Saturday 31 December 2016

A Hundred Years From Now

It will not make much difference friend a hundred years from now,

If you live in a stately mansion or a floating river scow.

If the clothes you wear were a tailor made or just pieced together somehow,

If you eat big steaks or beans and cake a hundred years from now.

Won't matter what your bank account or the maker of car you drive,

For the grave will claim all your riches and fame and the things for which you strive.

There's a deadline that we all must meet, noone will show up late.

It won't matter all the places you've been, each one will keep that date.

We will only have in eternity what we gave away on Earth.

When we go to the grave we can only save the things of eternal worth.

What matters friend the earthly gain for which some men will bow?

For your destiny will be sealed you see a hundred years from now.

Wednesday 28 December 2016

BUILDING BRIDGES

Once upon a time two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch.
Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days work," he said.
"Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there. Could I help you?"
"Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That's my neighbor, in fact, it's my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I'll go him one better. See that pile of lumber curing by the barn? I want you to build me a fence - an 8-foot fence - so I won't need to see his place anymore. Cool him down, anyhow."
The carpenter said, "I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you."
The older brother had to go to town for supplies, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day.
The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing.
About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer's eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped.
There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge... a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work handrails and all - and the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming across, his hand outstretched.

"You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done." 
The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge , and than they met in the middle, taking each others and. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder. "No, wait! Stay a few days.
I've a lot of other projects for you," said the older brother.
                                                                                          "I'd love to stay on," the carpenter said, "but, I have many more bridges to build."

Tuesday 13 December 2016

I Wish...

David's Diary
8th Grade Year
I wish I wish I could tell her how I feel. Today I saw the most beautiful girl in the whole 8th grade class ,and the world. Jenny was her name, when i asked she spoke like an angel. I wish I could tell her how I feel...

12th Grade Year (Farewell)
I wish I wish I could tell her how I feel. Me and Jenny talked today. She really loves her boyfriend. They broke up and I had to comfort her after prom. She told me i was the best friend on the planet. I wish I could tell her how I feel...

College Freshers Year
I wish I wish I could tell her how I feel. Jenny has grown even more beautiful if that's even possible. I saw her at a party with Derek. My heart sank, she was happy as ever. 
We talked about him, she says he's different. I wish I could tell her how I feel...

College Graduation
I wish I wish I could tell her how I feel. We were all the happiest we've ever been. Jenny ran up to me after accepting degrees and kissed me on the check and yelled "WE MADE IT!". Jenny then ran to Derek and kissed him deeply. I wish I could tell her how I feel...

Jenny's Marriage
I wish I wish I could've told her how I feel. Everyone was happy...except me. Jenny had the biggest grin on her face ever. I smiled back to make her happy. During their kiss I had to look away, and blink the tears out of my eyes. I wish I could've told her how I feel... ..

Jenny's Funeral
I wish I wish I could've told her how I feel. Today was Jenny's memorial. I don't want to live anymore. After the service her mother brought me a box from Jenny's house. The will said i was to receive all it's contents. In it was a book I gave her in 8th grade, the prom corsette I gave her in 12th grade, the notebook I gave her sophomore year in college, the button I gave her for her college graduation robe, an earring i gave to her on her wedding, and a diary.It read...

Jenny's Diary
8th Grade Year

I wish I wish I could tell him how I feel... .. .. .. ..

Friday 2 December 2016

Real Madrid XI: A player-by-player guide to Zinedine Zidane's side for el clásico


It's the biggest football match on the planet, and it's this Saturday.
El clásico pits two of the world's finest, most-successful clubs head-to-head and this weekend's fixture is laden with storylines to unpick and things to watch out for.
But first and foremost it's going to be about the three points on the line and the eleven players on the field as Real Madrid look to extend their lead atop La Liga.
Zinedine Zidane has some tough line-up decisions to make if he's to counter Barcelona's threat, but he has fewer injuries than his counterpart, Luis Enrique. but who will Zizou choose? lets takes a look:

Keylor Navas

The Costa Rican impressed everyone at World Cup 2014, and when he’s been given the opportunity at Real Madrid he has similarly dazzled.
So close to leaving the club on deadline day last summer, Navas was one of Madrid's best players as they won the Champions League under Zinedine Zidane.
He will need to be at his best to keep the Barca frontline at bay.
Dani Carvajal
The Spain full-back has fought off €30million worth of competition, so if he’s fully fit you’d always expect him to edge out Danilo with the Brazilian having experienced an up-and-down first season in La Liga last year.
Carvajal will have a hell of a task in keeping Neymar quiet down that side, as the Barca man has been in sensational form recently.
But he’s locked him down before and this is going to be one of the key battles that decides this game.

Sergio Ramos

The Real Madrid skipper has struggled for form for the last 18 months and has increasingly been exposed by pace, with Mohamed Salah running riot against him in the Champions League knockout stages last season.
He needs to adapt his game to rediscover the form that made him one of the world's best at the position, though nobody can question his will to win.
Expect him to be really up for this game, but whether that will be enough to subdue Messi and co. is another question entirely.

