Minutes of Madness - Final

She was laughing hard and said “Hey… this doesn’t suit you. Minutes of Wisdom eh!?”

I replied “Was that not little good? At least?” wearing a pitiful smile over my face.

She couldn’t control her laughter still and replied, “No way. I hope this was not the end card for your story atleast!”

“Hey… that’s the end. I have changed ‘madness’ to ‘wisdom’ and it has to be the end!”

“Are you really serious?” she suddenly turned silent.

“Yeah. That’s all about all those characters around me. Let something happen before I write again!”  I said and turned towards the lap to schedule those posts in order. She got up, had a little face wash and a few touch-ups before she said,

“Hmmm… that’s fine then! It was all good! Let us hope some good reviews after you post this!”

I was much keen on my laptop screen and said, “Ok. I will mail you the document before you reach!” 

She left with a simple “Hmmm…” and I was quite disturbed by the abrupt end to the beautiful day. I really don’t know what she was trying to say with ‘are you serious’ and final ‘hmmm’. I could call her up or at least text her to find the reason but before I did, there was a text message and was obviously from her!

“Story was perfect. But I was expecting till the end just to have a word about me! But, I just thought it would be more perfect to be at the first page than in the pages inside!”

I was taken aback. She was with me right beside for every problem I faced, for every joy I shared and everything before, now and after! I just realised and

“There was a change in the end, I have mailed it. Read and respond!” I texted back and thought this could be the perfect end to a philosophical story!

We get the transformation not because of holy sea but because of people and feel around us but we fail to recognize them. Even did I – it was not on September 3^rd but on 9/11! 

People wait for God to teach but I prefer Madness!

Real Minutes of Wisdom!!

~End Card~Finally~!!

Lots of Inspirations – from Real Life to my Own Dream Land (Esp., Durjoy Datta!)

I Thank all the people and characters who were with me through this Journey called Life!

I could hear ‘Mokka story ke indha alumbu thevaya!! :P” Sorry, can’t help it, coz I have lived every moment inscribed!! ;)

Minutes of Madness - Pre Final

“Hey this is too much!! I have never seen you worry! You speak as if you are down to earth sadist and desolated from life. But you are never! I envy you for your happiness!” she was literally trying to erase all my previous typo work with such a question.

“Really? I don’t think so! I have been happy and I am. But I have never seen and loved to see happiness from others. May be you need to hear a little more from me!” thought for a while and gave that reply but hoping she would agree at last!

“Yeah. Sure. Do continue!” she said with a little smile.

Thank god she smiled!

Even before I was happy at times but I thought of missed opportunities where I could have been happy. There are lot more bigger problems than your first love getting married, your friend making fun of you, delay in your date of joining and your friend choosing benefits over staying with you. There is a best part in life in every worst happening around you. I thought of people around me Aaradhana - Sam – Sahana – Priya – Anjana – Hydar. 

 

I regretted for not attending Aaradhana’s marriage. I was such a selfish fellow there who never wanted to look beyond my own happiness. If I have been there, I could have shown her that ‘I am still happy even without you’ so that she could have been more happy with her new life. 

I shouldn’t have chided Sam for just making fun of my love. What have I achieved with that? I have just made him not to attend that marriage. We both would have got a great time together if he was there that day!

I avoided talking to Sahana just because she chose other way is an act of sadist and I did that. I very well know she was unhappy with the way I behave and she felt the most when I just don’t talk to her the usual way. If I have talked to her as before, she would have been the happiest friend and would have stayed the best for me. 

Priya was the one who loved me without expectations, the love she had I have never understood so far. Still she kept on pouring the care and affection I would require which I considered as a disturbance. How faulty I am? She would have been the happiest girl in the entire life if I had said ‘I love you too baby’ that night but I was more interested in the reason behind her act.

Anjana was an ever smiling girl and I have avoided her many a time just coz she has a close friend other than me. How cheap I am with my thoughts? How can I just make it up straight hereafter? Friendship is not something to be strictly followed by rules. She is still my friend, but could have been more! I missed it too!

I should have enjoyed the day with Hydar when I received the call from the company. I should have given him a treat that afternoon when he was starving since morning in that RTO. I knew that, but still I avoided that. How I missed being happy that day? I regret and regretting is the only thing that I am good at. 

With all those thoughts flushing through my mind I have completed nearly all the temple visits and started on the return journey. Suddenly came to my senses and heard my dad was saying something to my mom, “. . . there is life beyond everything!”

I felt like shouting out – ‘I have missed just 20 years but still have more than that to enjoy!’

Minute of Wisdom!

Minutes of Madness - 11

“I got the gist of the story. You start believing in God at the end. Right?” she ended with a question.

