Tuesday, April 13, 2010

On a winter night




Life has taken Rajneesh Vaid of Pendra Road to an unwanted flight of gloominess on the chilly night that he would remember for his life time because there are few things that happen in life only to haunt you forever…as told to Rashmi Drolia.
I can never forget the frosted fate that night contained in its breast for me and him as well. It’s even harder to forget those helpless and complaining eyes begging in front of me.
It struck exactly two at midnight when I stepped down on the Bhilai Powerhouse railway station. The chill and fog soon hogged up the passengers who boarded off with me on the station. I was supposed to move to my brother’s place but I didn’t, first, because I didn’t want to disturb him midnight, second there were no conveyance available and ofcourse, the night really seemed like a virgin bride.
Excited to enjoy the beauty of night I walked towards the lone tea stall to give myself a warm quaff of ‘ispesal chai’. Though the tea stall was more of a man with teapot and stove but he looked like a warm lifeline to me. Highway beside the stall was attired with smoke of boiling tea merged in the thick fog that gleamed occasionally with running vehicle’s light, stabbing the smog till the other end. I have always loved this facet of night when I am able to see it from this close that slowly slips away into dawn.
I asked the chaiwala to make it strong while I lit up my cigarette. The first whiff was as soothing to chest as was the ‘kiyukiyu’ sound of that puppy to my ears from across the road. I continued hearing without looking at him. Chaiwala placed the grubby glass in front of me when the sound painfully pitched with the bone-chilling wind. Oh! He must be whimpering due to cold, I thought. Chaiwala noticed me glancing at the shivering puppy and he offered to explain “Saheb I have already covered it with a sheet but as it’s frigidly cold for that baby, he is moaning. In fact he had 4-6 siblings who succumbed to cold, this one will hopefully survive as the season is soon going to end and also he has a quilt now.”
Suddenly I whistled towards the pup while listening to chaiwala, once, twice..the baby dog lazily moaned to stand and stretch only to lie back on its cozy quilt. Returning the grubby glass to chaiwala I stood up holding my shoulder bag and whistled again towards him. This time he sluggishly stood on the quilt and played with its fur on head. Meanwhile desire to have one more glass of tea took over and I was struggling with thought of having it or not. It was then that the puppy looked at me as if asking “what dude, whom are you whistling at, is it me?”
I ordered for another tea and affectionately whistled at him. Affection is something that even an animal understands. His eyes almost glittered with fondness and he stepped towards me. He was on mid of the road when those two lights glared from between the fog and stamp-crossed the squeal that still echoes in my ears. My heart stopped beating! I raced towards him where his rear legs and half of stomach were stuck flat to the road and he groaned to full strength standing on his front legs. He looked at me for the second time. A stare that urge suicide. His gaze begged for life, pained with complains and questioned me “why”.
My eyes refused to see it anymore and I looked away but couldn’t bury the groans he made breathlessly. I cursed myself. I was mumbling a doom’s prayer within. It was granted soon when two lights flashed again and stamp-crossed another wail of the same pup. The highway turned lifeless. And without exchanging looks with chaiwala I went away, the shoulder bag then seemed gravely heavy.
--------------------------------

Monday, April 12, 2010

Nothing Much…

As I have nothing much to talk about, I have been publishing the published stories…some of you might find them interesting.
****
There’s not much happening except the blazing sun that almost baked me the other day when I was out without sun protection. Tried to drive in to office due to the killing heat today but it dawned on me that car is a big responsibility. It had a breakdown, luckily soon after I parked it. Sobs..
****
Got in touch with the author Paulo Coelho, icon Kiran Bedi, journalist Shishir Joshi, columnist Jug Suraiya to writing for my newspaper and succeeded. It’s true, once you achieve what you wish for, it seems too small to mention. But I felt it important to mention first because I don’t have much to write here (And I strongly want to), second because it makes me feel light jotting down small incidences of my life.
***
Reading Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘Interpreter of Maladies’, nice one. Though am a bit slow this time but it’s fine to be slow at times isn’t? Another half written book has been given to me by my boss which could give him a good author’s tag! (I made this personal judgement after reading almost half of the half written book.)
***
Office is stinking today. Some weird smell that’s getting all over me now and probably I would be off to home within half an hour. Need fresh air. Plus the AC concealed within the walls is infrequently switched on. Oh! The timings have been revised that would perhaps not do more good to the work assigned to me. (Am anyway working from home regardless of what I do at office, I have to, for my sake)
***
Wedding bells?? Huh…they are still far off. Though I’ll be soon flying to Kolkata for shopping and all but the fear of getting married hasn’t yet got over me, good for me.
***
Watched ‘Clash Of Titans’, that strangely reminds me of Harry Potter and I liked it :) :)

Anyway…over. That’s all about what I am doing now. I have something in mind to write about…will soon get back.