Raphael Varane

The Frenchman has utterly frightening pace for a defender and that will be ideal when faced with a forward line like this.
Pepe's experience will be missed, especially when it comes to dealing with Luis Suarez's off-the-ball provocations.

Marcelo


Prone to leaving space in behind, Marcelo is a player often targeted by top-class opposition.
Roma and Paris Saint-Germain tried as much in the Champions League with some success last year, but despite an injury you’d have to say that the Brazilian remains the club's best option at left-back.
If Nacho were to start there instead then it would send a very negative message, and it would be a shock if Zidane benched Marcelo.

Casemiro


The midfielder has been excellent since breaking into the team as Rafa Benitez's (much-maligned) defensive shield.
Zinedine Zidane kept him in the team after taking over and the Brazilian suddenly became acceptable, so much so that when his long-term injury was announced earlier this season there was serious consternation.
Casemiro has no like-for-like backup in the squad and Madrid have had to improvise to get by without him. His return from injury will be huge.

Luka Modrić


Real Madrid’s metronome and one of their most important players.
The Croat has been sensational over the last two seasons and still doesn't get the plaudits he deserves.
If they're to have a chance of winning this game, it will be because Modric has taken over the midfield.

Mateo Kovacic


Learning from his idol, the young Croatian midfielder looked almost certain to return to Italy on loan after a first season in Spain that saw him get little gametime and make little impact.
Having take advantage of injuries in midfield, Kovacic's energy in the centre of the park has helped to keep Madrid's momentum going even when shorthanded.

Lucas Vazquez


The young Spaniard broke into the team under Rafa Benitez after demonstrating work-rate and defensive awareness on the flank.
While Marco Asensio's rise has threatened Vazquez's playing time, the 25-year-old is a far more reliable performer and will play a key role in tracking Barcelona's full-backs at the Nou Camp.
Hidden beneath all that is that Vazquez is a danger in attack as well.

Cristiano Ronaldo


The Portuguese lit up this fixture in the spring with a sensational late winner and, if he can repeat that, he could virtually put the league title to bed before Christmas.
That would be quite a way to celebrate his monster new deal.

Karim Benzema

Alvaro Morata has probably outplayed him but Benzema's long-standing chemistry with Ronaldo has saved his spot in the starting XI.
That may not last for too much longer but bagging a vital goal in the clásico is likely to buy him some time.

Missing out

James Rodriguez will likely have to settle for a place on the bench, as will Isco - but with the Spaniard having a chance of starting if Casemiro isn't fit. The defensive back-up is Nacho , while Danilo's inconsistent displays will likely see him benched.

Monday 21 November 2016

Cristiano Ronaldo's hat trick answered Real Madrid's biggest question

On Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo silenced his critics yet again, as the 31-year-old Portuguese superstar netted a hat trick to lead Real Madrid to a 3-0 victory over rival Athletico 
 Madrid and give Real a clear line of sight to its first La Liga title in half a decade.
Ronaldo’s performance, however, meant far more than the three goals and the three points that put Real Madrid in the driver’s seat for the La Liga crown. Following a salary bump and a hefty contract extension worth a reported $187 million that keeps the forward at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2021, questions have come up over how Ronaldo will fit into the squad going forward considering his decreasing ability to take players one-on-one.
Against Atletico, Real and Ronaldo answered those questions.
Ronaldo started ahead of Karim Benzema at striker and made the most of his chances as the tip of Real’s spear. Similar to the role he played for Portugal in the 2016 European Championships, which Portugal won, Ronaldo continued the transformation from a free-roaming No. 7 darting on the wings and cheating on the inside to a constrained No. 9 causing havoc inside the box and putting pressure on opposing center backs.
For Ronaldo to remain relevant at Real Madrid for five more years, this positional shift became necessary. The former Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon winger could not continue to be an asset out wide as he dove deeper into his 30s. In front of goal, Ronaldo is one of the greatest finishers of all time and a credible threat to score at all times. After all, he is already the top scorer in Real Madrid history, and his scoring rate is higher than the greats that came before him (i.e. Raul Gonzalez, Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas).
Of course, questions over how Benzema and Alvaro Morata fit into Real Madrid’s setup if Ronaldo is now a full-time forward will come fast and hard. But one has a tough time arguing against three goals that pushed Madrid nine points clear of Atletico Madrid and four points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga. Hence, Benzema and Morata will need to adapt to Ronaldo more than the Portuguese will need to adapt to them. Ronaldo remains the biggest star at the club, on the pitch and off it.
With Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Casemiro, Morata and Toni Kroos among the first-team regulars not available for Real Madrid on Saturday, Ronaldo displayed that special winning quality that makes him the first name on the team sheet in the Spanish capital. Though Isco may have deserved Man of the Match honors for his inspired midfield play, Ronaldo secured all three goals.
He has a habit of doing that. It’s football, not rocket science, and Ronaldo knows how to find the back of the net with greater frequency than, arguably, any other human being that has ever lived. And yes, that includes Lionel Messi.
Unlike Messi, who has transitioned deeper into the midfield as he has grown older, Ronaldo has moved further forward with every passing year. It only makes sense that to get the most out of an aging attacker, the emphasis would be to put him in positions where he can apply that expensive final touch, rather than ask him to create chances. Also, Ronaldo’s superior height and heading ability make for a far more natural transition to out-and-out striker than Messi’s passing and vision make sense to move the Argentine deeper into midfield.
Also assisting Ronaldo’s transition is the emergence, arrival and settling of Gareth Bale with Los Blancos. In the past couple seasons, the Welshman has assumed a great deal of Ronaldo’s responsibility on the wings and in the midfield and, frankly, covered for his diminishing ability to run at opponents.
With Bale playing a prominent role a season ago, Real Madrid galloped to a Champions League title and gave Barcelona a proper scare for the league title. In the 2016 Champions League final, Benzema came off the pitch in the second half and Ronaldo proceeded to play as the line-leading forward for the remainder of the game.
As rumors of Bale’s ascendancy balkanizing the locker room grew, the chances of Ronaldo’s sale and move away from Madrid seemed imminent – until Ronaldo signed the monstrous new contract in November. Now, the idea that both superstars can coexist for the foreseeable future is more than an intangible idea; it is a plan with clear blueprints that have not only been drawn out but also tested and approved.

