MAYA!!!

Read this at AC's blog.

Vishnu smiled. “Calm down, Narada. Tell me, where did your family come from? From Me. I am the only reality, the only entity in the cosmos that is eternal and unchanging. Everything else is an illusion – a mirage, constantly slipping out of one’s grasp.” “You, my greatest devotee, knew that. Yet, enchanted by the pleasures of worldly life, you forgot all about me. You deluded yourself into believing that your world and your life were all that mattered and nothing else was of any consequence. As per your perspective, the material world was infallible, invulnerable, perfect. That is Maya.”

This is an extract from the bhagavad Gita about an incident of Narada where he was enchanted by a gorgeous woman and forgot his purpose.

I usually dont believe in mythology but this perticular one has a mordern significance. PURPOSE!! We are all sent here to do something at somepoint of time. Our absence from this world would have started a chain reaction of deadly events. Hence every entity in this world is responsible for what is happening right now.

As a child i wanted to be a "engine driver" 'cause i loved travelling and the "huge moving thing" caught my imagination. Then i wanted to become "a pilot" 'cause the flying machine made my creativity soar to the heights. I never wanted to become an engineer(which i would be in a year!) when i was a kid... probably a scientist (thanks to my dad!). I slowly graduated my "want to be list" to a fighter pilot 'cause the speed gave me the thrill. The common thing in all of the above is CREATIVITY!!


But then reality can be harsh sometimes. I became none of the above. I am stuck in a engineering college where creativity is a SIN! But that not the point here. The point is.. we somehow or the other get lost mid way into realising our dreams.

FOCUS. Does that word have any meaning now? Good question. The answer is a flat NO!! When you dont do what you enjoy doing, you loose your creativity. That is when life become mechanical. People tend to loose track in a number of ways. But to top the list of distractions is GIRLS.

Girls, for some may be a source of inspiration and support. But i truly feel they slow you down. Take you in an all together different path. This is same as the one described in story above. They lure you with their charm and make you run behind them. Some enjoy running behind gals, some enjoy watching them sitting on a platform but I consider both a waste of time.

More over, you dont tend to find gals who are as emotionally and mentally matured as you are! The number of words used to explain something to a guy is 1/10th of the words used to explain gals. Waste more time... Ya i do agree that the feeling of being with them is divine and there is nothing compared to having that feeling and they complete your life they add emotion etc..BUT... just to drink 180 ml of alcohol... WHY buy the entire wine shop!! No offence... but is the slow down of pace WORTH IT??

The only way to actually know YOUR PURPOSE is to rise over the distractions. Have an eagle's eye view of whats happening... No distraction is impossible but then you can always OPTIMISE DISTRACTION!! (now.. i am speaking like an engineer!!)


Listen to the omens for they shall tell you, when you start wandering away from your purpose!!

Real than Reality!!

One more competition, one more submission. A story from the great one. Check it out!

She was screaming like a whore and begging for more as I pushed her further. She took my breath away and I felt divine. She gave me the kick at 260 km/hr.

Yamaha R1, the bike of the millennium, the babe of my dreams, was rocking to my tunes. With 180 horses under its hood, it was down to man and machine. It took me 6 months to tame the wild cat and now its purrs to my wishes. Given my background, she helps me vanish into thin air.

It was 31^st December, 1999, the last day of the millennium. With the Y2K problem solved, people were on the streets celebrating the dawn of a new millennium. The festive mood had set in and I was no exception. I had all the reasons to celebrate too. A job well finished and two huge projects in my hand fetching me 7 figure income per gig.

Living life on the fast lane, describing myself in six words. The road had been chosen to test the new nitro boosters bound to take you over 320 km/hr. I took one last look at the long road, deserted and straight. One kick and she roared with energy. A little twist of the wrist and speedometer read 220. I looked at the red button, press me for ecstasy. I did. It was instantaneous, my eyes could not register anything more than 10 meters and I thought I would fly away.

The rush was more than I could expect, the kick was more than I had anticipated. I was on top of the world. And I felt the winds howling at me, loud enough to be a truck horn.

