To Be or Not to Be

"It has all come to this" he thought to himself as he braced himself for the last few minutes of his existence. He was done with it all - the mindless roaming, the endless work, the dominating matriarch - it had all become too much for him. Added to that was the endless expectation from the society - this much by summer, this is how you spend the winter - wheW! He had had enough. He got ready for what will be his first and last act of agression in his life.

Ram woke up from his reverie and found that a honey bee had stung him and was unable to stop himself from shouting "!@#$ 4#$#$$$#"......

Takkunu Oru Tale - 3

February 14th, 2009 - Ananth sat, unable to digest what was happening. It was okay if people ignored you - but to be completely mindless of your presence was carrying things too far. Vaishnavi was sitting right beside him, but was intently talking to Bharath, his closest friend at work (or so he had thought, as Bharath was also ignoring him). Even when they were driving to the restaurant, Vaishnavi had completely been silent. At his present state, Ananth knew she didn't even think of him once all the while she drove.

It had not been like this, always. Ananth had married Vaishnavi - the usual Tam Brahm style of advertising through astrologers (josiars) and priests (sastrigals) had led one thing to another which culminated in their marriage. He worked as a Strategic Advisor to one of those banks, advising them on potential investment opportunities worldwide. She worked as an executive with one of the advertising companies which had sprouted in the recent past. Things had worked out smoothly - they had bought a flat in Abhiramapuram, drove a Toyota Corolla and had plans to get a second car soon.

Nobody saw it coming, but, it did. Talks of recession in America left Ananth's company poorer by few hundred crores. And it was unfortunate that Ananth was one amongst the 3 advisors who worked with the NA operations. Ananth's manager was very sorry to have to tell him that he had no option other than to quit. Ananth was given the option to quit the company on his own, rather than be fired. Ananth took the easier choice. His terminal benefits and other investments meant he could afford to take time off to look for a job. But Vaishnavi did not take this easily. She freaked out and accused Ananth of putting her life in jeopardy too. She was scared about how they would pay the EMI for the flat next month and how they would put up a brave face to the society.

Two weeks passed and everyday, Ananth spoke to previous contacts, acquaintances and whomever he could touch for an obligation - but the efforts were futile. All companies were trying to draw their purse-strings tighter, anticipating a global recession and his baggage of having lost his company a few hundred crores meant he was a risky proposition. More than enduring the frustration of a futile job hunt, Ananth was unable to see the striken look on Vaishnavi's face. She had completely shut herself down - not talking to friends and relatives over phone as she was too ashamed to tell her husband's plight to them. He noticed that she looked physically weaker and felt helpless for her physical and mental state.

A month later, Ananth could take it no longer. He wrote a letter to Vaishnavi detailing his inability to find a job and so his decision to end his life. He placed the letter near the cooking range - where he knew Vaishnavi will notice it when she was boiling milk in the evening. He was walking aimlessly, thinking of his life in terms of a montage when his cell phone rang. He cursed himself for not leaving the phone behind and when he could help noticing the date on it when he was looking at it - December 24th, 2007 - 1 month since he had quit work. It was Bharath - he was sounding ecstatic - Bharath had managed to get Ananth a job - Ananth was not able to believe his ears. He was disoriented - and suddenly turned as he heard somebody shouting and saw the TATA symbol on a water lorry before everything went black.



P.S. All those who want to shout "copy-cat" or "cheater", YES! This story was a result of an inspiration - the source is the same which you thought of.