While his shirt may read No. 7 to continue his “CR7” marketing campaigns, Cristiano Ronaldo, for the next five years, will be Real Madrid’s No. 9.

Wednesday 19 October 2016

Football

People often ask me Why do you love this game so much ?
Well coz it's love is unconditional just like  dogs ...
She doesn't demand anything just like your mom...
You can hit her hard and take your frustration off just like your sister ...
It gives you pleasure just like your girlfriend (or boyfriend in some cases :p)...
It is fun just like your best friend...
It is easy and tough at the same time just like your dad ...
It is cheap just like our Talk...
Call it Football, call it Soccer, call it Fußball . It's all the same....
#ItIsNotJustAGameItsOurLife 
I Fall, I rise ,
I make mistakes , I live
I learn, I've been hurt
But
I'm Alive, I'm Human
I'm not perfect but
I'm thankful

Friday 16 September 2016

You certainly can replace the people but not their memories.

Tuesday 26 July 2016

A Love Story

She checked her mobile. It was 6 am. She was wide awake the whole night. She couldn’t sleep. Her alarm was set for 7 am. However, she got up and went to the kitchen. After preparing herself a cup of tea, she sat at her favorite spot near the balcony. When they shifted to the new house, it was her idea to use the flower bed and some space from the hall and convert it into a balcony. He had readily agreed. He never said “NO” to her. He always trusted her decisions and never questioned her. In fact, he was the one who always encouraged her to live her life on her own terms. He did not let anybody speak anything against her. Due to this there was sometimes friction between Amma and him. However, he always managed somehow.
” I hope he likes him”, blurted Aarti.
Today was the day, when two of the most important men of her life were going to meet for the first time. It was his idea to meet Rohit, for breakfast outside. That way, Amma will not be inquisitive. He always handled the situation well. Aarti wondered, how will she manage without him.
Aarti had met Rohit, when she was pursuing her CFA. She had joined a weekend class and he was there too. They started talking and dint realize when was the seed of love planted. She never felt this way before about anyone. It was magical, the way they show love in movies. They dated almost 3 years and she knew he was the one. Rohit had proposed her in the most romantic style. It was raining and he took her for a drive after class. In the middle of the highway, he stopped his car. He got out and Aarti followed. He showed her a signboard,” Will you marry me”??She turned and he was down on his knees. Aarti was overjoyed, she said “Yes”. They kissed passionately in the middle of the road.
On the way back, Aarti asked him,” What if I would have said NO?”.
Rohit replied,” My plan was if you said NO, I will tell you that unless you said “YES”, I won’t drive back”.
He then winked. Aarti started laughing. She realized, it was Rohit’s sense of humor that she adored. He did not take life very seriously. Always chirpy, always laughing. With him she too turned crazy.
The Alarm went off. Amma shouted,” Stop the alarm, Aarti!!”. She hurriedly went into her room and dismissed the alarm. Amma suspected something was fishy about Aarti’s behaviour. She was coming home late after classes, was always chatting on phone and was daydreaming most of the time. Ajay was away from home on office trips, most of the time. Whenever he was home, he was always busy in his work. He did not have time to notice the changes in Aarti. She asked Aarti directly once, but she as always never replied her. She warned Ajay too. But as usual, Ajay did not pay any heed to her. She had seen the world and she could see the change in Aarti. Why was Ajay, turning a blind-eye, she never understood. She emotionally blackmailed him and took a promise from him that he will find out about Aarti.
Ajay’s daily routine was to get up at 5 am in the morning. He would do yoga, go for morning walk, read the newspaper and then reply to some office emails. By 8 am sharp he would have his breakfast and then leave for office. On Sundays, he would himself cook the breakfast. However today, he was going out with Aarti to meet Rohit. Knowing Amma’s nature, he told her that he is taking Aarti out to talk about her changed behavior.
