Saturday, March 29, 2014

Just Another Day!


It was Thursday and surprisingly sunnier than other normal rainy days. It seemed like the rain had spared Bangaloreans for a day giving them the much needed break; just like teachers sparing small kids from a day’s homework allowing them to enjoy their evening games. Relief and smiles at the receiving end! All my roomies were fresh with the Sun and had woken up early, ready to reach their office before the mood of God changed and again he started blessing Bangalore with more rain. Of course, Bangalore needed more rain. But what we Bangaloreans not needed were the muddy roads, potholes and water logging on all the roads that came free included in the rain’s package.

I too was having the same freshness that day and happy with a small thought in my mind. I could ride my bike without any fear of getting drenched and with a strong feeling that my trousers would not get splashed with the dirt on the roads. This would save me from knocking the doors of our Dhobi pleading him to do his usual miracle and remove the stains from my trousers. With a hot water bath I felt fresher than ever. My daily routine kicked off as I robotically got ready and stepped out of my room to sign off a Mission Impossible.

Though the outer looks say it has aged up, it’s still young and energetic. I bet it can compete with any bike of the same power. I am now talking about my reliable bike. It started up smoothly with my first kick and carried me towards the office with the speed and style I wished.

As I rode into Bangalore's outer ring road, I could still feel the effect of morning fog over the city and the effect of weather over the citizens. Most of the Bangaloreans waiting at the bus stop had their warm clothes on their body and were waiting for their cabs and buses. Without wasting much of my time searching for few good looking girls in the big dull crowds I sped off to my office hoping to make it the shortest time ever. To tell you guys the truth, I was just afraid of a possible downpour anytime, the specialty of Bangalore and this was the only reason that stopped my eyes from their routine hunt for beautiful girls waiting at the bus stops. Else which straight stud would miss a chance to look at the charming girls to start his day with and hurry towards the dull boring office? I repeat I am talking about straight studs! From the ring road I turned into a short cut and tried keeping the same speed in that narrow road but because of a record number of road humps, which the BBMP had put in hoping to enter the World Record but failed just because the design and size of the humps dint match the required precision, I had to slow down my bike. Just like me, my bike also saddened as it had to do a few uphill and downhill tasks. After crossing all those humps by when I had checked all the gears and brakes and all the parts of my bike, I moved out into the main road.

Just one traffic signal was left between me and my office. Once I crossed that signal it would be just a matter of minutes to safely land into my Company’s parking area. But as elders say, no exam paper is complete without a final question which carries the highest mark but is equally tougher and many a times it is out of syllabus. This signal was the biggest barrier of my daily office stretch. Not only was this the only signal I had to cross daily but also one of the busiest signals. All thousands of Software Professionals heading towards Whitefield offices or ITPL building had to cross this signal spending a countable part of their life at this signal. To be simple and explain it more orthodoxly, this signal was like Agni Pariksha for each software professional, the only major difference being this had to be taken daily. This was called the great Graphite Signal. My part of Agni Pariksha that day proved its worst. As I entered into that main road the first thing that I saw was the Green Light glowing at its brightest. With all the optimism I rotated the accelerator to its possible max hoping for an unimaginable unbeatable speed just the way portrayed in the Hollywood Flicks. Alas, the speed was not enough and when I was just few inches from the signal and behind three bikes hurrying in queue to cross it, the thing which I was fearing deep inside a corner of my heart turned true. The color of the signal changed to Red and I had to apply the brakes to their fullest. It was like storm at its top speed hitting the town ready to root up the whole town being stopped at just one swing of the wand from a magician and then the storm suddenly not only stops but also vanishes without even leaving behind the smallest proof of its existence.

I finally stopped behind two bikes. I know you smart minds might now be thinking of the third bike I had mentioned earlier. Dear readers, who think more than what is actually needed, that rider was so witty, he just managed to jump the signal and escape into his freedom. Within seconds, I stopped the engine following my motto of “Forget Girls, Save Petrol - Researches show earth would be running out of petrol well before it runs out of girls!” Let me tell you friends, I know girlfriends are the costliest affair a boy can handle but in the recent past few months, of course with the help of our honorable government, Petrol has overtaken girlfriend’s position to the top position in the list of most expensive and most unavoidable necessity of a boy’s life! You don’t need a girlfriend for having petrol, but think, you definitely need petrol for having a girlfriend! This is another reason to support my new motto on saving petrol. I tried to look at the length of the queue of vehicles coming from the other direction and it was just like a never ending parade of ants, one behind another, without even a gap between two vehicles.

