Detour to Paradise Yet Again

Fed up with unresponsive AutoCAD window, I was stressed & thought to myself; definitely time for some coffee. As I  minimized the window on the system, I observed the black screen with grids and design making way to a bright yellow flower. The desktop looked vibrant. My little dark cubicle seemed to brighten up a bit. Yellow petals with early morning dew & sun light at dawn twinkling on the moist face of the petals. Whole of the flower seemed safe in asylum of long greeny leaves. She clicked it, on her holiday last month. A person crossed my mind. Her cheeks looked brighter than those yellow petals, shine she brought up into my life was exponentially more than the shine of dawning sun and the dew drops with a twinkle resembled her moist, innocent eyes. The erratic design of a fixture block on AutoCAD was on my mind till then, it made way to the beautiful design of fortune I had planned for life. It is sometimes not anything else, when you forget someone's name; it is just that you are far too awed.

Diya..!! 

It has been a while, may be a day since I heard from her. Away she was, attending a leadership training program organised by her work place. She took a flight few days back, when I gave her a tight hug and wished a safe flight at the domestic terminal.

It is pretty unusual, when you think of someone and the person start knocking you on phone. But sometimes, unusual is always usual. Specially when it is Diya. A charming image of her's appeared on my mobile screen. She, seated on my bike posing with a lop sided smile and a blue top black jeans. As in picked the call " Listen, the charging is low." That statement already cut off any chances of pleasantries. " I'm done with the training a day in advance, please find me a flight tonight or tomorrow morning back home." Before I could say yes or no, " also let me know if we can have a late dinner today or a early breakfast tomorrow." That also meant she wanted me to pick her, and drop her home. She hung up and the line went dead. A while since, AutoCAD was again gaining grip over my mind, a message popped up.

Bling....!!
< How could you do that. You claim me to be best part in your life and you are now playing a thrifty. >

I smiled and replied, < Haha >

< Why so kanjussi, my office would have reimbursed the fare. What the point in booking a premium ticket on train. > she snapped back.

I replied.  < Flights were full >

< What do you expect me to do for 9 hours on the train. God only know >

I smiled to myself and said, < Get to the hotel and sleep tight, I'll wake you up in the morning. >

< Please wake me up, and also pick me up from the station. Please do not plan anything mean while picking me up. Reached my room. >
< Dont bother about picking you up from the railway station, you will love it. >

I hoped she felt " I love nothing more than you Saketh." 

I knew she hated early morning travel plans, but I had mine too. I booked her on an early morning train back home. I woke her up in the morning and made sure she reached station. Coach was B2, seat was 24.

< Good Morning, reached station boarded, thanks for waking me up. > I received her message. I immediately called her, I could listen to her ring tone. " I thought you might have slept after waking me up" she said. She knew I preferred to grab any little possibility of dreaming. "How could I, had to make sure you hopped on board baby." I tried to keep my tone low fearing she might listen me off air too.  She sounded irresistibly lovable when she said, "Aww that is why you are a darling." "I can make myself a bigger darling in a while" I too tried sounding sweet. "Obviously, you will. But how...??" I could feel her excitement. "That is when I take the seat opposite to you, the seat no. 23." "What the f..." she swallowed the last word. "I'm always besotted by you girl", I said as I made myself comfortable on front seat, gifting a chocolate and myself to her.

"You are the biggest darling" she said, I could feel the excitement. "You too are one" I said " by the way...hang on you called me a thrifty, Economy and a kanjuss..." I tried to scoff her.  Before she said anything I said, " I did three things after you called me last night. One, I booked myself a late night flight to this place. Two, I booked both of us separately on this premium train. Three, I mailed to my lead to intimate my absence today." "Sometimes you  confuse me saketh. I cant really choose between a sweet boy friend and crazy lover in you." That statement was nothing short of a tickle.  I looked at her and said in a lower voice " that is how much I planned, to spend some time with you Diya. It's always a bliss to give my girl a bit more than what she asked. You asked for a pick.  I just thought why not pick you up from your source rather than making it to your destination."