Once when Amma was away, Aarti herself had confessed about Rohit to him. He was shocked, he did not see this coming. When she was hesitating to talk, he thought maybe she has got a better opportunity at work and has to travel. However, she wanted to marry Rohit. He did not speak to her for few days. He was shattered. How could her Aarti do something like this. However, he resigned and thought,” If this makes her happy, so be it”. He apologized Aarti for her earlier stance and agreed to meet Rohit.
They both left at 8.15 from their house. They were supposed to meet Rohit at some café 45 mins drive away. Ajay wanted it to be like this, since Amma knew everyone around. If anybody sees them Amma will come to know. Aarti had warned Rohit to be on time, she knew how punctual he was. The meeting went well. She was sure he liked Rohit. Aarti had never seen him like this. He had let down his guards, chatting, laughing with Rohit. He hugged Rohit too when they were leaving. She herself was never successful in relaxing him. She was now one hundred percent sure about Rohit.
On way back, there was deafening silence. Aarti wanted to know his opinions. Ajay whispered,” He is very nice. You can marry him”.
Her heart skipped a beat. She was smiling and tears were rolling down her eyes. Deep down she knew, he will not be unfair to her. However, there was a constant fear, after all he was a man. And no man how much ever progressive will willingly accept his wife boyfriend.
On Amma’s constant pressure, Ajay had agreed to meet Aarti for marriage. Aarti did not want to marry, she wanted to study. However, her parents were adamant. Ajay was the fifth guy, Aarti was going to see this month. Like always, she will tell the guy that she likes someone else and she is planning to run away. But before Aarti could say anything Ajay said,” I don’t want to marry. Tell your parents, you did not like me”.
Aarti laughed and said,” I was going to say the same, Even I don’t want to marry. I want to study further, carve out a career for myself”.
Ajay listened in rapt attention as Aarti discussed her career plans. He was smiling, because a brilliant idea sprung up in his mind. He told her to marry him. He will make sure that her studies continue even after marriage. And marriage will be namesake, they won’t live as a married couple. In fact, if later either of them wanted to walk away, they will be free to do so. Aarti agreed too, but she had her doubts. She thought, if Ajay acts smart after marriage she will simply walk out. So they married.
Ajay kept his word. Aarti found a mentor and friend in Ajay. He helped her with studies and job. He even sponsored her courses at time. They had sex also at times, but it was mutual and need based. After all they were humans with needs. Everything was perfect, until she met Rohit. She always made her marital status known to everyone. This way she can avoid the unnecessary attention. Somehow, she never mentioned to Rohit initially. She told him only once she was sure of her feelings. With Rohit, she felt like the Aarti she was before marriage.
Ajay was a dream husband for a career oriented girl. But he lacked feelings. She revered him, respected him, adored him but did not love him. The marriage which she initially saw as a boon, now seemed like a curse. She had finally found love in Rohit. She told Rohit everything and to her amazement he still loved her. He was the one who insisted on meeting Ajay.
Ajay was happy to see Aarti happy. He wanted to hug her and tell her how much he loved her. But the time had gone. Life had given him 7 years with Aarti, yet he could never understand his feelings for her. When he did realize it was too late. He knew, the world will blame Aarti if they know or do not know the truth. If he hides the truth, they will call her a cheat. If he says the truth, they will call her a manipulator. They will blame her, that she used him. Either ways, the world will be once again unfair to a girl. But he knew better. He knew Aarti like no one did, not even her parents. He was happy that his views about Rohit mattered to Aarti. Rohit was a fine, funny guy. Someone Aarti always wanted. They will be happy together.
As for him, right now he had to handle Amma. He was not sure if he will ever love again. He had just realized that he loved someone and the feeling of being in love was great. It had taken him 32 years, one marriage and divorce to experience the feeling. He did not want to bother about the future like always and spoil today. They reached their home. Aarti came out of the car and hugged him and thanked him. He froze. He then felt a current through his body. He kissed her on the forehand, held her hand and opened the door. He was now ready to fight the world for her love.


–END–

Sunday 3 April 2016

The Lost World ?

