the holiday

a year sounds like a long time, and yet, it is at these times that one actually tends to think of it. and as always, when we look back, it seems to have passed, as if in a whiff, almost contrary to our perception of that time frame.
while i seek the wisdom to retain the good, and purge all the evil, the mind can't help but feel bogged down, laden with the weight of the past, uncertain of the future, just knowing this moment, when i trod back, tired, of everything. of humans, mostly.
what the mind wants the most now, is some solitude. to be away. to experience the silence.
there is another part of the mind, that yearns to reach out to all those who seek. to give, and give it all, and not think about it once, nor look back.
there is supposed to be that state of being in the midst of everything, yet being perfectly alone - may be that is what is really sought.

a few days away. alone, yet not. time for some introspection. time to welcome another year, with arms wide open.

later, with more stories, thoughts, perhaps.

the stain

it was yet another busy morning. i rode my way to the workplace, in the midst of the boob-to-butt traffic, humming a tune here, whistling a line there and attempting to keep my sanity in the midst of all the noise. i stopped off at the usual pit stop, the tea shop just before reaching my workplace, for the usual smoke and cuppa.

"make it nice and strong", i requested the 'master'. that is what they are called - the ones who make the tea or coffee. i understand tea is made and served in a hundred different ways. in this part of the world, there is one stove, on which water, along with tea leaves in this huge strainer, is brewing. on another stove, there is milk, boiled initially, and simmering - just warm enough to make a drink. tea is usually served in a transparent glass, unless the customer insists on a disposable plastic cup - something that i personally despise, and avoid. i'd rather bury my notions of hygiene - indeed, the cups are just given a bare rinsing in most places - than to consume another one of those despicable plastic thingies that would ultimately make this earth one bit more polluted.

when a cuppa is asked for, the 'master' usually throws in some sugar, half a measure of the decoction through the strainer with the leaves or dust as would be the case, and another half measure of the milk. the milk is usually diluted with a lot of water. the most interesting part is this admixture is then flung between a small mug, and the glass in which it would be ultimately served. the glass is held in one hand, below waist level, while the mug - with the tea - is raised in another hand, above the head, and is then tilted, till the tea falls into the glass. in its flight, the tea usually covers a distance of atleast a meter. the idea is to mix the content, while also frothing it up a bit. how they accurately do it, i am not aware, but this is a common sight in every tea shop that has caught my fancy for years now.

but i digress. the location of the 'master' is just at the entrance of the shop. the shop itself has a couple of tables inside, with a few chairs for those who preferred to be seated for their drink, and probably a snack. i usually prefer to stand out, in the open. today, i notice a young man inside the shop. he was tall, fair, dressed in an impeccable white shirt that was cripsly ironed out and a trouser to match. i thought he was incredibly good looking.

just when the 'master' was about to bring me my cuppa, this young man chooses to rush out of the shop, for some reason, and collides with the 'master'. there was a good amount of tea that had spilled on his white shirt, leaving a dark brown patch. for a moment, there was just silence, nobody spoke. i looked on - the young man was just looking down at his tummy, where the shirt was stained. the 'master', he looked like he had seen a ghost. i could say that in those few seconds that elapsed, there was terror in his eyes.

in a moment, the young man looked up at the 'master', his eyes softening, and said, "go on with your work, it is ok", while just placing his palm on the other man's shoulder, as if to comfort him.

my tea arrived, and as i sipped it, i lit up, and wondered how i may have reacted had i been the one in the white shirt. i knew for sure that i'd have lost my temper, screamed, and stormed out of the shop, cursing the whole world till i got to work, and would have probably carried that mood through the day.

"it was nice of you to just smile if off", i told him. he looked at me, and didn't say a word, just smiled. i felt grateful, for the smile, and for the little lesson in life that he had taught me.

the birthday party

the strangest thing happened today.

as i walked out groggily in the morning to pick up my sachet of milk from the grocer nearby, i noticed a bunch of canines feasting on a box. as i neared them, one of them - this scrawny little creature that i have on occasion had the good fortune to feed - looked at me, wagged his tail excitedly, just for a brief moment, before digging into his meal again.

"he seems to know you", the young man, who i had presumed was feeding the animals, said.

"i have favoured him a couple of times. dogs remember, they always do", i replied.

as i looked down, i realised, much to my surprise, that it was actually a cake the dogs were eating.