I did the most common thing every Bangalorean does at least once in his daily life, sarcastically praised the Bangalore Traffic and then took out my IPod from the pocket of my Jeans and changed the song. I started banging my fingers on my bike's petrol tank to the tunes of the song being played in my iPod and then, bit relaxed, I started looking all around me to find few interesting faces (obviously beautiful faces) and ended up finding all dull faces with only one aim in their life - reach office at the earliest possible time and start their work before manager notices them not being at seat and keeps it in mind just to be discussed at the next appraisal meeting, the royal chousing session!

Trying to make all kind of disgusted faces, using all the muscles of my face, I started looking at the buses coming from the opposite direction and turning to my left, the way which leads to my office.

To be Cntd…
Vishal…


Saturday, March 22, 2014

Weekend – Ends!


The film resumed after the intermission but now my mind had started playing its own film. I couldn’t even make out what was actually happening in the film neither could I sit comfortably in that chair. I was getting so baffled with the thoughts running deep in my mind and choices that I had to make.

It seemed pretty clear to me when I thought to keep everything simple and stop continuing the apology act and shut and watch the film, but as it happens with boys of that age, in particular when sitting beside a lovely girl and upon that having a golden opportunity to talk to her, my heart kept confusing my choice and affecting my decision. And when, with great difficulty, I made up my mind to talk to her neatly and apologize, my brain would warn me of the consequences that could not only change my entire life but put everything that lay in front of me in risk, a risk that I would never be able to handle.

It was when I had finished biting the nails on all the fingers of my hand, I realized I had choices piling up and the probability of making a decision easily was coming down. Trying to concentrate on the film now was waste. I dint even knew what the characters on the screen were doing and what was going on. When my heart knew it was waste concentrating on the film it kept pressurizing me to fulfill its needs and take another look at the girl. With no better choices and no more nails to bite upon left, I gave into the heart’s decision. Slowly and carefully I started turning towards my left and by the time I felt I had turned almost to an extent where everyone in the hall and even the characters on the screen could notice me staring at her, my heart started beating faster. But still it kept on asking me to continue.

With a perspiring forehead and a loudly beating heart and keen but frightened eyes I kept myself moving and turned completely and looked at her, I was shocked. She might have noticed was I upto or even she was having a tough time with many choices building up in her mind like me or whatever may be the reason but it was clear that she was looking at me and the moment my eyes caught her looking at me she turned suddenly towards the screen. Suddenly the whole balance of thoughts turned upside down, the forehead seemed clear and dry now, eyes seemed to be more daring than ever, and lips bent a little to carve a smile. Heart was pounding at the fastest speed, happily though!

Everything seemed fine suddenly. The film and the characters, now, dint seem to matter to me. I had started to shoot a film of my own. I was now desperate for the film on the screen to end and my film to begin soon.

Finally, after a short wait that literally seemed longer than ever to me, the film ended and everyone started walking out towards the exit. Quickly turning towards my left, I saw her too standing up and turned towards the other side waiting for her turn to step out of the hall. I stood up and was right behind her. I knew for sure that even her heart was beating at the same rate as mine was. The whole hall was filled with various loud noises but in between us it seemed nothing existed but complete silence. Even Sahil kept blabbering about the film but my ears had turned deaf for him. I cared neither to hear his words nor bother about what he would think. I just kept my nerves together with a decision of talking to her as soon as we were out of this crowd.

As it happens, the wait just kept growing until our turn came to step out of the Exit door and when at last I had stepped out of the door and was into the corridor, I saw even the corridor was crowded with people crowding in from two more screens. I kept consoling my heart to be a little more patient and decided to be close to her and talk to her as soon as we were into the open. Sahil had by now understood I was in no mood for a chat and had turned silent.

As soon as we walked out into an open area from the corridor, I picked up all the courage in me and looked at her. She was walking towards the exit of the mall quickly and had already gained some distance. Now I had no guts to walk faster and approach her. With no options left I just stood still and kept staring at her while Sahil walked towards the elevator for the underground parking without even noticing me.

Her friend stepped into an auto and then the girl beside me followed her. Once the auto started moving ahead slowly, she quickly bent forward and her eyes looked everywhere and suddenly spotted me standing right in front of them. They quickly noticed me and kept noticing me until the auto moved forwards and she and her lovely eyes were out of my sight.