It was only the third day of tuition. I had only seen her then, I didn’t know anything about her, not even her name!
That day the class ended about 10 minutes earlier. Her car hadn’t yet arrived to pick her up, and I used to go by bus. So I just took the opportunity to go up to her straight and I asked it: “Do you have any boyfriend?”
Obviously, she gave me a kind of why-suddenly-such-a-question look.
“No”, she replied.
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
“I don’t even know you”, was her reply.
“It doesn’t take much time to know each other”, I said, eagerly waiting for an assertive reply.
“Okay let a few days pass, then we’ll see”, was her smiling reply.
Like a fool, I just gave a thumbs up and walked off, that too in the opposite direction, only to run away from her, why I don’t know, but I wanted to get as far as possible from that awkward situation. Cursing myself for doing such an idiotic thing, I ran and ran and ran far away…
In the days that followed I came to know her name, she knew my name some days later, and we became good friends, or only friends rather. She never gave me her number, she was not on Facebook, so the tuition class was our only rendezvous for chatting. She was the study-first-then-others kind of girl, so we could not talk when sir talked, and when sir did not talk I tried to talk to her.
This was just the starting, where the boy dreams and the girl acts indifferently.
Then came the tough days of our lives, of my life rather, the Higher Secondary and Joint Entrance Examinations. I did rather badly in the Higher Secondary, but anyhow managed to get selected in one of the many engineering colleges of India. She had the opposite experience. She got 94% in her Higher Secondary (although she said she was not happy with the marks), but her entrance exams didn’t go that well.
Still she got herself admitted in a decent girls’ college in Kolkata. I had to stay away from home, and obviously from her, in Bengaluru. My life there took off grandly, I made few real and beautiful friends there, I, all of a sudden, grew brilliant in studies, and not to mention about my writing, yes, writing, I had a passion for writing from the very childhood. I started writing short stories, and they got published online as well, and the part that enthused me the most was the fact that I was being paid a quite good sum for publishing my stories, and moreover, whenever something special was needed to be written, be it online or offline, inside-college stuff or outside-college stuff, I was one of the many contacted, or to be precise, I was one of the few contacted.
But the scenario was quite different in her case, the scenario was quite the opposite rather. She grew bad – well, not really bad, but deteriorated – in her studies, she grew more suspicious in nature, i.e. she couldn’t trust anybody so easily, she grew more rude, she wasn’t the same soft-spoken and cute girl that I had known. Because of the combined effect of her trust problem and her rude behavior, she lost many friends, but couldn’t make new friends. She used to write very beautiful poems – no, I haven’t read any of them, but I’m pretty sure they are beautiful – but then, she was so disturbed that she stopped writing poems.
But I never lost contact of her. As soon as she came on Facebook, I became her friend, and we chatted, everyday. I gave her some time, the time to know me – well the process was tiring for me, but she was, and still is, in my opinion, beauty and virtue together, something rarely found nowadays. It took her three years to be able to trust me, that too partially, even this was a great achievement on my part, since I became one of her true friends, and the day she confessed that I was her close friend, I was over the moon!
Gradually I got her number, and then chatting was never ending. But I don’t know why, she could never like me more than a friend, and every time she said this, my heart would feel empty. My parents stopped talking normally with me after I flunked the IIT entrance examination. So, I was also kind of alone. But I never lost heart. I stayed with her and tried my best to cheer her up. She was of the opinion that she can’t love anybody because she was weird. Yes, I agree, she was really weird in some ways which I won’t be mentioning here, since she would feel awkward then!
I wrote stories, especially for her, to make her realize how beautiful and intelligent a person she is. My stories soon became a source of inspiration for her, and, I don’t know about others, but she waited eagerly for my next story to come. The way she praised me after each story, was really worth something, and also from a worthy person in my life.
Then came the campus interviews. I was one of the top students in the college, with my CGPA never less than 9.2. The interview went okay, the salary package was awesome, 75 thousand rupees a month for the first six months training in Kolkata, then if I succeed to get things right, my salary will increase manifold to 5 lakhs a month, with posting in the UK. All this will be granted in return for a ten hour job everyday, except Sundays, and total concentration on my work only. 5 lakhs a year – the engineer laughed in happiness, the writer bled to death.
And she, well the last I could know about her was that she was doing her MBA from some college in Kolkata. I don’t know how much me and my stories helped her, but she was a happy person again, writing poems, living happily with her parents and friends…and a boyfriend.
I started job and within five months only, I was called, and sent to London. My relationship with my parents remained unchanged, they didn’t even come to bid me farewell at the airport. Alone, I bid farewell to my hometown, where joy was rare for me.
In London, the engineer in me got the life he wanted, totally engrossed in his work, he earned the respect and trust of his colleagues, funny isn’t it? The writer in me couldn’t win the trust of the lady he loved in five years, but now, look how easily the engineer is being able to win everybody’s trust. I might have chosen the wrong avatar at that time, the engineer is the mighty one, the writer is just a depressed and sole soul. I was quite sure, that everything that mattered in this world was money and power. Love, trust, belief – all these are just mere emotional lagging, that one has to carry at one point in his life and dump at some other point in life.
