A strange day in our lives

I hope I don’t have to face a day like this ever again. But hey! I got so busy speaking about it, I almost forgot to tell you who I am.

It began just like any other day. Saldna and I started off to catch the 7:20 bus to the college. It came just as we reached the bus stop and we got in. The proximity of exams had made Saldna a religious girl. So after getting off the bus, she decided to give a short visit to the temple before entering class. I only waited outside. Not because I don’t believe in being close to God, but perhaps, because God doesn’t believe in being close to me. She came back out in ten minutes and it was time for college.

Just before we entered the class we heard an uproar of sound come from inside. As soon as we went in, we were informed that Mr. Bhagavantam Subramanian Iyer, the lecturer due for the first hour, was absent. We joined the cheers!

The Cool-kitz gang took no time to assemble.

“Wonder what’s up with Bassy!” said Saldna. ‘Bassy’ was how the class conveniently referred to the particular lecturer. He was known for his regularity and hence the news of his leave was taken as a surprise.

“Heaven knows!” replied Abhilasha, Saldna’s best friend.

“Hey Abhi, don’t think we forgot. When is the treat?” cried out Vikram. This was the regular practise. Let alone birthdays and other regular celebrations, a treat was asked for at the slightest excuse- a prize at a sports competition or in some culturals, a sibling or even a cousin’s wedding, and of course on getting high marks. Abhilasha Raghunath had won Rs.10,000 in a national level project presentation competition. An achievement of such scale guaranteed that the treat would not be overlooked.

“Why bother with treats? I’m throwing a party this evening. 5’O clock. My place. The whole class is invited!”

“COOL!”

The class was known to be noisy even under normal circumstances. With two such exciting upshots early in the day it went wild in celebration. Later the second hour lecturer came to put a full stop to the cacophony. The rest of the day was uneventfully gloomy.

By 5:20 that evening the road in front of Abhilasha’s house was crowded with two-wheelers. Shruti, Vikram, Nina, Sunita, Sidharth, Anu—they were all there. Eleven students of the class could make it to the party and most of them came on their bikes. Saldna and I came by bus.

The house was in perfect condition for a party. Both her parents having left the city, Abhilasha was left alone in the house. So, with no elders to be disturbed loud rock music blared from the stereo. The fridge was filled with two-litre coke bottles. Pizzas were ordered. Eating, chatting, laughing, shouting—all went on at once. And when you make merry, time slips by quickly. Before we knew it, it was almost eight. The guests began leaving the house one after the other. By now Abhilasha’s house was in quite a mess. Since our house was just 15 minutes away by walk, Saldna decided to stay on to help tidy things up. Some more chatting went on and by the time we left the time was almost ten.

We had walked this road often but never so late. It was surprising that it could seem so strange and lonely. We moved on nervously.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, came a large shabby-looking man. From the way he was shaking and shouting he was certainly heavily drunk. He looked at Saldna, a chill went down her spine. He stared at her for sometime and then began walking unsteadily towards her. And in a broken voice came the song, “Rooppu tera... mastaana....” Saldna stood still, frozen in fear.

The man was now dangerously close. I could feel Saldna’s hand gripping me tightly. I alone could do some help. Then in a fraction of a second, before the rogue could realise what was going on, my sole landed on his hairy face in a powerful blow. That one shot seemed enough. The villain stumbled, fell over and lay motionless. We rushed to the safety of our home.

Later that night I lay thinking what a strange day it had been. It started so well, was full of fun and in the end it became such a frightening adventure. I hope I don’t have to face a day like this ever again. But hey! I got so busy speaking about it, I almost forgot to tell you who I am. I am the pair of high-heeled sandals, Saldna has been wearing for the past two years!

What day is today?