Takkunu oru Tale - 2

Anand and Arvind were looking like a pair of man-eating tigers who had been ordered to go on a strict vegetarian diet by their doctor. Their team, Rockets were staring at a mammoth target of 221 in 20 overs against arch-rivals Thunderbolts in the Tennis Ball series final at the IIT Chemplast grounds. More importantly, Kavya was there amongst the spectators - a friend of both Anand and Arvind, Kavya was the girl both of them really wanted to be in love with. She was beautiful, tall, intelligent and was an engaging conversationalist. Their class-mate till high school, Kavya was now a student in the National Institute for Law and had the makings of a successful lawyer already. Arvind and Anand were no losers either - they were mechanical engineering students in IIT-Madras and were accomplished extempore speakers. They were favorites to make it to the IIM - A/B amongst their CAT class students. And not to forget, Anand had received an acting offer from Mani Ratnam's assistant for a Mani production while Arvind regularly did photo shoots for those glossy fashion mags.. Anand and Arvind, adjacent roomies, used to regularly call Kavya to their hangout on-campus and had had many 'gyaan' sessions, almost always ending the sessions with an ice-cream and a movie at the nearby theater. Six months into their course at IIT, Kavya's father was transferred to Pune and when she moved in to an apartment just on the edge of the IIT campus, both of them were convinced that she was in love with one of them and there started a game of one-upmanship. Whatever Anand did well, Arvind sought to do better. Whenever Arvind came up with a witty remark, Anand stunned his twosome audience with stunning repartees. Amongst the local populace, it more or less became a matter of debate as to who would be the guy to walk the aisle with Kavya. The odds were more or less even and it was more or less agreed that it was going to be a tight thing between A & A. It was in this situation that the tennis ball competition came up - Anand and Arvind, the twin souls they were, decided that this was the moment - they were pretty decent blokes when it came to cricket - win the tournament and propose - that was their plan.

The chase began well - Rockets openers flashed and flashed hard and soon they had 35 runs on board in 3 overs. The fielding team made a bowling change. They brought Samanth, who was more a fruit than an actual fruit itself. Generally recognized as a dork, Samanth, though a topper in Ocean Engineering, kept to his books, labs and laptop. But here he was an instant success. He had the openers and the captain coming in one drop - all dismissed at the wicket in a space of balls, after which he was mysteriously taken off the attack. The next wicket, fell on the face of pressure, being run-out and that brought Arvind and Anand to the middle. Each knew the other was trying to use this an opportunity to gain leverage with Kavya. Arvind tried to play to his strengths - play with a straight bat and avoid the cut shot which was his bane while Anand used all his improvisation skills to pierce the tight field set with unfailing regularity. From a position of rebuilding, Arvind and Anand went in to the attacking mode and with 5 overs left, they had 41 runs to corner glory. And this is when, Samanth was brough back and he was again bang on target. Giving no room to play their shots, Samanth intelligently cramped them for room and it was only by hitting off the bowler at the other end, Anand and Arvind brought down the equation to 10 of the final over, to be bowled by Samanth. The first three balls were scored off and finally it was 4 off 3 balls with Anand on strike. He tried to force one over the infield only to pick the man at long on. He knew he had failed the crucial aspect - he had failed to complete the kill. The batsman had crossed over and Arvind was facing. Anand was praying that somehow Arvind should be unable to score off the next two deliveries - after all, all was fair in love and war. And Samanth bowled a peach of a delivery which left Arvind flummoxed. So it was down to a boundary off the last ball. Samanth bowled a yorker and Arvind blocked it and scampered for a single, but Samanth fielding well off his own bowling took a shy at the stumps and the ball went for four overthrows! The Rockets had won and Arvind was the man who'd made it happen. Samanth sunk to the pitch and Arvind couldn't help taking a peek at Kavya and Anand. Anand was downcast and didn't hide his frustration when he shook hands with Arvind. "So you have the advantage, eh?" quipped Anand and as they turned around, they saw Samanth coming in with Kavya! "Guys, meet Samanth - my boyfriend - wanted to tell this to you guys a long time back, but wanted to keep it as a surprise - We have been seeing each other since last year and my decision to rent an apartment here was basically because Samanth can't afford to get a bike to visit me during weekends. As you may have known, he is studying on a scholarship for economically backward students - Samanth - meet Arvind and Anand - they are my buddies since preschool days..............."