I soon became the CEO of my company in a blink of seven years. I was both rich and powerful. All was okay, until yesterday.
It was in my routine, that everyday, after work, I would sit in the nearby park for some time, watching the young boys playing soccer there, I kind of tried to relive my childhood in the way I wanted it to be, but obviously couldn’t. That day, I was sitting in my usual place, with a glass hot chocolate in my hand, when a fairly known voice called from beside me, “Big man, eh?”
I looked up. A slightly bearded man, with two eyes shining brightly behind a pair of rimless spectacles. He was tall and slender, and his hair curly. Judging by his shoes, watch and the bag he carried, he wasn’t really rich, as me! His face was utterly similar to one of my old friends, long lost old friends. I stood up and shook his hand, “Hi”, I replied, still going through my list of friends whose faces I remember at the back of my head, “Sorry, but I cannot recognize you”, I gave up.
“Been here quite a long time, it seems, your accent totally British bro”, the smiling stranger said.
“Yeah”, I shrugged my shoulders, “Seven years at a stretch. Came here as just a project manager, I’m the CEO right now”, I advertised.
“Whatever, it’s a shame that you can’t still remember me”, he said in a taunting tone.
“Well, I’m very bad in these guessing games, you know”, I was then getting frustrated slowly.
“Okay, wait, do you remember…”, he told me her name, yes, she, whom I proposed twelve years back, after some damn tuition in an even more damned city, whom I cyber stalked for nearly five years, for whom I wrote stories, whom I…
“Looking startled brother?” the stranger continued, “Now I guess, you remember me.”
“Her boyfriend?” I made a guess.
“Was”, he replied, “Her fiance now.”
Now he shrugged his shoulders, and I, yes I, the CEO of my company, the rich me, the powerful me, the proud me, went blank for a moment, my mind went totally zero, everything around me got paused, got muted. I felt a sharp pinch in my heart. Still, seven years in the corporate world did teach me how to recover myself from unwanted situations. I forced a smile, and an even more forceful “Congratulations” was thrust up my throat.
He blushed.
“So what are you doing here?” I asked.
“Oh, my book has been in the top three of the best seller list here for the last three months, so they called me here to felicitate me, and she and I have decided to settle down here only after getting married.”
We sat down after that. We conversed for a long time, but surprisingly I can’t recollect what he said, or what I answered, all that I could remember, was a face, the cute face of a 18 year old girl, fair, oval, deep dark eyes, a wide forehead, her hair playing all over her face in the wind. I could even smell her perfume!
All I could remember, after straining my mind was of him telling me “Listen, tomorrow is her birthday, and I want to give her a surprise, you know a surprise that will really surprise her, and what could be a greater surprise than putting you up in front of her. I am sure she’s going to faint on seeing you, after all, you were her truest friend when you needed her the most.”
I came back home and wondered. Yes, I was there when she needed me the most, but was she there when I needed her the most? I felt sad, after a long long time, or to be even more precise, I felt how it felt to be sad. But I lifted myself up, I should be proud of myself, how I became successful, totally on my own accord, with no body by my side. Yet, after all these tries to lift my spirits up, I felt kind of defeated, of what, or by what, I had no idea, but surely I felt defeated.
That night I called my mom after a long gap, our relationship was just limited to my sending a handsome amount to my parents at the start of every month, but at that time, I wanted something more, I wanted to talk, informally.
The phone just rang away.
I didn’t go to office today. I woke up late, or rather I woke up early, as always, but I stayed late on bed. I never do that. But today I lied on bed till noon. I felt happy. After all, I would be meeting her today after so many days. I kept on thinking about what I would say to her, what to wear, what to do, how to establish myself in front of her, what to gift her, what to say and what not to, but honestly, the excitement of meeting her again was so strong that I could not even put my mind together to think.
I got my best suit, worth 700 pounds, bought an expensive gift, a showpiece, bought the best champagne available in London, I took my Porsche along, I decided to keep the keys in the front table of her house, so that she could realize my position now, so that she would feel guilty of choosing the wrong person as her life partner.
I reached their place at around 6 in the evening, driving a Porsche. Well, I must say, the place where they live, one can hardly call it an upper class area, it was all so shabby and cold, the roads were narrow, and the way the people dressed there, it was surely a very middle class region.
I kept my car in such a position so that she can see and admire it. I knocked on the door. She opened it. She couldn’t recognize me first, but I did.
“………………”
This was my reaction on seeing her. I should mention here I fought really hard to hold back my tears. She went on a shock as well, she stood spellbound at the door with her hands capped on her mouth. She jumped on me and hugged me. I remembered how it feels to be hugged. I held her in my arms, for those few seconds I wasn’t a dweller of this planet, I was somewhere else, somewhere far away from all these din and tension and pollution, I went to somewhere pure. Humorously I recollect, I always wanted to hug her in childhood.
It was a small apartment, enough for two young lovers though.
“I told you, I have a surprise for you”, her fiance chuckled.
