Corked Blessings

Monday seemed so long ago.Sarah worked hard like most of the people around her.And this was a tiring week at the office, the current project was boiling eggs inside her head.But she liked it when it was always busy.The world was running, with men and women of her like, and she was not any far behind.

God gave her everything what she did asked for.A perfect bunch of friends,a perfect man,a perfect job,a perfect home and a perfect lot of money.This was what life was all about,but was this the end and why was she not happy.She always wondered.

The breeze through her office window brought those jingles they sang together, she looked at the sky and smiled.She was feeling her life getting sucked into a vortex of emptiness.She was missing the pats and hugs.She was missing the brownies he used to make for her.She was missing him.

 A countryside trip and paragliding were some of the things on her list, but tonight she was going to their favourite place with her usual girl gang.The clock was seeming slow today,she packed an hour before and wished those hands moved faster, when it struck five she raced down the stairs and drove her car out of the parking lot and reached her place in a wink.She wore his favourite white dress sequenced with purple satin, she looked simple but elegant.

She drove at windspeed,she liked it.She reached the beach.The girls were a happy bunch,Sarah loved them.They danced around the bonfire singing crazy numbers, a little wine and good food helped.She was happy,she liked this completely but could not keep her mind of him. Somehow today was not her day.

She missed him more during her good times, she walked away along the shore where they had made castles together.The grains of sand kissed her feet,the layers of waves danced beneath.He seemed to be walking a few steps ahead,turning and waving her a good bye,the moonlight flattering his already perfect smile.

She wished for a fairy who could drop him back to her world again.She gazed at the stars, there was a strange silence, a tear rolled down her cheek.

She took a few steps ahead and stumbled on something,the waves had brought it just then beneath her feet.It was an old wine bottle, like the ones her father used to drink.It seemed strange,she opened the cork.

  

A ring fell on her palm… memories flew past like clouds… how did it get in here…she wondered…

There was something else inside too, a crumpled note tied in loose threads...she opened it and read...

Dear Sarah,

Life gives us many things by chance and more things to choose,

Among them we know not when and where what we gonna loose,

But some people will never let you alone be,

And one among them is me!

PS: I threw this to the sea because you liked that tiny tot Peter’s doll more than this ring I gave on your twelfth birthday, I knew that lad is gonna be behind my daughter for all his life! If he ever ends up being your husband, tell him your father loves you more...always...and if you find this someday…ask him to put it on your finger and he better take care of my Angel.

"I love you" 

DAD

Dad!Her heart eased,he never let her stay alone!

Just then her phone rang, she picked up, and it was Peter.

"Hello Sarah, hope you are having a great time.I tried making some brownies,your Dads kinds, they are tasting good.Its time we marry, now that I can cook!

Come home soon.

Can I keep you forever?

I love you"

It was a perfect life indeed!

Raksha Bhat

Rayyyya....Rayyyy...Right...Right!

Hinde hogri jaga ide....melhathappa...

Ticket Ticket...Elramma nimdu...

Chilre kodri...Pass thorsri...

Bag side ge haaki...thegdu kayalli itkolri....

 Rayya..rayyaa...aaaaa RIGHT!!!

[PS:For those who do not follow Kannada,sorry no translations,the fun is here to stay!]

For the past few years I have been a great user of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport services.

[Sumne style ge full formu...onde mathali BTS Bussssuuu anri!]

It has been a one of a kind ride always. My association with the esteemed travels starts from the long queue in Housing Board starting at 9 30-9 45 am for 75A scheduled to leave half an hour later,remember how Calvin used to break the queue or climb it on the hump in front of our flats;) and the 180 at 5pm to Shankar Mutt for tuition,this was during the Pre university days.The hilarious part of the ride was when the guys at the back had to get down and push the junk box of college goers up the hill near Bhashyam circle,the physics and math were not enough to drain their energy!Years later now,when I cross these roads again it all seems so different.The buildings have lost their bricks,the roads have narrowed,lush green trees have fallen down and the only green is the green boards of the dream project of this city,the Metro.Things have changed for a little better and a lot worse.Now there are buses of greens, pinks, reds, oranges and the cooler kinds.Sometimes its a great sail and sometimes like you will never reach home kinds.

