV sets. Twitter is here. I think everyone from Obama to Tharoor...from sexygirl765 to cooldude99..from the guy next to me to Batman, "tweets" (yes, another one to the Lexicon).Apparently, micro-news is macro-news today. Assimilation of text more than 140 characters is too much for the brain today. Looks like micro rather than macro brain is here to stay!

An interesting afterthought to this is the desire of man to submerge/indulge in what someone else is "up-to". Good point for discussion, that!

IPL:
Picture a scene where thirteen men dressed in whites occupy a ground playing cricket. Well, of course you can't! I'm a fool to paint this illusion. Today, what you see is thirteen men in snazzy outfits trying to play a power game. Of course, please let your mind wander to some girls clad in clothes that'll rip your fly apart.

The gentleman's game is dying. I am actually part of this revolution and it's not a good feeling. I probably will be part of the last generation of people talking about deft flicks, unimaginable late cuts, the art of loop and flight. More importantly, I will be one of the last people to watch Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid play test match cricket. Men, whose on-field revelry has scripted many a life!

Even with the cloud of controversy engulfing IPL, people will stick to it..Not for the game but for the celebrities frequenting matches and late night parties. Players are enticed with moolah never seen before..will the arrogance and cavalier attitudes be far behind? With players being fought over, used and abused like condoms, honour, pride, hard work, spirit of the game will be left far behind. Men of honour will be just merely photos on the wall and with them will die my memories and comfort zone.....

Legends of the past and present are crying out to save the unadulterated form but all I can hear is the "TWEET" of Mr.Franchisee and Mr. Politician....

Spirituality:
Ah, the tangent topic! I have been thinking about this for a bit and came up with this...

- A woman who travels 80 KM a day to wash dishes
- An old man who can't hear well chauffeuring and getting people home safe
- A man whose presence makes you feel secure
- A man who drives a van to feed the poor and homeless relinquishing a fat paycheck
- A social worker working with old neglected people, orphans and abandoned children
- A man who unites an entire nation each time he steps on the cricket ground
- The same man who takes the effort to meet with and seek the blessings of an elderly lady
- A man who raised an unimaginable amount of money purely on trust when up against the wall
- A mother who bestows altruistic love on her kid

This to me is spirituality and I have made my peace with that.

Water:
The most precious reserve. Dwindling away fast....Man's materialistic desires into foray once again in depleting water. I shall reserve my thoughts on this and instead request you to read the April 2010 issue of the National Geographic magazine.


I have rambled on for a bit here. A feeling of self-righteousness has engulfed every Indian away from his motherland. I am no exception. I liked being part of the system within the failure rather than wander away to point fingers at it, good or bad. I liked being in a comfort zone no matter how ruthless it appeared to be. I liked being part of a system where order and method was not a daily dose. I liked not to be faced with an identity crisis everyday.

Maybe, if I still were in India.....

One For The Ladies

There were thatched huts and cottages. Children were playing and having outdoor activities under the cool shade of trees and makeshift shelters. Some were painting, some were being read to, some writing...

I was standing here, amidst this controlled chaos. Tiny tots running around in their bright coloured clothes. The little girls were looking so pretty in frocks and the boys in their t-shirts and shorts. Some were playing tag and having a lot of fun. There was a vendor distributing cotton candy and the little kids screamed each time they would get a stick in their tiny hands. Somehow they were amused by the colour code shared between their dresses and the candy. Watchful eyes of the teachers were scanning for any misbehaviour. Parents were discussing how naughty each kid was at home. There was a sense of satisfaction when little anecdotes were exchanged.

I could see the beautiful valley behind this setting. Tea plantations laced across the crests and troughs. Lush green earth was draped by a grey cloudy sky. It was the perfect weather, very English. Every now and then a drop of condensation would land gently on the shoulder. The kids would jump with joy each time this happened. The weather gods were playing a game with them.