“Oh, I love you so much”, she said and collapsed in his arms. A rusted knife pierced my heart.
“We are getting married”, she said, smiling from his arms.
“Yeah, I know”, I said, fighting my tears back, “He told me.”
I sat on the only sofa in the room, they took chairs, but they sat side by side.
“Honestly, do you wear formals everywhere?” she asked me.
“Oh no” I tried to laugh, “I had office.”
“Office, office everyday. How do you manage it?” he asked me.
There were a lot of reasons, the most important being that I get paid there. But I don’t know why I couldn’t say anything in front of them. I just smiled back.
I remembered about my car keys, how I have practiced to keep them in front of them. I put my hand in my coat, felt the cold touch of the keys, but couldn’t take them out.
“You should take off your coat. It’s really warm here.”
I opened the coat and loosened my tie.
“Is that for me?” she asked looking at the wrapped box in my hand.
“Oh yeah”, I said, “I almost forgot about it.”
I gave it to her, she opened it. “Oh it’s so nice of you!” I smiled. “But where is my chocolate?” she asked, as she got up and placed it on the shelf, along with some other showpieces.
“Chocolate?” I asked, confused, noticing how odd my six thousand pound miniature statue of the Haghia Sofia looked beside the other cheap objects around.
“Yeah, how can you forget? Remember, you used to give me chocolates on my birthday, in childhood.”
“Oh I am sorry, I was too busy actually”, I lied, “Wait I’ll order some for you right away.”
“No need for that, he has already got loads of them for me”, she said smiling towards her fiancee. “Have you given him a book yet?”
“Ah, sorry, wait”, he went inside and came back within seconds with a rectangular packet in his hand. I opened it:
The Black and Red World
It had the picture of an eye, just an eye, on the front page.
“It’s really nice”, I said, “At least the front is quite appealing.”
“You’ll love reading it”, she said, as he blushed beside her, “This story of his made me realize how lucky I am, he literally helped me to come out of all my depressions and worries.”
“SO MY STORIES DIDN’T, RIGHT?” I screamed inside my broken self, but outside I disguised my emotions with a cool composure adorning a smiling face.
“What’s it about”, I asked him.
“It’s about a boy, Shehzad, who lost his eyes and his parents in an accident, but still goes on to live his dream, of traveling around the world, and meeting different people, and experiencing the different adventures of life. It basically revolves around his childlike innocence and indomitable spirit.
“And guess who suggested the title, my dear fiancee” he said as they kissed each other. The knife was twisting itself in my heart then.
“Well, not actually”, she said, “I just modified it a bit. He thought of the titling it The Unseen World. But then I thought of adding some colors to it, and black and red, those are the only two colors which you can actually see if you are blind.”
“You are still the same”, I said out of nowhere, “Remember how you used to help me title my stories in our college days.”
“I am much more intelligent and mature than both of you taken together”, she chuckled. “By the way, how are you doing?” she asked me.
My eyes went all wet in a flash, it had been ages since anyone asked me how I was doing.
“All very fine and good”, I tried to be normal, “Quite good actually, I am the CEO right now of my company, got a new apartment, very spacious, 4.1 million euros, got a new car”, I pointed to my Porsche outside, “Life’s been smiling at me”, I laughed.
“Oh ho!” she sounded dissatisfied, “Not these, you idiot, I am asking about your dreams, remember? Writer, globe-trotter and having a loving and beautiful girlfriend or wife?”
“Yes”, I didn’t know what to say, “I’ve been working on those, never left them aside.” Now, this was the biggest lie of my life, I had totally forgotten about them.
She gave me a you-can’t-lie-to-me look, and said “See, you’ve been here for the last five years…”
“Seven”, I interrupted her.
“Yeah, seven, whatever, and you’re rich so obviously you have been around Europe at least by now, why don’t you write about Europe then? I can even suggest you a title, Europe through an Indian eye. How’s it?”
“Oh please stop including this eye thing everywhere”, her fiance said.
“Shut up!” she stopped him, “In fact I have a better idea”, she turned to me, “You can have a total volume of books, books about the places you visited, and name it The World through an Indian Eye.”
“No, I think he should name it Saare Jahaan Hi Achha, you know, diverting from Saare Jahaan Se Achha.” her fiance suggested.
“No, it sounds very cliche”, she argued.
They went on suggesting names for my book, and updating them! I just sat there quietly, it made no damn sense at all, they were just wasting their time. All these days that I’ve stayed here, I’ve been to New York twice, and once to each of Washington DC and Singapore, but all for job purpose. It was all a very serious thing for them, and a comedy for me!
“And what about your short stories? You used to write short stories, right? Or you used to say, I write diaries”, she said imitating me.
“Diaries?” her fiance asked.
“Yes”, she said, smiling at me, I forced a smile back, “You see, he has this unique talent, of getting into someone else’ life, like, kind of, transforming himself into that person, and write about the feelings of that person, a few pages, or sometimes just a single page of that person’s diary. And believe me, he expresses feelings so well, I can’t tell you, you won’t know until you read it yourself. He is a very good writer.”
“I CAN’T WRITE ANYMORE”, my heart shouted out, and all I showed was just a shy smile.
“Won’t you show him your favorite birthday gift?” he told her.
“Oh, yes, I almost forgot”, she said, picking up a file from the table, “See this. He gave to me yesterday midnight.”
What? I thought, a file for a birthday gift? I suppressed my laughter, what can be inside it? A story? This man is obsessed, surely, I thought and laughed, while outside I wore a serious look.
I opened it. Yes, it was a story with the title The Girl Who Doubted.
“Another story”, I laughed.