While on the way back to my room, as I sat behind Sahil on the bike, I kept figuring out if I saw her smile while her eyes noticed me or if it was just a delusion forced upon me by my heart…

Vishal…




Saturday, March 15, 2014

Weekend – The confusion!

Amid lot of confusion and fuss and noise in the K row and few noises coming in from the row behind me, I quickly stepped again towards my seat, this time just more carefully and sat, at last, in my seat. Just by one single moment of holding the coke glass in my hand I could easily say that half of the Coke had been spilt. Somehow managing my nerves to calm down a bit I settled down in the seat still thinking of the person who had not yet abused me or beaten me up for the mess I had created. By few looks from the corner of my eyes I knew it was a girl and that had frightened me just a little more but for any sake I wanted to settle down in my seat, stopping all the mess that I was creating there, before I looked at anyone or talked to anyone or apologized to anyone.

When I felt the movie had started and the whole audience drowned in the movie and I settled peacefully in the seat such that no more mess could occur, I slowly turned to my left. Blinking my eyes few more time and concentrating my stare on that face dint help. I was the same face I had seen in the lift. It was the same girl with an uneasy frightened look in her face. I can never know if it was the look in her face, or her frightened eyes, or the mess I had created, or the uncomfortable situation I had put her in, or the coke bath, or her bag on which I had stepped, or what not, but there was something in her face that kept my eyes glued to it.

I kept on staring her face, a cute little round face with chubby cheeks and a small little nose. The eyes were little but sharp edged and kept staring the large screen of the theatre. Her pink lips glowed, thanks to that lip gloss, in the reflection of the light coming from that screen.  Even after trying my best, a couple of times, not to keep my eyes glued onto her face and get back into the movie, I failed. I failed until her sixth sense, which is always powerful with girls, tweaked her alerting of me staring at her. She suddenly turned to her right. Being seated in the neighboring seat, our faces were closer than a safe distance and as it had to happen there was an eye lock between us.

Only after she blinked and readjusted herself in her seat and turned to the screen I released what I had done and what I was still doing. Without waiting for her to turn back to me, I blabbered, loud enough for her to hear me out, “Am very sorry, Maam”

With the four words out of my mouth, I quietly turned to the screen and fixed my eyes to the screen deciding I would never ever turn back at her. The movie continued with its pace and ups and downs but my heart was still focused on something else. It turned out a little difficult for me to handle it this time but it settled down for a deal till interval.

As soon as the interval word got displayed on the screen and before the lights were turned on, my heart sent in a strong signal to my eyes that turned to the left and stared at her. She was still looking at the screen. Turning back to my front I decided not to look back at her anymore. I had stared enough and any more stare would just mean bad. I had even apologized for the mess I had created. But I was not sure if she had heard it. But atleast I had apologized and ended the matter. But it felt good to reconfirm and apologize again. But there was absolutely no need of that.

My heart was beating fast in this confusion that kept me busy the whole interval not even allowing me to talk to my friend seated next to me, who without my permission gulped down the remaining half of my coke. If it felt to me, sometimes, to apologize to her again only because of the mess I had created, other times it felt to me, that I was being attracted towards her and my heart was getting too much bothered and involved in this.
A lot of thinking and checking out of a list of pros and cons when finally I decided to take another chance and look at her and apologize again if she was looking at me or else leave the matter then and there from my hands, I turned to my left, I found the empty seat waiting for my eyes.

To be continued…

Vishal…


Saturday, March 8, 2014

Weekend – The Mess!

As soon as I walked towards the entrance of Cinemas, I saw Sahil waiting there for me.

“Dude, why so late?” he yelled

“I had to park the bike and then come up”

“I ran all the way till fourth floor and got tickets. And you need more time in parking that useless bike than buying tickets?”

“Don’t call it useless. It carried you till here and it is the only one that will carry you back till room. Safely!!” I yelled back pointing my index finger at him.

“Now don’t waste time. Let’s get in” he said, turning away from me and started walking into the Cinemas.

“At least will buy a coke dude” I said.

“You buy it. I just want to watch the movie. Take your ticket and come in any time you want” he said literally thrusting one ticket into my palm.