It took some time for her to believe that, it was not a dream. We were having a great conversation and breakfast together. I asked if I deserved a high-five. She said I deserved a couple of them. She raised both her hands, brought closer to mine and it was a perfect cheers. Something bothered me. Those were not her's. Hands that came in contact with mine were far more rough to be my girl.

The silence around made way to a crescendo. Railway announcements, people shouting in chaos, The sound of coffee, tea, samosa bread omlet in air. I fought with something and opened my eyes to find Manoj in front of me, vigorously trying to wake me up with both his hands. He sounded frustrated, "You wanted me to pick you, fine, you wanted me to wake you up too....it took me a while to find your coach and berth. Now leave my hands and get down dumbo....both of us need to get to work."

I quickly gained conscious, flexed my body, rubbed my eyes and cursed my fortune for taking a detour to Paradise yet again.

sakethursforever : )

A Short Fable Of A Sweet He & She

Clear skies, Harvest moon and twinkling stars, far away from the routine life, just next to what he always thought was life; the broken resort in the valley was his final lap. The resort was his choice and only the first half of their holiday. He virtually ran something more than a marathon for all his life. Today, he found himself calmly letting the moment to settle with in his system and started to allow himself understand he is finally over the line. For the first time for 29 years, he did not have to think of next race. Personally he was won the biggest race. A Master's degree from a renowned institute, a decent pay at work and now this. He took a deep recline gazing into the infinity thinking if the next biggest challenge will be of taking someone else's responsibility.

It was more than three quarters before either of them spoke. It was their first hour spent together without a task on hand. Last couple of months were full of plans, parties & preparation. And here they were after the wedlock. Pushing a gulp of warm air and courage, he broke the the silence. He read out a few lines he penned down many years before, during his initial tryst with her. 

Laying under the Starry Skies,

A radiant white apple floating over the sky,

I dim my eyes to frame the Sight,

My hand's in a seek of another one to hold,

One of those times - I think of You.

Moments later, his hand found a company, lips found a gratified smile and his mind found the reference to the phrase he was written miles ago in time.  Then followed a whisper with a warm hug "I did these lines for you, and waited all these years just to see those eyes lit up the evening." They remained undisturbed, enjoying their stay there forever, with the full moon silently witnessing the sweet pair.

The couple left the place few days later to their next destination. It was her choice this time. A long cantilever stretch extending fairly into the waters, their table was further extended to far left. While the remaining couples faced each other, they faced the infinity and it was blue waters forever. Both of them seemed in the endless desire of being in each other's company. Hand in hand, he had his glass of wine to his right and her's was to the left. Melody was all around; mellow of the soft wind gently passing by, birds cooing back to their nests and mellifluous sound of water striking the shore.  

They made their way back to their shack with sun setting to their left. It was few strides later she stopped and began pull him back. She covered his eyes with her hands and read out something she has penned down sometime ago.

A solely stroll on the golden Coast,

Blue to the left and Sand to the right,

Leaving my footprint with each of the stride,

All those prints needed a pair, 

One of those times - I think of you.

He turned back to see a couple's trails on the sand and she found her hands wet. Then followed a whisper with a warm hug, "It was you on my mind when was here last time and I thought there isn't any other place I can tell this to you."  The remained rejoicing their stay there forever, with the dusk sun witness the sweet pair.

The frame of their hands in each other's company along with the moon light made its way on her work desk and the the capture of their trails on the coast made its way on his work desk with orange sun calling it a day. None of the frame had a full capture of the couple, but they were filled with a feeling called Magic.