Then I saw, a sight I can never forget. Two bright eyes, as bright as the sun, staring right into my eyes. Headlights of a lorry. My legs hit the brakes. I could feel the tarmac tearing my skin. She ejected me out and headed toward her doom. The last thing I remember were the sparks hitting my face.

I heard voices, he is lucky to have escaped with just a broken hand. My eyes opened. It took me a minute to realise where I was. How did I reach the hospital? Where is my babe? What happened? Who is responsible…and a million more questions racing through my mind. It was like telepathy. A nurse with white apron and glass of water in her hand made me swallow a huge tablet. You are the St. Marks missionary hospital. It’s not everyday that a person gets to spend the last day of the millennium in a hospital ward. I saw the digital clock hung opposite to me. It read 7:30 pm 31^st December 1999. That’s when I understood the situation. Don’t worry about your bike sir, it’s at the parking lot and I think it is still in running condition. You can check it as soon as you get discharged.

It was 9 in the night by the time I got discharged. A plaster on my left hand and a wallet lighter by Rs.1500. I reached the parking lot surprised to see her still in one piece. She is still in working condition. I responded to the voice and turned around to see a gorgeous looking gal, probably in her mid 20s. I found you on the highway and rode you and your bike down here. She had survived the crash really well. I thanked her for the trouble she took. Can I ask you for one last favour? I asked. Depends on the favour she said. I took a deep breath and asked can you drop me home, as you see I am not in a condition to ride. I kept a helpless expression on my face. No problem. I actually live 2 streets away from yours. Don’t look like that; I had checked your driving license. My attempt to hide my disbelief had failed.

She parked my bike in the parking lot and dropped me home. She bid farewell and promised to drop by next morning to check up on me. This was like a dream. One moment I am crashing my bike and next I have a gorgeous looking lady dropping me home and promising to check up on me. What else could I ask for?

Who am I? A question even my parents would have trouble answering. I am a 25 year old handsome lad from Hyderabad, wanting to make a mark for myself. An engineer from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; trained in designing modern warfare for the country. But I wanted more. I was not satisfied with the designing part. Joined the CBI as an analyst but went on to join the HRT (Hostage Rescue Team), Gold medallists form the CTC (Commando Training Centre). To put it simple, I am an assassin for the Indian Government. My original records have been erased and I do not have an identity of my own. I change my identity according to my job. I was Ramakrishna 1week back, the sniper who killed the sandalwood brigand Verappan. A job well executed. I always thought the government should have brought us in before but the state governments thought otherwise. I am now, Rahul Bhat, and my next target is Abdul Waghre, chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba based in Kashmir.

The dawn of the new millennium was great and I hoped I would find a lovely girl to settle with. The bell rang. Wish you a many happy returns of the day and wonderful New Year!! It was the gorgeous girl who dropped me yesterday. It was not a dream after all! How do you know it’s my birthday? I think I gave the disbelief look again. Your driving license can say loads about you. Can I come in? That is when I realised we were still standing at the door. Sure. Please do. Can I get you a cup of coffee? She made her self comfortable on my couch. I will have one spoon of sugar. I passed the information to kanta, my maid servant. I am sorry, in all the confusion I even forgot to ask your name and your particulars. Meanwhile, kanta got the coffee and served. I am Maya. I work for Infosys. I had shifted here from Mumbai about 3 weeks back. A great lover of bikes and I admire your bike. There are not many of those in the country, enjoyed riding it yesterday. A smile found its way on to my face, the pride of owning a Yamaha R1. What do you do for a living? She asked. I had practiced the answer over a thousand times, part of the training given before you change your identity. I work as a section manager in Intel soft. She sure is talkative. I got to know more about her and she got to know more about Rahul Bhat.

January 26^th, 2000. 50 years of Republic India. We attended the parade at the red fort. We became very close to each other. I spent a lot of time with her. All the time I was feeling guilty that she is under a false impression of who I was. I actually liked her a lot and I think she is the one I have been waiting for 25 years of my life. But, my profession does not allow me to disclose my real identity to anyone unless the person has security clearance. I could kill my self for this, but then I had others to kill first. The day set for the mission was 16^th January. But due to my hand, it was postponed to 13 February. My hand was alright by now. And I started my training.