The next 5 years was marked with a obligatory bond with the 401 series.The B,E,K,M,P,Q,R,S,Vs and the rest of the English alphabets fill its list.Their sheer callousness in punctuality contradicts their numbers. A lot of these journeys I have spent reading my medical books and frighten inquisitive people sitting on the adjacent seat with weird pictures of the diseases and disorders of the human body. A chatter with Pi was often,about this and about that and about everything under the sun![She is the first and best person who can relate to this post!]. 

On rare occasions these buses turned out to be a vantage ride when we met our long lost friends from school.As our bodies and minds are squeezed between the hundred souls,the sweat stinks mixes with the jasmine fragrance from the flower seller Granny's basket as she ties those tiny little white and orange ones with her intricate hand movements.I swear I can never do that!

The adrenaline rush in his blood puts the drivers foot on the accelerator and takes us at break neck speed and gives a skipped heart beat only because he wants to race his competitor in front, and there is his equally atrocious foul mouth which brings disgust to our ears. At times if these brown uniforms feel like this is it for the day,the wives and the food are waiting at home and the bus can always  stop in between!We have no choice but to get down.

There are times when we come home and look at the back of the ticket and realize that the conductor owed a 93 Rs change for a 7 Rs ticket,you forgot to ask and he was pleased,for it was meant to be so. 

Why leave the typical Indian ladies in Kanjevaram Sarees,climbing the footboard like a hill with their fat butts and fatter bags in hand scrutinizing the seats for a scapegoat as soon as they enter and finally find you,they initially lean on you for a minute like you are the Qutub Minar planted in the bus and then look at you,give a wicked grin and say ‘Paapu,Churu Jargamma’.It is fun to hear their family stories ka audio film in public.I cannot forget this one lady with live chickens..live in her bag pecking my hand!!!In the middle of all these are guys and girls exchanging glances;and there is this girl on phone with inches long earrings ,purple lipstick,red hair colour,skinny jeans crying  because of her 5Th boyfriend for the past 30 minutes,not that it bothers you,but when the whole bus can hear it so can you!!!

The pickpocketing, the footboard travelling,the school children with their bulky bags,a source of anguish among the travellers.Add a little more to that of the ladies,the gentlemen who forgot to wear Sarees but did not forget to occupy those seats who do not budge come what may. The buffoons and bastards who drool over the fair sex,waiting like wolves to pounce on the girls and aunties alike,who do not know that their mother,sister and wife will also have to use the same means of transport when need arises and there are many wolves like them. 

The Grandpas reading newspaper seated in the senior citizen seats,their knowledge reflected on those wrinkles call for respect.And there was this 6th standard girl who always waited for a particular bus only to meet her Doctor Akka,because she always wanted to know how to become a Doctor! The many conductor friends made,a particular one who successfully got all the names of the brands of cough syrups available at the pharmacy and refused to take anything else!

The best part of the ride,a corner seat and a favorite song playing on the radio,a call to a dear one to tell how the day was,a call to tell Mom that you will be home soon and as the winds sweep through my hair when the bus rushes past is definitely a great high,all this can happen provided there is a seat!

-RAKSHA

A Sta[l]kers World

Unnikrishnan Venkataramanaswamy Rudrachari Pilasubramaniam now wants to follow you on Twitter!!!

Our latest inbox clutters!

The n fraandship requests on F and O which we coldly turn down only to create a dejection among those hungry water mouths was always not enough.We are grateful to these sites for getting our toffee and candy friends from school back.We are happy to leave our latest trip and party pictures with the world for comments.We are glad to update our status saying that right now we are brushing our teeth and then the next on the list is bath and a five like your status. 

We are pleased to use the hundred applications which can tell us our right colour, not that we don’t know what we like, but we need some computerized stuff to read our mysterious minds. We don’t like it if our neighbour’s cow eats up the turnips, spinach and cabbages in our Farmville Farm and so we stop having turnips, spinach and cabbages for lunch at home. The mafia war people are unhappy and plan to abduct us and our folks are on cloud nine for we are finally away and say no to a ransom.We are curious to know on what date and time we are going to die or marry, what if there is an inevitable error or in fact we get the same result in both the quiz.Ever thought?

How to fit in our wisdom  in just 140 characters and tell the world our mental status, quite a challenge for a blabber mouth and a perky task for the nerve cells.

Everyone talks through them,everyone talks about them.Some derive pleasure by using them all the time as a substitute for their joblessness, some find a means to communicate with their dear and near and yet far ones, some detest them because they think they are different..hmmm...

Never mind whichever category we belong to…remember…

Without them the world is never a lonely place;)

RKB