Sakethursforever : )

Emotionally Practical We

Rahul always loved working late into early hours before an important day making sure he ticked off all the necessities. What accompanied him were his sharp instincts, watchful insights about challenges that he might have to face the next day, a ball which constantly hit the wall, sticky notes to the left of the monitor, a digital clock on the table, a couple of empty coffee mugs. It was indeed an important 20 hours to follow. He had an early morning flight to Mumbai where he would represent his company in signing a prestigious project. Every time he saw his tattoo on his right shoulder dressing up, next thing he did was to call up his hero, back at Hyderabad. He took out his mobile, rang his father expecting him not to pick up his first call as the clock still showed 4 Am. “Hello”, and came a cold response. “Mom, how come you got up so early, temple day today..?”enquired Rahul. “Not really, are you ready, what time is the flight”. “It is at 6.10, 20 minutes’ drive from here and one hour for the check in, I should be fine”. “Anyway Dad’s up.?Or still dreaming about his old Maruthi...?” There was a brief silence as if his mom was preparing for something extreme. “Dad met with an accident last night while returning from the market.” Even before Rahul assessed the situation, she continued “Nothing to worry about, a little bruise on forehead and a cut on his ankle.Doctor assured there’s nothing to worry about, 4 stiches, TT and a couple of tablets that is it”. “For God Sake please let me speak to him” he exclaimed. “Come on, I said there’s nothing to worry about, he mishandled his leg in sleep and the leg started to bleed. Arun uncle was here to take him for dressing”. Half an hour later Rahul reached airport. The LED departure board showed six flights open for boarding and two other flights which were yet to open. Having missed a call earlier, he received his mom’s call the second time in less than 5 minutes. “I know which flight you are looking for, and you exactly know what I called you for.” Rahul let himself wait a while, “Be Practical Rahul”it was more than an affirmative order. “Dad is fine and there is nothing you can do here.” She took a deep breath and pacified him “He needs rest and all of us are here to ensure that. Wound is no more than many scars that you brought home from the football field.” Rahul began to say, “But..” his mom did not let him speak another word “You are 28 now and it is high time you add a bit of practicality to every decision you take.”

“Flight is re scheduled to 2AM Karthik, I guess if there is no further delay you can pick me up at 5 from the airport.”. Indu was returning to Delhi after paying a visit to her parents. Karthik set his alarm clock  and made himself comfortable on the couch thinking it would be the last night before he would get a good night kiss and bed coffee in the morning every day. “Jut boarded the flight and about to take off...” Indu sent a message at 2.15.  Karthik made some sandwich, put it into the oven, set the timer on the oven to keep it warm, readied the coffee for her and switched on the geyser. He set everything in place Indu and left to airport. Karthik met Indu right outside the arrivals. Neither of them showed the stress of having a sleepless night. They were only glad that they were together. The clock read 7.30 and Indu arrived at their home. She paid for the cab, took the lift to their flat. Sipping away the coffee that was waiting for her, she called up Karthik. “I just reached home. I hope I shared this coffee with you baby... is the problem fixed” she asked. It was dinner time and it was a week since both Indu and Karthik eat together. “Karthik I’m really lucky, because you care about your things this very much. I’m just glad that I’m your too.” Karthik always loved listening to Indu specially when it was about both of them. “ But sometimes you have to let things go karthik.” He looked up wondering what Indu was speaking about. “I know how much attached you are karthik, I know it was your dream to own a car. But you cannot carry things once the expiry date is done. Today it is just me, but it might be something big tomorrow.”  With a Shaky tone Indu said “Our car is done karthik. No point being emotional. It is high time we plan another one.”

Lakshmi always felt it was a difficult task managing a married life while letting her do what would give her extreme pleasure. She was accompanying her in-laws at a family event. But only thing that ran through her mind was the auditorium room back at the Dance Class where her students were performing, trying to convince the trust members, they would excel at the cultural event at Singapore. She knew it was unfair to choose a preferred student among those she taught, but she had special liking to Priya. Last evening Priya assured she would take care of the event in madam’s absence and also showed poise in winning the members yes. Later that evening Lakshmi received a phone call. “You are on board to Singapore this 25^th madam, your team impressed everyone from the panel. The trust is ready to sponsor and please complete all the necessary formalities before Friday,” said chairman. It was more than a sign of relief to her. Chairman continued, “Especially Priya was Splendid I must say”, this was an added honey. After the practice session a week before their journey, chairman was speaking to Lakshmi in his cabin. The table had a pile of envelopes from the travel agent on one side and a single envelop on the other. Lakshmi could sense what was coming, but she waited for the chairman to continue. “I’ve been to Priya last evening” taking his eye contact off Lakshmi’s he started to stare into his mobile and continued “ Doctor said it will be a week more before she could completely re coup.” Priya stepped on the ear ring which accidently fell off her partner’s jewellery while practicing. Heal being a soft part, the cut was deep and that put her out of practice since. “This is not charity, we cannot carry people all the way to Singapore on a holiday. More so when someone is not fit.” Finally he saw into her face and said “You must let her know the news and to her family too.”  “But it is a question of ethics,” she retaliated. “The child might lose faith in art, she might lose her confidence.” “We are not here to restore faith or carry ethics. We are lot more practical in our approach” said the chairman and walked out of the room.