The whole day I spent at the training centre under the pretext of working for Intel soft. In the evenings, Maya and I would get together and have dinner. The D-date was closing near so was I toward Maya. I had decided that this is the girl I would spend my entire life with. This is the girl I would share all my joys & sorrows.

Meanwhile, the training had become intense. I was briefed about the details of Abdul Waghre, his allies and mates. I had to know in and out about him so as to make the perfect plan. The best part of this job was that I was allowed to call the shots. I planned the entire setup and execute it. I work alone.

The time I spent with Maya got reduced and she was not pleased with it. I gave a pretext of audit and up coming budget adjustments at work. She understood my situation, though not the actual one, but adjusted accordingly. This attitude of hers had sealed all my decisions. I am going to propose to her and get married to her. I set the apt date for this. February 14, Valentines Day. Moreover, I would have finished my mission by then and the next one was due only in November 2000.

The protocol required me to leave for Kashmir by February 12. I told Maya that I have a meeting in Ajmear and would be back by 14^th. She didn’t seem very pleased but nevertheless she agreed. Man, I love her really a lot. We decide to meet on 12^th evening at 5:30 in the deserted gardens of Shah Alam. I was looking forward for this. Thought of showing her a trailer of what was in store for her on the 14^th. I had to control myself because I wanted the proposal to be on a special day. I had to remind myself show her only the trailer and not the entire movie!!

I reached on dot at 5:30 on the evening of February 12^th. I had just spoken to my mission director on my mobile. The parameters for my mission were set. I was going to leave by 10:30 in the night and do my job at 3:45 pm the next day when Abdul Waghre is addressing a rally. But, at that moment, none of these were in my mind. All I knew was that I was going to see the girl of my dreams.

I heard a coarse voice.

Funny, how small people like you think they can kill Abdul Waghre.

A chill ran through my spine. I turned around to see Abdul Waghre standing right in front of
me. I had no clue. No body had trained me to handle this type of situation.

It’s easy to kill me but you can’t kill the name Abdul Waghre. Why doesn’t your government understand this? Why can’t you let the Kashmiri decide their own fate? Why does your government always poke its big nose into our affairs? Answer me.

My throat was dry. I was still recovering from the shock of meeting the person whom I was supposed to kill the next day. I knew I was surrounded and with no gun in my hand I had as much chance of surviving as finding a needle in a hay stack. I knew this was my end and I was staring straight into the eyes of death. Nothing new but still this might be the last time I would do that.

A final plan struck me. I acted cool. Put my hands into my pocket and shouted back.

You can’t get away with this. I have backup waiting in the car outside. If I don’t go back within 5 minutes they would come in search of me. And then your game would end.

Meanwhile, I pressed the dial button twice knowing that it would call the last dialled number which was of my mission director. I just hoped he picked up the phone and heard the conversation I was having. But a million questions were running in my mind. How did he find me? How did he know? How did… I was still wondering when I heard a familiar voice.

It is true that love does make people go blind.

I did not have words to say. It was a shock I had never anticipated. I just couldn’t take it anymore. How could I be so stupid?

Never doubted your dear Maya, did you?

Do you want to have the pleasure of killing him, Maya?

I know people die in love, but I guess I can see it right now. Say your last prayers, if you have any…

BANG!!!

It was pain beyond imagination, emotional more than physical. The scene changed. I saw a white wall. Is this heaven? I saw a lady in a white apron. Is she an angel? She had a glass of water in her hand. You need to lie down. You are the St. Marks missionary hospital. It’s not everyday that a person gets to spend the last day of the millennium in a hospital ward. I looked around and saw the digital clock hung opposite to me. It read 7:30 pm 31^st December 1999.

Was this all just a dream?

The catch of the competition was that it sould end with "was this all just a dream?" and so did my story. Thank you for reaching till here!!

DESIRE!!