Takkunu oru Tale - 1

Sriram quickened his pace - just to make sure he didn't miss Lakshmi at the temple. He had a fascination for Lakshmi since the first day he had seen her, 5 years ago. With the passage of time, he had come to like her more and more. The only reason for him not trying to meet Lakshmi was Ramappa who accompanied her to the temple everyday. Ramappa looked tough, with stern eyes, an imposing height and above all, a hirsute which made Sriram wary of approaching Lakshmi. Everyday when Lakshmi and Ramappa passed their house en route the temple, Sriram would be on the terrace, lost in the elegance of Lakshmi's gait. He was taken in by her ornaments and wondered how long would it have taken to set her up like that for someone. Of particular attraction to Sriram was her ears - he felt they were rather cute and desperately wanted to have a closer look at them. This had happened for years and yesterday when Sriram was talking about this to his friend Srinivas, Srinivas had revealed to him that Ramappa was a very nice - the chummy kinds - and was very nice person if you approached him with your parents. This seemed strange to Sriram, but anyways asked his mother to accompany him to the temple the next day to meet Lakshmi. It didn't help that amma was busy in the kitchen all day long and finally when she came out after her evening bath and lighting the lamp for the gods, Sriram was almost crying out of impatience.

And so, there he was, running with his mother with what he had to give to Lakshmi clutched in his hand. And at last, he saw her - right outside the temple, at the flower-seller, where Ramappa was in deep conversation with the flower-seller. Lakshmi was there, and Sriram's heart skipped a beat as he went closer and closer. Would he be brave enough to do what he wanted to do? Or will his courage give up at the last moment? He couldn't help notice that her ears looked all the more attractive from closer-up. Finally he was there, standing right behind Lakshmi and Amma said to Ramappa "En pa, Kuzhandhai yaanaiku vazhapazham kudukka aasai padaraan, konjam yaanai-a vangikka sollu" (for the tamizh challenged, it means "this kid wants to offer a plantain to the elephant, please ask the elephant to accept it")

Valentine's Special!

Anand and Karthik were walking down the railway staircase when they both saw her. Anand couldn't help remarking, "She's beautiful". Karthik immediately quipped, "Dude, get your eyes checked. She's very normal looking and here you are going gaga over her!". Anand couldn't believe his ears. So far in life Karthik and he had shared likes, dislikes and hates that he wasn't able to believe that Karthik found this girl unattractive. Karthik continued, "She's too tall for you and look at her color - so pale that I can see her veins from this distance." "Surely, she's got a good face" Anand moaned. "What features? A polygonal face and a perpetual stupid smile on her face - Whew, I wouldn't touch her with a ten foot pole!" Karthik couldn't help shuddering. Anand now felt that positively he was looking at a grotesque specimen of the opposite sex and felt grateful to Karthik for saving him from her. Now the girl was within a hundred metres of them and not to be left out, Anand continued, "Actually yes, I think the sun falling on her face directly made her look beautiful - seeing her in the shade, I'm almost surprised how I could ever fall for this tall, pale girl..... You saved me Karthik. I can't imagine myself talking to her for more than two seconds". Now the girl was really only a few feet away. Karthik walked unmindful of Anand's remarks and said, "What about meeting at your house at 5?". Anand, surprised, asked "What about now?" but didn't find Karthik beside him. A quick turn around, he saw Karthik was talking to that girl. "Hi! I'm Karthik. I've been seeing you from quite a distance. You really take my breath away, would you mind a coffee?.........." Anand could help feeling that he deserved a kick in the.......




P.S: The name Karthik doesn't have any conection with the author!

Airport

"Follow Lane 12 for Lufthansa" screamed the signboard! Ram veered hard and was relieved to see a old woman give him way into the lane. After a couple of more lane changes, Ram found himself lugging the huge suitcase to the checkin counter. Ram was fascinated to see the people who were there checking passports and issuing tickets to the scores of people who were there, impatient to board their planes and be off. Ram's reverie was broken by "Have a great trip to India!" from the officer at the check in. The suitcase checked in, Ram found himself outside the Starbucks Shop. A cauldron having a variety of characters co-existing in a 200 square foot space - The Corporate Traveller, with the unmistakable business casuals, the students with their queer fashion sense..... Ram was thrown back to his own student days, when he boarded his flight from Madras that night. He was a far cry from the kids he was seeing here now. Half terrified (of leaving his parents) and half thrilled, Ram found speaking a difficult task when he had left India. But things were different now, what with a Masters Degree and a H1B Visa, life had become topsy turvy. Ram was not able to see things as they were 3 years ago...