Rahul, Lakshmi and Karthik were in a similar situation. All three of them were urged to be practical, but being practical also wanted them to keep their emotions away. Rahul was emotional attached to his father. He completed his assignment and flew straight back to Hyderabad. Being emotional about her role as a teacher Lakshmi did take back the envelop and asked the chairman to return the envelop which belonged to her as well. She assured him Priya was her responsibility and the trust did not have to pay for both of them. Finally karthik there after never  missed a coffee with Indu.

Can a Emotional person be Practical. Is being practical also imply you are not emotional. Most of us are emotionally attached to someone or something and there comes a situation where being practical means you cannot value your emotions any further. Carrying emotions and being practical are two sides of a coin. The probability is always 1/2. It can never be 1/3 where the 3rd likely event is being both practical and emotional. Being practically emotional or emotionally practical is like searching for salt in a sugar cane. 

"Practicality is a virtue which has no place in the Playing Space of Human Emotions"

Sakethursforever : ) 

788918400 & Counting

25 years 0 months 0 days or 300 months 0 days or 1304 weeks 3 days or 9,131 days or 219,144 hours or 13,148,640 minutes or 788,918,400 seconds and counting. That is the count on my biological calendar.


A Facebook share once told me " Life Is Not Measured By the Number of Breaths We Take, But By the Moments That Take Our Breath Away". And there is no better time to try and make few moments documented here on my digital scribbling pad. 

• The YES... mission accomplished...!! feel from within, when I received the first Appointment Letter .
• Magic I felt within myself steering a car all by myself. It is nothing short of magic.
• A dream accomplished feeling receiving first pay at work.
• Turning through the pages and wondering if books can be so addictive, reading through the   Doomsday Conspiracy.
• Writing down my first blog post and convincing myself I could be Dan Brown.
• A scholar kind of attitude that I saw in me while getting a Technical Research Paper published in an International Journal.
• That Jingle which range when I penned down my first poem, a song if you call it.
• Making a perfect weld joint at college, with all the protection gear on, making  a blow molded bottle cap, and carrying that feeling of being an engineer.
• Being on a deadly trek with 20 unknown people to an inundated island and finding a comfort zone beyond my thoughts. I met a different version of self there. 
• Getting an article published on one of the best national daily. 
• Proud feeling of being a teetotaler till date. 
• Clicking a scenic beauty and expecting the world to accept it as their wall paper.
• Finally finding that 5th zero added to your balance sheet of the bank account. It is truly a gratifying aura of satisfaction
• Finding clouds underneath your feet when someone said a Love you.
• Satisfactory Phone calls, messages and comments I get when I make a blog post.
• Gifting Mom, Dad, Sister, best friend with money made at work. A small pay back and an intense emotions .
• The killer smile which went ear to ear writing down a gritting short story.
• Feeling responsible at work place and working out of the box . 
• Puff of air which filled my lungs beneath the sea at the scuba dive.
• Getting 57 rupees 31 paisa return on investment on stock market. I thought I would become Warren Buffet soon. 
• Feeling secured having vast relational space to fall back when ever required. Friends, Relations and everyone else.

These are very few Breath Taken away moments I would cherish for a long long time. Shall try and add few more very soon this year. 
Happy Birthday Dude.

Sakethursforever : )