We have a day for the mother, a day for the father, one each for sister, brother, son, daughter, niece... One for cancer, one for AIDS, one for cardiac arrest, one for epilepsy... Then there are days for planting trees, remembering Mr. Kofi Annan, dressing up like ghouls and flossing our gums. In short, we have days for most diseases, relatives and just about all other problems. Do these days really help us in sorting out our problems? That is a very vague, difficult and useless question to answer. Instead, let me ask, do we have days to take care of all our needs? The answer to that is definitely NO. A ‘NO’ with a capital ‘N’, as well as a capital ‘O’, for those suffering from case-blindness. For here are 10 days that, I’m sure you’ll agree, will not only be found useful but will also enrich our lives and give us a boost in our journey towards self-realisation.

1. Anti-commercial day: According to a survey in the U.S., each day, the average person is confronted with 2000 advertisements. Humanity will be more than happy to do without them for a day. No channel should break for commercials today and just keep broadcasting their programs throughout. All newspapers and magazines published on this day must not have a single advertisement, but just stick to news and articles. Hoardings on roadside, busses and walls should be draped with black cloth. Salesmen must stay home and vendors at the market must go about their selling silently.

2. I’m-sorry day: This can be a very special day. It gives you a chance to apologise and rid your relationships of all its cold blocks. So pick up the phone, call up the dear ones and say, “Dear friend, if I ever hurt you or made you feel bad in any manner, I apologise for it today. I cherish your friendship and always want to see you happy. As far as I know, I have always acted according to this, but if you, at any time felt otherwise that was never the intention." Being a bit over-sentimental is okay on 'I'm-sorry' day.

3. No-mobile-phone day: Cast away your ring-tone rattles today. Spend it peacefully and rediscover the pleasures of undisturbed living. It is possible to live without this thing. Believe me when I say, you once did.

4. Non-uniform day: This is the day for the whole world to go ‘Rangeela’. All schools, factories, laboratories, hotels and other establishments that mandate uniforms must lapse this rule for the day. Let people express themselves by wearing their attitude. Colours of all variety will make today a spicy day!

5. Say-Hi-to-strangers day: Day after day we pass by hundreds of people staring coldly at their noses. Let us all decide to shed our inhibitions and fears today and smile and greet everyone we meet. This would have a lubricating effect on our society. We will realise that grotesque our appearances and ways may seem to each other, what counts is we have all descended from the same ape. Not as many people as we think, exhibit cannibalism and most of us don’t mind being adored at all. This day gives you the chance to meet people who can be your great friends, advisors or archrivals. Who knows, you might even meet your dream-lover!

6. Pedal-your-way day: “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race”, wrote the famous writer H.G. Wells. If you are healthy and normal one day’s cycling to work or college won’t do any harm. Only when you use your brawn to push the distances behind, can you know how vast the pleasant land really is. So today it’s bye-bye to cars, scooters, buses and the rest of the powered lot. The true worth of this ordeal and the sense of accomplishment and happiness it gives can’t be described; it has to be experienced. I can promise you this will be a day you will not regret.

7. Snail-mail day: With new gadgets of all shapes and sizes popping up around us daily, writing letters by hand is a practice that is becoming increasingly obscure. So do it the old fashioned way today and take up pen and paper (remember even printouts aren’t allowed) and write to one and all. When you have upgraded your computers, swapped your phones with smaller models, and thrown away your CDs for better things that fit in your computer’s mouth, the letters will live; to tell stories about you to your great-grandchildren.

8. World-joke day: Let us forget seriousness today and generously serve each other good doses of the best medicine. Everyone must think of some funny incident in his or her life or if possible make up his or her own joke. This must be shared with everyone met. The world will be a much happier day on this day, with laughter ringing at every corner and with so many people, so pleasant, so much at once.

9. Un-Valentine’s day: There is a day to say, ‘I love you’. So there’s got to be one to say ‘I don’t’. For those caught in relationships that are not necessary or relationships that are no longer necessary and wondering how to call it off, this day gives the chance. Just Un-Valentine yourself on this day saying, “I’ve had enough” or “We aren’t getting anywhere” or “There is someone else”, as the case maybe, and you’ll have lots of company!