“Yes, guess on whom?” she said, she was laughing too.
“On a particular girl, who doubts very much”, I laughed again.
“And do you know any such a girl?” she asked.
“Well, let me think”, most of my childhood friends were erased from my memory, the few that remained weren’t that doubting, and my colleagues, no, not at all, they are all quite cool, then who, I searched, straining my brain hard, my frowning eyes fell on her, sitting right in front of me, the girl who doubted, or rather, the girl who couldn’t trust, the girl who took three years to trust me, to accept me as one of her good friends. Slowly, my frowning face took a turn towards being an astonished face. She started smiling, this smile was much much more as compared to that smile, which she showed when she saw my gift, this smile was a lot more dear, a lot more cherished, this was from the inner self, this was a smile of satisfaction, a smile of love.
For a moment, I felt extremely happy for her. I smiled too, and returned her the file. She kept it back on the shelf, beside my miniature Haghia Sofia. Now, it looked really odd beside the loved and cherished things around it.
“Won’t you read it? You’ll find some of your childhood memories in here” her fiance said.
“Sure, I will”, I replied as I got up, “But I don’t want to interfere in something which is entirely yours, and yours”, I said looking at her.
“Are you leaving?” she asked me.
“Yes”, I said as I walked towards the dining table, where my champagne was kept. I took it and went to the door.
“What happened? Is anything wrong? Did I say anything?” her fiance looked worried, so did she.
“No, actually, I also never liked this champagne very much. I brought it, only to…”, I didn’t know, but I had started to cry, I wasn’t used to this, crying, all my efforts to act normal went in vain.
“Only to what?” she asked, there was that same old care and affection in her voice. I wasn’t used to this too, care and affection, no one has spoken to me with those two special feelings for ages. It got out of my control, I started literally started crying, she came and held me in her arms, I longed for this moment, from that very tuition day, it all went like a flash in front of me…
“Do you have any boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
“I don’t even know you.”
“It doesn’t take much time to know each other.”
“Okay let a few days pass, then we’ll see.”
“Those few days have passed”, I told her in a choking voice, “But perhaps I don’t know myself as yet”, saying this, I ran, ran away from her, like I did that day, nothing changed, I wanted to run from her, from that awkward situation, run as far as possible, I ran, don’t know which way, my coat stayed along with my car keys at their place, my car stayed parked in front of them, I just ran…
I returned home late at night, I was all white due to the cold outside, I drank that disgusting champagne full. My wide spacious apartment looked so small and meager. I sat on my soft and cozy sofa, yet it didn’t do any good to comfort me.
I still felt defeated, no, not by her fiance, but by my own damn self, I have defeated myself, in the hunt for happiness, I had killed the things that could really give me the true happiness of life. Today as I saw her fiance as an established writer, with the love of his life, who also loved him back with full loyalty, and their chances of traveling around the world, I didn’t feel jealous, but I felt broken, blue, as at one point in life, I wished to be at that very position. Those days, which I considered to be the bad days of my life, were in true sense, the good days, and the way I am living nowadays, in the midst of only money and power, with no one to talk to, entirely alone, these are the bad. All these money and power and big empty houses and cars are just opium in my life.
I went to my balcony, the entire city glistening in the blackness of the night pounced on me. I realized I have become just another burden on this already populated and jammed world. But I know, I am not this. I am someone else, but obviously not the person I am right now. I have done a great mistake with myself, in order to attain praise and respect, I have put myself in a difficult knot. But in order to attain these fake praises and respects I have somewhere, in life, dumped my own talent, my own very self is lost in this crowd. I had become another Shehzad, like in her fiance’s book, only without that indomitable spirit. Mine is a black and white life only, devoid of any color.
All I wish is now to step forward and open myself up, speak out whatever is there in my heart.
I will live the life I want to. I will choose my own way of living, like I once wanted, full of adventure, my boulevard of life is not straight, it is curved, but it is mine, it is how I choose to make it. I will walk these roads till the end, there are no knots here, there is only freedom. Yes, I am someone else, I am not what I am right now, I have no limit, my imaginations are free, I am my own fun, I am my own sunshine. I am the one I choose to be.
I have lost many things so far in my life, I have lost my writing skills, I have lost my love, but now, I don’t have anything left to lose, I am a person with no care in the world, I can be fearless actually, I am fearless, in fact, and being fearless is the best way to be free.
My vice-president’s text broke my trance. It was a reminder about the presentation that I had to put up in office today, and he also added that, if this presentation went right the company would be gaining a huge sum, so will I, and he has full faith in me that I am going to pull it off superbly.
I opened my laptop, and sat to prepare the presentation. No sleep, excessive pressure, a whole bottle of a most disgusting champagne and all that went over me yesterday, made my head heavy. I stared at the screen for some time, then, almost automatically, a blank Word page opened in front of me. I sat, staring at the blank white screen, thinking of something to write. As usual I couldn’t think of any nice title. So, after thinking a lot, for nearly the past two hours, a mind blowing title popped up in my head. I typed it down in bold:
RESIGNATION LETTER


END