My gaze shifted back to the valley. This was a perfect time for a cup of tea, I thought. Wordly desires were no more the focus of the mind. This is what bliss must feel like. As I was dwelling more into the attributes of this new found serenity, a voice broke the silence. "Saab, Chai?" I turned quickly, a sense of reaction one would display if startled. I saw a man, dressed impeccably, reminding me of Jeeves the Butler. White uniform that had been ironed to perfection. He was holding a tray that reflected the whole sky up above. On it, cups and saucers with thin gold lines flowing across the rims were lined up neatly . They were adorned with floral designs. "Saab, Chai"? He asked once again politely. "The ones in the fist two rows are Cardamom and the third row is Ginger". "What would you like"? "Ginger please", I said. Somehow, the idea of sipping hot ginger tea made me intertwine with the weather. The tea was truly heavenly. It was as if the taste buds were consumating with the aroma!

I started slowly shifting my gaze back to the activities. My eyes became transfixed on this little girl sitting on a ledge by the rose bush. She was wearing a pink frock, her hair bottle necked into a ponytail. A little headband with butterfly images kept the hair in check. A few strands had purposely escaped the clutches of the band and enveloped a small part of the forehead. She was wearing high socks and a perfectly clean pair of buckled shoes. I had not seen her earlier. She jerked her head one way. Probably checking if her mother was still around. As she turned back, her eyes focused vision on me. She began studying me in much the same manner in which I was observing her. She was not interested in the games other girls were playing. She was not interested in the cotton candy. She sat still and seemed to have taken a sudden interest in me. Her tiny, mischievous eyes began studying me intently. Her gaze shifted slightly to her left. Maybe she was looking at the steam coming out of the tea cup I was holding. I followed her gaze and found that it was indeed the case. We looked back up at each other at the very same moment and our eyes locked with each other.

I was overcome by a mixture of flattery and uneasiness. Here was this very pretty girl looking at me from head to toe. But she was studying my every move. Time stood still. Seconds went on by in hours, it seemed. Then the harmony was broken. She jumped quickly off the ledge and landed firmly on the solid ground. Took a quick look around to see if she could still spot her mother and began her walk toward me. She took small but sure step almost hopping each time. I was transfixed on this little girl. My tea had become cold, there was no steam coming off it now. I did not care. I watched her all the way. She came and stood right in front of me. She was even prettier up close. Her rosy lips broadened and gave the most beautiful smile that I had seen. Time became an entity that stopped.

"Hello", she said. I was searching and fumbling for words. Awkwardly, I responded and managed a smile. She lifted up her hands gently and comfortingly indicating me to lift her up. All the time, her smile kept increasing in small measures. I placed the cup and saucer on the ground and obliged. She looked at me. Her smile changed to a gentle laughter. She was enjoying my discomfort thoroughly. Her face was very close to mine. We could measure the distance between our eyes by our fingers. A wonderful fragrance of moisturizing cream emanated from her face. "You are very pretty", I said. She let out a giggle acknowledging my compliment. "You look so satisfied and contented" she remarked. I was taken aback. Why did she make that comment? "But your eyes reveal more". I was intrigued. "Really, what do they reveal"? She took time to respond as if purposely piquing my curiosity. "They conceal a lot of anguish, a lot of pain"."Haha"! I smirked as if to rebuff her comment. She looked at me without batting an eyelid. "Try merging what you observe in your surroundings with negative memories in the mind and you will be at total peace with yourself". She moved back indicating me to put her down.

Before time and noise took over my senses, I saw her running playfully back to her mother. I looked down at the cup and saucer I had placed on the ground earlier. I don't know why. A few seconds later, my eyes frantically searched for her in the crowd. I wanted to hold her up and talk to her again. My mind was frantically searching for questions I would ask. Perhaps I would not stumble this time. Why did she make those comments? Why did she choose to come to me? What was she trying to convey?

But..I would never see her again.