The girl with the black bindi

A silent shadow entered through the door, so silent that almost no one noticed her entering the classroom, except Rohan. He eyed her through the corner of his eyes, observing her black bindi very carefully. Never seen her before. She seemed to be surrounded by a cloud of calmness. Silently she occupied the desk along with the bottled-glassed girl. As the semester progressed, the number of students in the lecture hall dwindled. Only Rohan and the girl with the black bindi remained in the lecture. They used to discuss the subjects and exchange notes and of course some smiles.....

The semester end was really painful for Rohan, because that meant that he cannot see her for 2 months. He searched her after the exams but couldn't find her. It only added to his pain. At last all the exams were done, but still he couldn't meet her. Painfully he went back home. He spent 2 months of vacation thinking about her. With lot of resolve he decided that when he meets her next time he will propose her. On the first day of the new semester he reached to college by 6.00 am. She didn't come. He waited another day. She didn't come. He enquired at the office. They told that she has left the institute.

He never saw her for a long time, but whenever he saw a small black spot, only one thing came to his mind, the girl with the black bindi.

New Shoots

Continued from "Flowers by the Window" posted on January 31, 2010.

It was true that Manoj spent a few sleepless nights thinking about the colours that he missed, but life did not allow him to think too much. Office work and other issues made him aloof of the things he lost. But yeah, there were moments of isolation when he closed his eyes and found darkness and when he opened his eyes, he found darkness again. On such days he would go to the window and caress the wilted flowers which have turned from pale red to pale white, almost translucent in the bright March sun. And slowly they peeled away, petal by petal leaving a skeleton behind. A memorial of the colourful days. Manoj stopped visiting his window.

It was time for the monthly cleaning. Manoj pulled down all the curtains and opened the window panes for cleaning. It was then that he spotted it. New shoots coming out

Fresh life was starting, without him realizing it. It was small and tender, but held lot of promise. And it was heading straight for his window! He was lost there dreaming in the bright Sun, woken up by the cries of his room-mate. "What happened" Manoj asked ? "My girlfriend and me had a bad fight and we broke off. We decided we will part ways and never meet each other again".

Dont Worry, Manoj said, "Very soon new shoots will spring up".

Birthday Cake

It was his Birthday. The entire day was spent in receiving greetings through phone and e-mails. All the care and attention made him happy, and he wore a smile through the day.

In the evening, his friends brought him the birthday cake. It was a wonderful one. It was round, and had three layers of vanilla, pineapple and chocolate. And the icing was a crest sputtered with dry fruits. And finally it was topped with cherries. Truly tempting. He couldn't wait to cut the cake and have a taste of it. So, finally after the clapping and song of Happy Birthday started, he picked up the knife and sliced the cake through the center making a nice piece for himself. Somebody picked up the piece and was about to push it through his mouth, when a bell rang in his mind. Today was a friday. He never ate non-neg on fridays. He is a murderer all other days, but turns to a saint on friday. He pushed his friends hand and excused himself. Why?? His friend asked. As a rule I don't eat non-veg including eggs on friday, he said. Very well, bad luck....his friend said, and all the others helped themselves on the cake, as he watched it from the corner of his eyes. After 5 minutes, there were only crumbs remaining and they all cleared the place.

Before going to sleep, he wondered, that was no bad luck, why have I imposed such rules upon me ?

The Death Overs !

It was the last four overs, the "Death overs" as the commentators call it. Sachin looked around the field, the field was spread around. Most of them were at the boundary ropes. Its time to take some risks, he thought in his mind.

The next ball was aimed at the middle stump. Sachin carved the ball out and pushed it towards mid-on. The ball ran quickly in the turf of the Brabourne stadium towards Kaif, who was at the edge of the boundary rope. He ran quickly towards the ball. Sachin called for two, and ran the first run hard. He pushed the non-striker Pollard for the second run and started off for the second run. But there was a loud no from Pollard. Sachin applied his brakes, turned back quickly and stretched the bat just in time to avoid being run-out.

He walked over to Pollard for a chat.

We could have taken that risk for a single. The asking rate is climbing. Things are getting difficult, said Sachin.

No said Pollard, in such a difficult situation, you cannot afford to be run-out. You have to be there to take risks with the boundaries and sixes. You must take the team home. I could not have risked you for a single run. You are worth more than that. No war can be won, if the soldiers are dead.

Pollard walked back to the crease and took his guard to face the next delivery. Sachin was at the non-striker, thinking if he had just learnt a gem......

Bill Payments

It was another argument that Raghu had with his father..... This doesnt work in today's world Dad ! Raghu exclaimed.

It does, beta. Sooner or later, you will understand it.

No Dad. My friend Vishal, he doesnt do his assignments on his own. He and a bunch of friends freak out most of the time and then when it comes to submission time, they gather answers from seniors notes. They mug those ready-made thinngs. Other guys are not as smart as Vishal so they scrape through the exams. But look at Vishal, he is now the Topper in the class. Does he have any standard ?

You said it my son! He doesnt have a standard. Sooner or later, people will realize his standard.

But by that time, everything will be over. I will be out of college, in a new institution, with a new Raghu as my class-mate.

Son, everyone has to pay up for their actions. If you see someone getting away with something that means he will have to pay up for it soon. If you feel you are paying up for something, then you will get the return for it. It is the simple economics of life.

Dad, such dialogues are only good in Ramayan and MahaBharat. Please stop this discussion and come with me. I need a mobile connection. It is time for you to pay up. Raghu Grinned.....

They went to the Vodafone showroom. Raghu said that he wanted a new connection. The shop-keeper asked, "Do you need Post-Paid or Pre-Paid" ??