"that is an expensive diet", i exclaimed, almost involuntarily, and added, "and probably unhealthy for the animals too". not that they were otherwise in the pink of their health. these were, after all, quite far fetched from their home bred counter parts - who were well fed, groomed, and most importantly, fortunate enough to have ample attention. i suppose for these hungry fellows, on the contrary, anything would go - they weren't expected to live too long anyways. they weren't exactly wanted. so as long as they lived, they might as well rid themselves of their hunger, among all the other miseries that their wretched lives and us humans had subjected them to.

"it was for a friend. she was supposed to cut it last night and all that. just refused to turn up, and hardly spoke a word about it", he volunteered. he was young, but looked fatigued. he had the look of a burdened man.

there was an uncomfortable silence that followed. we both watched the dogs lap up the last bits - lick the box clean of any bits of cream that remained.

"i don't understand why people make such a big deal of birthdays - i find them bourgeois". i hadn't known what else to say. i am usually at a loss to say nice things to people, especially at a time of discomfort.

"i don't either, but she wanted it, it was her idea. said she'd like a cake, and that she'd like to cut it in the middle of the night, and that i ought to sing for her".

the early morning sun was just beginning to shine upon us. in the yellow glow, i noticed little drops of tears glistening in his eyes.

"well, you sure made their day", i told him, pointing at the dogs, and added "it is going to be a beautiful day" as i walked away, wondering if the poor dogs were at all aware of the little chat that transpired between us. sometimes, i wonder if i'd rather have lived blissfully ignorant life, a life of instinct, something more like those hungry dogs.

The uprising

let us educate them. Coming from someone who believes that many problems, if not all the ones plaguing our society today, could be solved with education, this could well sound stereotypical. I do think otherwise, for I have thought about this quite well.

Let us create awareness. The worst problem mankind can face is ignorance. This is the Kali Yuga; it is supposed to be that way. That doesn’t stop us from doing what needs to be done though. Let us tell people what the problem is. The solution, well, nobody knows, but people need to know exactly what is happening, and how, and what the consequences could be, especially in the long run, if things were just allowed to be. I am not sure if people understand the gravity of the situation. Awareness works. It almost certainly would, in this case, for in spite of the repeated persecution that the people of this race has faced over several thousand years, this is certainly not something people would like – going out for a drink or dinner, and ending up getting shot.

Let us involve people in the security of the state. Let commoners – you and me – be actively involved in security related issues. Let the people be the source of intelligence to the state. The common man may not be a visionary, but he certainly knows what is good for him, and what isn’t. And killing innocent people is not something that would fall in that category of ‘good’, certainly not in my terms. So let them know – that we will not take this sitting back, as is wont of the people in our society. Let them know that this time, we’re up against them. Let us all stand together – not just in words. Let us not make this yet another essay, one that is confined to the limits of thought and then print – on a blog, or in a newspaper. I just might, because I just go about doing my work. I educate, and am saying it with a sense of pride. For once, I am giving up my modesty. And no, I remain to keep that thing about myself, I will always be, essentially a bum.

And so if anybody, the wise, the strong, the powerful – I am none of those – chooses to do something, do this. Get people together, get them involved. Let every sane man become more responsible, and more sensitive to the happenings in his immediate surroundings. Let us, together, flush out those filthy rodents from their holes. I am ready, I can do that much. It would not to be easy, mind you, gathering intelligence, by its virtue, is dangerous, and our lives could be in peril. But then, if we care one bit about the generations to come – look at all those innocent kids around, and you would begin to care – we must be ready to sacrifice. This will be a war, of the inherent goodness in people, versus the warped tendencies in some. I have always believed that war is inevitable – a world without war, is utopian. Wars have happened since time immemorial and in my opinion, they will continue to happen. What I despise though, is this act of cowardice in killing perfectly innocent people– for war has a certain code of conduct.

I am angry, as must be scores of other men and women of this country. I do not want to live in fear, not anymore. We can’t ask for an honest state. I think power almost always breeds corruption. But, let us all get together, and by sheer numbers, let us show the world that good will indeed prevail. It must, if not for anything else, for those who, even in times such as this, pray, hope, yearn, desire – call it what you want – for peace, and who truly believe in the goodness.