Had written this for a poetry competition in my coll. called acumen! This was extremely hard because every line I composed had a minimum of two expletives. Had to pass my thoughts through a censor board to screen things out. It’s not all that wonderful to have a gutter mind!


Screaming into this world I came,
Out of captivity, freedom finally attained.
I know I have shot to fame,
Love and care, is all I desired.

Entered college as sharp as a knife,
Flirting is an art and I had excelled.
There she stood, the love of my life,
Let me have her, is all I desired.

Living life on the fast lane,
Work and party is all I lived.
Stop being a playboy I tried, but in vain,
Dame and money, is all I desired.

Husband I became, knew it was her,
Loved her more than what was required.
Shot up in life, jealous they were,
Power and Glory, is all I desired.

On my deathbed, I lay,
Lived life to the fullest, I hoped.
Start it all over again, if I may,
A painless death, is all I desired.

Rang De Basanti!!

It’s an old topic; saw it long time back in Chennai. The movie has a lot of unforgettable moments tagged along to it. Saw it during saarang, was having lots of fun, got the some fundae about life later that day, wonderful company and many more stuffs. I was busy enjoying the company then and the real meaning of the movie did not strike me till now. Can’t blame them.

The movie got released in MDU yesterday and had gone for the night show the only show for us. The movie was not just about a bunch of guys shooting the defence minister to avenge the death of their friend. There are a lot more lines to be read between the lines.

India is going nowhere. That’s hard to accept but then since when has truth become easier to accept?

Apne ghar ke safai mein khud ka hath kyon ganda karein.

It’s just not that. There is another dialogue in the movie that supports my stand.

Yahan ki system ko badalne ki kosish karo, yeh system tumhe khud badal dega.

This is very true. No matter where and what you are doing, this is true. I tried it out in my college and swore I would never think of it again. Given a thought and I am sure I can find millions of such examples.

College ke ander zindagi ko hum nachate hain aur college ke bhar zindagi hamein.

This made me realise the company I was sitting with. 11 of my close friends sitting beside me enjoying ourselves not worrying about what George Bush is going to say tomorrow or what the recently announce budget has in store for us. For all that matters, we don’t even care that we might get caught by the warden for coming 5 hrs after the curfew time! Not worry about which gal is thinking what about us. It’s like cutting yourself from the world and having some hardcore fun!

Yahan zinda rahene ki ladai mein logon ki zindagiyan chalee jati hain.

What is the use of life when you can’t feel the rush and kick of having one. The movie proves something which is very important in my life.

There are no right or wrongs in life. There is only what you believe in!

Sometimes, what is right for me is wrong for others. Just because of this I don’t give up on my stand. There are no rights and wrongs. I do what I believe in. There can’t be any other thing that is more correct than that. Hitler killed all those people because he believed in something. He never saw what was right or wrong. I have seen a lot of people arguing about his decisions. But, has anyone been in that situation to actually feel what it is like to make such decisions? NOPE!! And then everyone starts criticising his ideas. I respect him for the simple reason that he had the balls to do what he believed in. I do what I believe in. If you have a problem with that you can go to Pluto and search for water!!

Ek pair past mein aur dusra pair future main. Iseliye hum present per muth rahein hain.

Is this an indianised dialogue? Neither can we forget or leave the past nor can we abandon the future. Stuck in this web we do nothing in the present. Yep, we are pissing on are present so that we become pissed off when our future arrives.

Dur se commentary dena asan hai. Agar uthna hi hai to tum bhi politics join karo, IPS ya army mein bhartiho jao, badlo is desh ko…

What is the point in joining all these when the selection process itself involves a lot of corruption? Is it that, to fight corruption, we have to promote corruption, become corrupted, reach a high level and then start changing the nation? Power, itself corrupts a person as learned for the lord of the rings.

The movie has invoked a lot of questions inside me which have no answers other than; you don’t have the fucking time for all this. This is partially true but still the small amount patriotism inside is screaming and demanding for explanation and answers. Answers to the questions that should not be asked!!

Ab bhi jiska khoon na khola, Khoon nehi woh pani hai,

Jho desh ke kaam na aye woh bekar javani hai.