Raghu's father couldnt help smiling as Raghu turned Red at his face.

Song of Hope.....

It was a dark morning by the godavari river. The sun was yet to rise. The stony silence was punctured by the gurgling noise of the mighty river. Ravi was waiting there at the banks. Lonely and lost. He had been stuck like this few other times before in his life. But this was really dark. He looked around. There was no silver lining visible as they preach in fables.

Suddenly a cool song flowed across. He wondered if he is hallucinating. It came again, this time closer, the song and the mysterious singer was approaching him. Then suddenly, the song started moving away. Ravi became alert, he started running on his tired limbs. The harder he tried, the faster the song was moving from him. He ran blindly in the dark, unheeding the scratches made by the shrubs and the thorns that pierced through his shoes.

Finally, it came into view, a village boy on his tiny cycle, with a transistor hanging on the cycle-bar. Suddenly he became aware of his surroundings. The sun had risen, and smiled over the grassy meadows. He was standing on a Highway. The village bus announced its arrival by letting out a loud horn. He wondered, where will this take me ??

Instrumental tendencies

Flute: I am very sweet to the ears, I am associated with lord krishna and have been the world's favourite for centuries.

Drum: I am very energetic, I am associated with all social events, and I can make people dance to my tunes.

Flute: But you are so loud and disturbing in nature. There are phrases used like " beating your own drum"

Drum: Dont be jealous, nobody listens to you. You are best at being a background music! You are good for lullabies because you put people to sleep.

Flute: Yeah! And you disturb sleeping people! You are always one dimensional. Just bang bang bang bang. I can bring out all emotions like love, sadness and I can be playful too. Your very nature is to be beaten, whic reflects your violent tendencies.

Drum: Oh Yeah! You just want wait and see. All your sweet melody will be drowned in the bang that I make. Nobody will listen to you. So you Lose! Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum ............. Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum.

Daag achhe nahi hote !!

Peeyush tried to tip-toe into his house. He tried to peep, if his mother is around. Sensing the silence in the house, he ran to the bathroom. Quickly he started to remove his clothes. Alas, mother caught him.

Peeeeeeyush !!! What are you upto ?? She Shrieked. Some of the glasses in the kitchen trembled. Show me what you are hiding.

Trembling, Peeyush handed over his shirt to mother.

She took it and glanced it in horror. Cow dung !!! How on earth, did you manage this ??

Hmm..... We were playing by the road, he said in a feeble voice.

With Cowdung ?? Mother asked.

Actually, there was no need, to get into this. We were playing by the road. There was cowdung lying by the side of the road. I dont know what got into me. I took a big stone and threw it on the cowdung. Then it splashed all over me !

Mother said, I hope it served you a good lesson. Beta, daag achhe nahi hote !

The Telescope

Mohit was a star-gazer. He spent most of nights alone, with his telescope watching the sky for stars. He found that the sky was the most reliable thing in life. The motion of the stars in the night sky followed a definite pattern. They never cheated him. Whenever he felt disturbed, he used to spend more time on his telescope, it brought great peace to him.

Then one night it happened, he saw a special star in the sky. It was brilliant! He checked all the maps that he had. None of them reported a star in that position. It was radiant, changing colors from deep red to orange. He was amazingly happy, he thought that this star was born only for him to see. He watched it for hours, the star draped itself with all the colors that he had known to exist. Is it a dream, he wondered, or is it ??? His heart skipped a beat. With hands full of fear, he moved his eyes from the eyepiece and moved towards the far end of the telescope. There he saw it. A small glistening piece of sparkle, that has flown in by air and settled on the lens of his telescope. He tore his hair, and in the next minute, smashed the telescope into pieces.

Several light years away, a nebula gave birth to a star. Only if Rohit had his telescope, he could have watched it ........

Train.....Train............

Gabriel got up with a start. He looked around, the first rays of the sunlight were pouring in from his windows. He searched frantically for his wristwatch. He found it under the pile of clothes in the corner. Oh God !!! Its 6.55 !!! The Train was scheduled at 7.30 fr0m Bangalore Central station. He ran to the bathroom, washed his eyes with the icy water, gargled loudly and contained the instinct to attend nature's call. He thanked himself for keeping his clothes ready and the bag packed. He jumped into his clothes and picked his travel bag. He glanced at his watch, it was already 7.10.
As the second hand ticked by, his legs cut through the cold stagnant morning air. Finally he reached the road, and caught an Auto. There are 15 more minutes, you will get there, he convinced himself. The roads were empty and a feeling of achievement started to flow through his veins. He checked his bag, he confirmed the ticket in the left pocket, his ID proof in his pocket. He felt satisfied. I have done this so many times, the Train will wait for me, he smiled confidently. He glanced towards his watch, 2 more minutes. It seemed as if time had jumped. It cant be..... I have booked a ticket, the Train cannot leave without me, he thought confidently. He got down from the Auto, paid him the fare and made a dash for the platform, the Train has to wait for me, he was now begging in his mind. He saw the Train standing in platform number 16. He ran up the stairs, the train hidden by the bridge. The Train announced its departure by letting out a loud horn, that boomed through the railway station. Nooo.... the Train cannot leave without me, he cried, I have booked a ticket long back. He ran, still hoping that he will be able to catch it, he ran, pushing others in his way. Finally the Train came to his view, it had gathered speed, pacing away from the railway station. Nooo!!!! he cried aloud, but he was helpless, he clutched the ticket, realizing that he had lost his chance, the Train has left!

He looked up at the heavens, a large cloud that covered the morning sun moved away, blinding his eyes....