“Did I say so?” I winked

“Who does that ‘God’ in your contact book mean then?” she argued

“A human!” I paused and she continued “I don’t agree. God is above all and I don’t want you to speak anything odd!”

“ODD?? Fine.We will have this discussion in the end!”

“Ahhh..how much things will you cover at the end! But that’s better and do continue!”

3^rd September 2011

A family trip to Rameshwaram – I literally pleaded my dad to leave me because it was a spiritual trip. But as usual my dad was not convinced enough and so my mom, dad and I were all set to Rameshwaram in car. I couldn’t show my despair to them and so smiled occasionally as we started our journey early morning.

Our first destination was Dhanushkodi, which was considered to be destroyed completely by a typhoon in 1964. My dad started, “There was no temple there but a sea bath which is considered to be high in value and would really be helpful for relaxation of mind. It was near equal to surrendering your complete self to God and so transformation is assured!”

I showed myself not interested with that topic and so it seemed to be a hung conversation. I switched on the music player which was quite soothing with the morning breeze. The journey came to an end after 4 long hours when the road ended abruptly near a beach.

There were no well-built houses, but little huts quite far from the shore, a tea shop cum hotel and few ‘spiritual’ tourist vans with a meagre population of 100. I wondered why people stay there and suffer when they can very well travel to the nearby city. My dad came up and said, “We can’t drive our car further and so we need to take up that Jeep to reach Dhanushkodi” pointing towards a rusted vehicle with four well maintained tyres. 

It was really a tiring journey similar to driving in a desert and finally we reached after 30 minutes. To my surprise, there were still lot of huts and few hundred families. There was nothing except the sea and beach sand and no means to travel for them other than those jeeps, no roads, no power supply and nothing was there. I enquired a middle aged man who was playing with his daughter “What you people do here? Why can’t you travel to the nearby city and start working there?” 

He replied, “I was born here, I enjoy a happy living here!”

I moved away with a smile from him, but thought he had a point! I thought I had everything from roads to airports, post offices to internet, calculators to laptops and PCO’s to high-end mobile phones. The guy has nothing what I have got but still he has got the thing which I yearn to attain – Happiness! I envy him!

Minute of Madness

Minutes of Madness - 10

She stopped my flow yet another time with “You were thinking completely about Sahana but I really wonder why you remembered Anjana there?”

“You prefer lies? I know you won’t! But your question has something to think about! Will definitely see to that! Now listen!” and continued further.

The marriage function got over and we all are set for the most important thing – the lunch. I loved the way I am seated by fate (Sahana would have called it God! :P) than the food that is served. I was quite lacking concentration in my food as she was beside me. I was taking my food quite slow so as to have some more time with her. There was no conversation till then but both were enjoying each other’s company. She started,

“I thought you would come yesterday…”

I know she was meaning to Aaradhana’s marriage, but I haven’t remembered that since morning. But for her question, she would expect an answer. That was the most embarrassing question I have ever been posed but I can’t show that embarrassment either. So simply chose to smile for a moment looking deep into her and continued my lunch. God was kind and didn’t instruct her to ask more than that!

Usual chit chats after lunch and we all set to return back. 

Hydar was actually waiting at the RTO to get his licence and so I am expected to join him in the waiting process. Getting a thing done at Government offices is the worst thing to happen to anyone’s life. He was waiting for more than 2 hours when I joined him and he was expected to wait for 2 more hours for his turn. There was much noise around the waiting hall but still he was busy texting her girlfriend(s) and I was with Facebook from my mobile.

“Ah… yet another internet call!” I sighed and thought that could be from dishtv customer services. I usually save those numbers as ‘Don’t Attend’ and so thought of disconnecting the call and add it to that contact. Just had a second thought to attend it for a moment, as the number flashing in my mobile screen seemed something different from usual.

“Can I speak to Ba-la-ku-ma-ra-n” the male voice from the other end uttered. I thought no one could ever insult my name by pronouncing that way. But didn’t want to explain how to pronounce my name to that guy who spoke English in complete Hindi accent. So casually I answered “Yeah. Speaking!”He was much slower and was similar to a bot. When I heard the company name from him, I was flying real high and when he informed my approximate date of joining I was flying still higher.

Shared that news with Hydar who was sitting near to me and to most other colleagues who were expecting the call same as me. I calmed down and I traced back to the happenings since morning. Thoughts started from Anjana and dint move further. This is the great thing that has started coz of her! Words fail me!

Took out my mobile, saved the last received call to ‘God’ and renamed Anjana to ‘Lucky Girl’!

 

Minute of Madness

Minutes of Madness - 09

“That’s the reason why you dint attend the marriage. You want me to believe that?” she winked. 