The ‘Indo-Pak Marital Match’


India and Pakistan, as if both are twins have been moving constantly with bone of contention since ages. Adding flame to it or as the phrase goes better ‘sprinkling salt to the wound’ our sports superstar Sania Mirza announced about her marriage on April 15, 2010 with the Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik. That was on verge of ‘may or may not be’ due to the blazing controversies noticed in past few days.
Hardly the news started flashing/printing and telling the tale of consequences for both the countries, criticism (which could have turned into threat, banishment on Sania, even the word ‘deshdrohi’ reached my ears through the tv speakers) for choosing a Pakistani guy, guessing on Sania would play for Pakistan and all that blah. No sooner breaking news aired, “Shoaib pehle se shadishuda hai…Shoaib dagabaaz hai…Shoaib ki pehli biwi ka pata chala.”Phew! Media got a scoop for the rest of the whole week. “So what’s your opinion on Sania’s upcoming marital drama,” they put the mike randomly before citizens to sensationalise the storm that has already taken a bad shape. “Sania ne Bharat ko dhoka diya hai, ek musalman akhir dil se Pakistani hi rehta hai chahe wo Hindustan mai hi kyun na reh raha ho…” Given a chance, people spat every possible thing to flame controversy against the issue. I mean do these cranky people deserve the time that we give in watching tv news? Actually no, they are the ones who trigger communal riot and disturbance in country; they shouldn’t be given space in newspapers and news channels.
Vir Sanghvi writes in a column, “A young girl is getting married and that should be an occasion of joy. Instead we are turning it into an excuse to spew hatred.” Very true. Currently the scenario has become like a global importance as if every citizen ought to have an opinion on Sania-Shoaib drama. Well, this write-up also adds on the list of opinion.
What She says for Shoaib…
She tweeted, explained in press conference,"..Me and my family know what the truth is, we've known it all along and we have confidence in god's justice.” Exactly!! Let’s just drop off the mess and let her go with the decision. Anyway Shoaib has signed the divorced papers and shrugged away from the controversy.

Digging into Pak??
I was thinking about the unbelievable calmness that Pakistan has managed to maintain on the issue and only hinted to support Shoaib if required. Just imagine, what if the situation was the other way round, Pakistani bride and Indian groom? Definitely she would have been slaughtered like a goat, I believe. The point on prominent female artist is nonetheless least counted in that country.
The world knows Pakistan has a habit of conferring the title of ‘daughter’ on women. There was Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of the East, a title the late prime minister was recognised by until the day she died. Then there was Aafia Siddiqui, a neuroscientist who was dubbed the daughter of Pakistan by a country outraged on her alleged abuse at the coalition forces in Afghanistan.
And again Pakistan has welcomed its new daughter rather a daughter-in-law, Sania Mirza, India’s one of most recognisable name. It’s the same country that criticised breathlessly from her tennis attire of short skirts to animated t.shirts when she debuted on the world stage!!
A ‘?’ MARK
Sania has shown to be very supportive towards Shoaib after the bombshells of previous wife being allegedly pregnant and aborted explode. But had Sania been at Shoaib’s place with allegations related to her past, it’s doubtful she would have been accepted by Pakistan or Shoaib himself! So, Sania, you deserve a round of applause here, you have actually shown how Indian you are, the Bharatiya nari who forgives all her husband’s (or hubby-to-be) misdeeds.
Hence proved: Sania is truly Indian.
LOOKING BACK ON SERIOUS NODE
If I sneak into the past of Pakistani cricketers like Mohsin Khan who married bollywood actress Reena Roy or Imran Khan who married to UK socialite Jemima Goldsmith, and many more like them, they ultimately chose to separate after disgusting each other. There weren’t more years to marriage. Therefore, let’s cross fingers for the new forthcoming couples.
An Answer to All
-What if Sania is forced to play tennis for Pakistan and she refuses?
-What if she is asked to settle in Lahore and not Dubai?
-God forbid what if some Islamist group tries to gun her down like they did with Benazir?
-What if Sania-Shoaib couldn’t turn up as a good couple just like Reena and Mohsin?
Answer: What if none of the above works out and the wedlock between the two sports star create a history giving birth to a new era of Indo-Pak sweet relationship? Keep Imagining!
Sania-Shoaib: April 15 is close so get closer and say cheese!!
-------------------------------