10. No-day day: With everyday being this day or that day there’s got to be a day when we need to take a break. That’s precisely where the No-day day comes in. This is the day to forget about all the problems of the world, all the plagues that exist in it and all our relatives. Live today assuming there are no problems in the world. Even if a problem arises leave it for another day!

On the probable means of my death

Reply to the man who warned against wading into the sea:

"Of all the pleasant ways to die,
I am sure I will not drown;
Though from a cliff or tower high,
Headlong, I might well fall down!

Maniacs abound in this world,
Maybe one would chop my head;
Daily new diseases unfold,
Any one could make me dead!

The conspiring sea’s no man’s friend,
She’s neither safe nor shallow;
But it has been my childhood trend,
The rising waves to follow!

I’ve grown up playing with the sea,
Swimming waters green and brown,
I like the sea and she likes me
So I’m sure I will not drown!"

Attacked on the way to the station

I leave my house and begin the familiar walk to the railway station. It is broad daylight and the short journey looks to be regular and uneventful. The cobbler opposite my house is asleep. There is a strong breeze and the air is filled with dragon flies. I walk straight to the small crowded intersection of 5 streets. I have to take the road that goes straight-right. I wait for the huge S.U.V. to pass, quickly take a peep into the 5 lanes and scurry across.

An attack at this time was the last thing I expected. The first one really took me by surprise.
“Is it okay to break rules when we think breaking a rule on a given occasion does not cause the damage the rule was made to guard against?”
“Is it okay to continue owning and propagating beliefs when we know we cannot prove them to be true?”

I enter my lane and see a huge pile of garbage lying heaped in a corner. There are more flies, dragon flies and other insects flying around it. A small dog surprises me by materializing from within its depths. Beyond this, the series of vendors begins. Fruit sellers behind their colourful, handmade mountains try to attract me by shouting out their prices. I reach another small intersection where I have to take a left. I see more people, more shops, more dragonflies. In a corner is a huge garbage bin lying tilted. The cow responsible, has its eyes shut and seems focused on whatever it is chewing. Liquid oozes from its mouth. Vehicles swerve to avoid hitting it.

At this stage, I somehow felt I was not a part of the road. I was just passively drifting by. More like the star in the morning sky that forgot to go off after sunrise.
“How can we say that we have the power to choose, when we have no option but to go with, what seems to us at the moment, the best choice?”
“If the creator is simultaneously infinitely potent and infinitely benevolent, why do almost 1,800 children under the age of 15 become HIV positive every day?”

As I walk past the cow I see the hoarding of a smiling boy holding a biscuit packet over a stationary shop. A fly lands and sits on his nose. I move on. Two auto drivers are having an animated conversation. A man apologises after bumping into one of them. As I take my final turn into the station premises I see a few beggars sitting by the road. They rattle their coin containers to add rhythm to the sorry tunes they cry to evoke pity. The railing behind them seems somewhat a uniform mixture of torn posters, beetle leaf spittle and bare black metal. A blind man rubs himself and his stick against it and shakes his head as if to say he understands where he is.

I had not framed all these questions. And I was in no mood to try and answer them. I did not even consider them. But they just came. Bolts from the blue. They had been hiding somewhere at the back of my head. There they formed an army and chose this most unseemly hour to attack.
“How do we define the purpose of our life, if what we like to do most is different from what we are best at doing?”

I reach the ticket counter, ask for my ticket and pay 10 rupees. The man behind the counter takes it and punches a button on a machine. It throws out the 4 rupee ticket and the man throws out the 6 rupee change; somewhat in the same style.

“If desire is the cause for all suffering, and I sit alone close my eyes and absolve myself of all desires, will mosquitoes stop biting me?"

The train arrives today as soon as I reach the platform. I get on and it speeds into the thick breeze and the station, behind me disappears round the bend.