“Even I don’t want to say that reason. But, I have never practiced speaking lies!” winked back.

“Don’t act too smart!  Better say the real cause!” little higher tone this time.

Took her words very lightly and said “Shall we save that for the final episode? And also our last episode completed with someone called Sahana! Remember?” with a sparkle.

She said “Arghhhh… how much will you save it for the final episode? I guess your final episode itself will run for 1000 words. But Sahana is sweet right?” started with a frustration, continued with an attempt of joke making and ended with a question.

“I know her and know how sweet she is! Back to her story hearing posture!” with a rude smile and possessiveness spilled all over!

She never opposed and let me start again!

There were really very less people whom I consider my own and one among them would be Sahana. Our relationship has seen the technological development too, from Orkut scraps, Gtalk Chats – Gmail Chats and till Facebook and even Text messages but not so long calls. Our chats would usually run 1000 lines minimum and if compiled could get you a book sized 5 times more than the Oxford English dictionary!

I never knew her before I join and it was literally the same when I left the college. We both got placed together in the same company, but her brilliance made herself to get placed alone in another company too. I was totally against that not because she has grabbed someone else’s chance but she would stay away from me. I realised late, that she was right in choosing the other coz she joined – earned a little earlier and I am still waiting for my DOJ (Date of Joining)! Whatever, I have never met her again after she joined there and it was more than 4 months. With her job, she was excited, happy and I have no other choice other than accepting that.

She was asking, in fact instructing me to be there at another friend’s family function the next day. I said ok but thought it would be really awkward to be there with a month beard and saddened face.

2^nd September 2011

Trimmed a bit, borrowed a bike and started for the marriage. I have never been to that function hall but have been to that locality earlier. I gave up searching and stopped to a roadside shop and got my route cleared. When I started the bike again, I saw her not Sahana but her best friend – Anjana. She was the one whom I met exactly four years and four days ago – the first one I met in my college. It would be really faulty to say that she was still not interesting but I am forced to say so coz someone else would feel bad! I know she would be coming to that function and it could mean anything to meet her up on the way, like – Fate, just met or whatever. But to me, she remembered the beginning of something great again after something has ended up not so well.

There would be certainly someone in everyone’s life to who you can just say anything you wish to without hesitation. Anjana is such a kind of girl for me and one of my best friends from college life (Though she had someone to be called the bestest, I don’t mind! :P)

We both were the first to be among our friends to be at the function hall. It’s quite a long gap we both met and so had at least something to speak about till the function starts.

With a pink salwar and a much brighter smile Sahana came in walking. She was not the same who I never wanted to forgive, now with improved chubby cheeks and shortened hair that you could fall for in the first place. I had some reasons why I won’t fall for her in first place - I knew her, I had a first love and I am committed now too! Moreover, I had a heavy heart which certainly meant her more to me than the external appearance and she would remain as the definition of an emotion to me. I wanted to hug her tightly and say ‘I missed you’.

Is this the Anjana effect?  Beginning of something? I don’t want to think beyond that!

 

Minute of Madness!

Minutes of Madness - 08

“Your first paragraph was something about dates and you have said you don’t really remember anything correctly. Right?”

“Yeah. That’s true. I don’t remember them actually!” I said casually.

“Hmmm… may be. Now you have lot more improved memory!”

“How can I ever forget this date?” I said and carried further.

1^stSeptember 2011

I couldn’t trace back the last night when I fell asleep but found Hydar still in his bed when I woke up. I thought It must have been a shorter sleep but found my clock failing me, it showed 12. Checked the window and it was not the night but noon! Woke up Hydar and was literally in top of my anger, “This day, you promised to get me to her marriage. It’s 12 now and would have been over by now. Happy you are?”

“Good Morning machi… Namakkuthookkam than da mukkiyam!!” (Sleep is quite important for everyone dude)

“Don’t make me do something I have never done!”

“Gonna drink?” he winked.

“No. Kill”

“Hey, cool da… We still have 10 more hours. We can devise a new plan still! What say?” he responded spontaneously.

I knew what he meant and had nothing to say but laugh. We laughed, laughed, laughed and finally got up. In fact, got over!

The day which I thought would be the longest was the shortest ever. I slept again after a phone call from my staff. She enquired why I was not present there at the marriage. I replied, “I slept off ma’am”. She laughed and said, “I know, don’t act!” and hung up the call. Sometimes even when we speak the truth, people comfort themselves with their own assumptions! I loved those assumptions and so didn’t mind them either. It was 8, when I woke up again after my little long nap. There were few forward messages, few broadcasted messages and was only one meant to me alone.

Sahana

Back to Madurai.

Though that could even be a forward but I know it was not.

Minute of Madness