Ram could still visualise the first few days in USA; Excited - about the new world into which he had come, Scared - of Dollar to Rupees Conversion, Desolate - without Appa, Amma and Thambi! Even to this day, he couldnt imagine how he put up without the "vambu" sessions with appa-amma, chocolate sandai with his bro and ofcourse the long winding drives on his bike. But all that were in a previous world, eons ago it seemed. Ram couldn't resist thinking what each of them would be doing when he would go home - dad tending to the plants, mom reading the sunday magazine, brother seeing CNN-IBN.

"Thanks, Ram for the ride. I shall meet you parents and give them the stuff you wanted to give them" said Ram's roomie as he started moving towards the gate, and Ram started to go back to the parking lot and thought about the production deficit which he had to counter before tomorrow's meeting

A Morning's Walk

Sanjay opened the gate to the park and joined the many people there who were already there, having their morning walk. Ahead of him, Raman and his wife were also among the morning crowd. Raman was as usual discussing the latest news from the morning's paper with his wife. Presently, he was trying to make his wife understand why reservation in educational sector was important and as soon as Sanjay heard this, he immediately remembered Anand, the couple's son, who had been the envy of many of a couple in that locality. A truly extraordinary boy that Anand was, had topped every exam that he wrote and when he topped the nation in his senior secondary school, nobody took notice. Anand had been a model son also, as rarely anyone knew Anand having any vice. On a general consensus, Anand had taken up higher studies in the United States in some Ivy League University and even today, Sanjay could remember Raman's pride in having such a son. Anand's achievements in the academic field seemed to double once the boy went to USA. Every email to his parents described some academic achievement or the other and Raman never tired of telling us of his son's success. But among all this pride, Sanjay knew that Raman and his wife were missing their only son, on whom they had showered their love and affection for 17 years. The boy seemed to be working very hard and it was not until that he got a job and a green card that Anand was able to come back to India and what a homecoming it proved to be! Raman had unable to hide his excitement even 4 weeks before his arrival and almost constantly talked to us about him. His wife on the other hand made every delicacy she knew that Anand had a liking for. But all the hullabaloo had come to a naught the moment Anand introduced his wife to his parents at the airport! Mrs. Raman had a massive cardiac attack and if not for timely medical help available at the airport, might not have been here today, talking the walk with Raman today. That day had been the last day when Anand had seen his parents at all, as the Ramans decided to estrange their son and live their lives on their own. Even now, Sanjay felt a bit heavy whenever he thought about the couple.

'Hi Sanjay!". That was Ashok. He was another regular at the park everyday and Sanjay thought that if anybody wanted time off, it had to be Ashok. An average student, Ashok took wing as soon as he started his own business. What started out as a two room venture was now worth a few hundred crores. While luck also played a major role, Ashok's hard work was the pivot for the success of the business. Having been left orphaned due to a fire accident when he was five, Ashok was brought up his uncle and though loved by his uncle, always missed his parents. The business proved to be a diversion of sorts and Ashok spent every minute of his waking hours in developing his business and it showed in his unparalleled success. Though happy at Ashok's success, Sanjay felt saddened at the lack of any familial ties for Ashok. The guy had been an introvert all through and though was respected and admired by everybody, there were no one who was romantically interested in him. Sanjay knew how hard it could be for Ashok with huge success on one hand and being family less because of the success on the other.

Amid these thoughts, Sanjay smelt the fresh bloom of Lakshmi's flowers on the sidewalk. Poor girl! Being born to a wastrel father meant that she had to do whatever odd jobs to support her mother to make ends meet and one of them was this 'platform' shop which somehow paid her educational expenses. The evening phase of the shop contributed to household expenses and sometimes for her father's binge too!

Thinking about all this Sanjay felt how hard life was and was thankful for none of that happening to him and as he reached the gate, Sanjay called out for his driver and as he settled in the car, took the latest Braille edition of Business Week to know the latest trends in the stock market to plan his next investment option.