Jab we met - A short love story

     Jab We Met  

 ( a short story written for M's Blog ) 

Hurriedly rushing into the auditorium for the grand event of the annual festival of my college, I banged into him and all the papers from the file in my hand lay strewn on the floor. I apologetically looked into his eyes for the mayhem I had created but the friendly smile on his face relaxed me a bit.Both of us started collecting the papers from the floor and as I put them into the file, he gently asked if I was okay. His genuine concern and affable smile comforted me and I left for the podium after saying thank you to him.

I gasped for breath and took the mike in my hand to address the audience and welcome the judges of the event. I started introducing the participants of the event one by one and invited them on stage to present their arguments on the topic of debate. As I called out the fourth participant, he started walking towards the stage confidently. He politely yet firmly put forth his views on the topic, vehemently opposing the opponent and logically appreciating the facts of other participants. Everyone, including me, listened to him with rapt attention and he received thunderous applause for his self-composed poem to substantiate his lucid arguments. I was amazed by his rational thought process and bold outlook towards life and the issues plaguing us, as reflected in his debate. For the rest of the event my eyes remained fixed to that one face in the crowd and we exchanged quite a few glances. Now it was the time to announce the winners and I knew someone had already won not just the debate competition but even my throbbing heart. Both of us walked towards the judges with enthusiasm, he to collect his trophy and I to congratulate him personally. There was bridling joy clearly visible on my face as we got clicked together with the judges. The event ended but that affable smile left some indelible  memories for me to cherish.

In the hustle and bustle of the three day long festival, with more than ten technical and cultural events a day, I being the convener of the festival got busy with smooth organization of  other events. A few days after the fest, I received a call from an unknown number. A gentle voice that seemed familiar, asked me when could he collect the certificates of the debate competition. As I tried to recollect the winners, the voice seemed to come alive as I could actually visualize him and I started smiling incessantly even long after the call was over.

The very next day he came to the college to collect his certificate and I got a chance to spend some time with him. I started praising his articulate view points and excellent oratory skills. He complimented me for meticulous organization of the festival and my sweet voice. I blushed. We talked about college, exams and everything we could, realizing hours later that we have been talking for so long. He escorted me to the metro station where we both boarded trains in different directions. There was a little sadness on my face as I bid goodbye to him. Since that day, we have been in touch. We exchanged messages, emails and occasional phone calls too. Somewhere deep within I knew he has become someone very dear to me and I have started loving him, but I never discussed about my feelings with him.

One fine day, he called me up to bid adieu as he was leaving the country to settle abroad. Tears started rolling down my cheeks and I felt as if he was leaving me forever. I did not say anything to him and wished him all the best for his future endeavors as I did not want him to be sad while going. 

Now he is  happily settled in the States and sometimes drops me e-mails to know about my well-being. I love him a lot but still do not have the courage to open my heart to him, probably waiting for the right time to do so.Even today, I fondly remember how I met my loved one and bitter- sweet  memories of love, happiness, pain and longing engross me. 

I as a foreign correspondent ???

‘Would I like to work as a foreign correspondent?’, someone asked me a few days ago. ( Manjulika Pramod in her mtalks )

This is what I replied.

"Foreign"," Abroad" - These words illicit a euphoria in a young enthusiast like me who loves to explore new places and things in life. I would love to work as a foreign correspondent as it shall give me a chance to read and gain knowledge about happenings outside my home country along with an opportunity to present my views on the matters of the world. On a lighter note, I shall be able to travel to offshore places, interact with local people and know about their culture. In some grave situations such as a natural calamity,like the recent hurricane sandy havoc in the States, or an earthquake or a terrorist attack, I shall become the voice of the people in that hour of need, presenting the true facts with unbiased arguments to the readers worldwide.

 

 

The Ant and The Grasshopper - An Allegory for the country 

( A classic fable twisted to match the present scenario of Indian Politics) 

OLD VERSION...

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

                                    

MODERN VERSION...

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other grasshoppers demanding that grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty International and General Ban Ki-moon criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance). Opposition MP's stage a walkout.Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh" in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers.

Railway minister allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.

Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act [POTAGA]", with effect from the beginning of the winter.

Arjun Singh makes Special Reservation for Grass Hopper in educational Institutions & in Govt Services.

The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.

                                                       

Arundhati Roy calls it "a triumph of justice". politician calls it 'Socialistic Justice'. CPM calls it the 'revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden' General Ban Ki-moon invites the grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.

Many years later...The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi billion dollar company in silicon valley.100s of grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India...

Moral of the story :

Its high time we root out the evils of mindless reservation,  promote responsible media and strongly advocate rightful social activism to genuinely work for the welfare of  needy and downtrodden and accelerate the progress of our country.

Note: The story of Ant and Grasshopper is a classic fable lifted from internet and the penultimate views (moral of the story) are my personal views. 

Why one ??

Hola Amigos

Facebook , Twitter, Google +, Pinterest and many more , web-sphere is perpetually over-flooded with ways to connect, to socialize with the closest and the farthest of the people whom we would love to interact with and even those whom we would love to abstain from. 

Then why, in this complexly intertwined social world of mine , should I write a blog? Is it for the love of writing (As every other person I meet says, how can you be a good writer , if you do not blog. Do I need a proof to prove my love of something that I love to do, I ask myself. ) , or the fear of being labelled as a social -outcast (Hey , you do not blog. Common you are in 21st century, start blogging dude lest you shall be left far behind. Then I wonder how far can I be left behind, given that I was never a part of race ) , or to challenge my lazy soul to stop procrastinating  and get back to writing to explore myself better.

One more thing that is hovering in my mind ever since I started writing these above written two long sentences (Yes , they are grammatically too long to read and write, as my dearest English teacher taught me in school. Crazy me for torturing(ah well , writing) and insane you for reading them. ) that why now, why not before, why not after.

( These why's have been my constant companions ever since I started knowing the world around me or rather any one around me started knowing me. ). Let's try to rationalize this too (so that neither you nor I crib later , why now). 

It was always on my mind to write a blog , but  given the time constraints I never got a chance to play with this. (Okay, do not give me those kill-you-if law forbids one crime type looks. I admit my laziness coupled with the perpetual 3 W's- why , when , what decelerated rather impeded my beginning to write a blog... Happy now that for once I have admitted my follies publicly :-P ).

Now that I have taken up a pen (oh , a keyboard; naah..how would I type if I lift it up in hands... okay jokes apart , whatever it takes for writing , a pen , keyboard and did I mention Google !! ;-) ), let's hope I shall keep tormenting you all with my abrupt, silly, crazy , untopical ......(I know list of negative adjectives shall keep growing with each post of mine, but who cares, do I ? Though you all might have read that words of appreciation go a long way in sustaining a dumb, novice writer like me a litter longer). 

Hasta la Vista !!!

Mantener la sonrisa !!!

Tener cuidado :-) :-)