Saying “cool” to myself in mind I walked towards the coke. Waiting for a full five minutes behind a girl who had picked up a fight with the person at the counter, I finally reached to him and not upsetting his already upset mood, got myself a medium coke. Taking a look around I understood everyone had entered the hall and I was late. Even the door was of the hall was closed. Quickly I walked into the hall and found it as expected, complete dark expect for the large screen with few faces on it and few twinkling eyes and cleanly brushed set of teeth here and there.

Another look at my ticket confirmed that my seat was K-12. My next look at the nearest seat to me read A-15. Slowly allowing my eyes to get set with that light, I started stepping up towards the K row. With a little difficulty I was standing beside the K-15 seat and saw a huge person sitting comfortably on that seat. Moving closer to him and bending a little forward, I said to him, “Excuse me sir”

He turned to me, lazily, and stared at me angrily as though I was a dacoit and was banging his door to loot him. With no mind, he slowly slid back in his seat and adjusted a little which left me very little space. Squeezing myself in between that little space he had left for me, I moved towards the next seat, only to find a girl sitting on that seat.

I could not bend forward and go neither near her ears nor near her face and invite a slap on my face. Neither could I just stand in front of her nor directly try squeezing in front of her. Falling into dilemma I thought I should have quietly followed Sahil. Still trying my luck I asked her for some space and lots of mercy.
Making all sorts of face that I couldn’t see but could imagine she moved her legs a bit. Considering that as a lot of a space and a little mercy from her, I stepped ahead. Grounding my left leg, I raised my right leg and easily moved it ahead. It would have been safe except for a bag or something that was placed next to her legs on which I placed my right leg. By the time I had placed my right leg, I was lifting my left leg. In this entire circus, the bag slid a bit and my leg slipped a lot. I lost all the balance that I had and almost fell only for something that I held for support. But by the time I held it stiffly and got back my balance and stood straight, half of the coke from the glass I was holding had spill out.

Though I was not sure, whose bag I had stepped on, what was that that I had held for support, where did the coke spill or if the girl sitting in K-14 or if anyone sitting in K-13 got a coke bath but I was now sure of one thing. I had created a mess there.

Continued next week…

Vishal…


Saturday, March 1, 2014

Weekend… Part 2


Dear Readers… Welcome to the 50th post of my blog – Sunday Readers!!

Thanks for your encouragement in this gratifying journey!

It took another hard punch on my waist from my roomie to wake me up and this time, yes I woke up. Within the limited time that was given to me, I quickly got into my jeans and some unwashed shirt and was riding my bike towards the new mall built on the Outer Ring Road.

Passing the numerous pot holes and speed breakers that kept on growing day by day, we finally reached the Bangalore Central on the Ring Road. Before even I could park my bike, Sahil jumped from the back seat and ran into the mall saying he would buy the tickets. I couldn’t even see him, leave alone tell him that I needed something to eat and drink. Without hurrying, I walked towards the mall entrance checking the new messages in my cell and stepped into the lift.

Dude.. whru??

I saw the message from Pavan, my college friend.

I replied back to him giving him my exact location along with the latitude and longitude details and asked if he was interested in joining us for the movie. I got a sweet reply from him abusing me for asking him 10 minutes before the show. Getting busy in replying to him I got immersed in my cell. My head was bent and my face got glued to my mobile as I stood unaware of the whole world, as it happens with the young generation busy in chatting, in the lift. I was so immersed in chatting with him that I dint even bother to check who my fellow passengers in lift were and to which floor the lift was headed.

I was still busy in chatting when I felt something roll and hit my shoes startling me. Locking my cell and moving my eyes from that screen towards my shoes, I saw lip gloss lying beside my shoes. It was then that I realized I was standing in a public place and shared my location with many others. The first thing that I did was to raise my head and take a look around me. What I saw startled me more. The lift had only two passengers, me and another girl, beautiful girl. She was looking at me in half surprised and half confused look. Her small eyes were looking at me fully confused. I could clearly deduce, within seconds, that it was her lip gloss and she was either confused as to how to pick it or how to ask me to pick it up for her. Before the stare between our eyes could continue into an eye lock or before the expression on her face could turn more confused or bewildered, I bent down, picked up the lip gloss from my right hand and extended my hand towards her holding it in my palm. She picked it up and quickly pushed it inside her purse that hung to her left side and giving one small smile, still confused, turned to the other side.

Within seconds, I heard two beeps and the door of the lift opened and she walked out quickly. Checking the floor and finding it was the floor on which the Cinemas were there, I followed her.

To be continued…

Vishal...