airport lounge

It was a late winter night in January. I was heading to Boston for work from home after a 10 day break in India. It was a much needed break after a grueling year.

I reached Delhi from Jaipur at around 8p. With lots of time in hand, I decided to finish my audio book, which I downloaded when I was in Boston. John Grisham has become my latest favorite author. I was reading or listening to The Firm, a very gripping Attorney Client relationship Fiction.

The airport was bustling with high energy vendors outside the main gate, inside, it was jam packed due to all international flights flying in the wee hours to reach at a decent time to their respective destination. 

As soon as I reached the airport, after clearing the custom formalities I went straight to the American Express Lounge, in partnership with Delta Airlines, you get a hot cooked meal and free WiFi. I took off my blue casual jacket, rolled up the sleeves of my checked shirt and started eating mom's packed dinner, two roles of Chapati with potato vegetable stuffed in and wrapped with a napkin. No extra napkins to waste. No water, as she knew have to throw away at customs. 

As I sat on the plush modern black leather sofa, I noticed this girl who noticed me in the corner of her eyes. She wore a white long cotton Kurta with a stone washed jeans and a pink stole to go with it. Her hair falling on the shoulders and pretending to read the latest American Girl magazine. Her sharp jawline and a fair complexion, was making her more wanting.

We exchanged glances, I tried to give her a tight lipped American smile, she ignored. I got the message, she is not interested.

I frowned to myself and kicked off my green puma shoes, seated cross leg I took out my cherished Sennheiser Urbanite from my backpack. Started the Audible app from Amazon to listen to the audio book.

The story was so engrossing, how the next 2 hours went by unnoticed, nobody knows. I looked across in search of the girl, she was still sitting, her hair tied up in a pony tail and she was now wearing a Black colored Juicy Couture Activewear with the golden colored zip of the jacket, which is perfectly covering every curve of her petite body. She was holding the boarding pass. My passing eyes on her boarding pass read Boston. Yessss.

I don't remember when did I pray so hard, I was praying to get a seat next to her.

I was lost in my prayers, a sudden midair announcement broke my concentration. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Boston Logan International Airport. The local time is 7:30am and the temperature is 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

On behalf of Emirates Airlines Flight #239, nonstop service from Dubai to Boston and the entire crew, I’d like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future. Have a nice day!”

she wanted to say

It was 4 am. I nudged Ankur. Hey, wake up, I don’t feel like sleeping.

Ankur, a sound sleeper, was sleeping from last 6 hours and if time permits, he could sleep for 6 more. He was tired after full day of work at his new office.
I spent the whole night tossing and twirling, but I just couldn't stop smiling and thinking about what happened today in the break room at work with me. She was taking a break after exhaustive three hour meeting with the senior managers to come up with a new architecture of the new store they were planning to open up in the downtown.
I know Naira from grad school. Always the topper and a go-getter. Never settles for less. For almost 3 years, we are best buddies. But I just couldn't take it to the next level, I was afraid, that I might put a ding to our relationship. So, it was usual to spend some time in the break room or after office.

Today was nothing unusual. She stepped out of the conference room, walked towards my office, knocked the door thrice of my office, without even looking at the door, I stood up and started walking towards the break room. The three knocks were like a code language.

We picked up the company logo marked cup from the shelf and poured the coffee from the big mug from the brewing machine. The aroma of the coffee suggested that it was not brewed long ago. We adjusted the chair of the farthest table from entrance and sat.

Her face was all serious, as if she was about to tell me something really important. She held my hand, looked directly into my eyes, my eyes met hers and I stopped speaking about the new presentation I was working on. She opened her mouth to say something and I sensed what she wanted to say, suddenly Raghu shouted from the door and called her saying they all liked her idea and wants to go ahead with that.

when I saw you

I was walking towards the bank, when I saw you. You looked same and I was thinking in my mind that you haven't changed a bit. You look the same, as you used to 10 years ago. I was thinking what you would think about me. 
Hey, you are the same guy, who was in my class, and used to sit in the last bench, always looking at me. 
I thought, wow, you remember all that and I was scraping the sand underneath my shoes hearing that and smiling mildly thinking, you still remember all those things. 
I immediately replied, you also didn't change that much. The love of pink color, hasn't lost yet. You looked at the cover of your mobile phone and smiled.
We found a corner coffee house and sat there for hours, chatting and talking about each others lives. Catching up on the lost time.
Right then my phone started ringing, trin trin. It was alarm on my phone. Alarm was set at 6am. I thought how come the 6am alarm set off at 6pm. I looked hard at the railway station style wall clock in the cafe and realized, its time to hit the gym.

क्या पुनर्जन्म है?

क्या पुनर्जन्म है। .? अभी मै  किसी लेखक का यह लेख पढ़ रहा था की यदि पुनर्जन्म का वैज्ञानिक आधार मिल जाये तो ईश्वर होने का विश्वास हो जाये।

उस लेखक के अनुसार पुनर्जन्म का कोई वैज्ञानिक आधार नहीं है।

यह सच है की विज्ञानं पुनर्जन्म को नहीं मानता। लेकिन इसका यह मतलब यह नहीं है पुअनर्जन्म है ही नहीं। यदि ऐसा होता तो हमारे वेद और पुराण उसका ज़िक्र क्यों करते , और भगवन श्री कृष्ण गीता में क्यों आत्मा की अमरता का वर्णन करते।

हमारे धर्मग्रन्थ कोई कारोबार नहीं करते है उनका तो हमपे अहसान है की वोह हमें जीने का रास्ता दिखाते है। हमारे धर्मग्रन्थ ना हो तो इस कलयुग में हमारा जीना ही मुश्किल हो जाए।

जीवन का क्या प्रयोजन है यह हम अपने फलसफे से नहीं जान सकते, इसके लिए हमें थोड़ा परिश्रम करना होगा और अपने धर्मग्रंथो का अध्ययन' और उनपर विश्वास करना होगा।

मनुष्य इतना कमजोर क्यों हो जाता है की जरा सा हवा का झोंका आया तो वोह ईश्वर धर्म और पुनर्जन्म पर ही सवाल उठा देता है। .? अरे ज़रा बगल वाले का दुःख और उसके बावजूद उसके ईश्वर और ईश्वर के नियमो पर विश्वास तो देखो।   जीवन में दुःख सुख मृत्यु और जन्मइन सबका एक कारण है और इसका जवाब हमारे धर्मग्रंथो में है।

मनुष्य और जानवर में निद्रा भय मैथुन आहार समान  है फर्क है कि मनुष्य में सोचने की शक्ति है और जानवर में नहीं। क्योकि हम इंसान है इसलिए हमें सोचना होगा और ईश्वर के दिखाए गए नियमो पर चलना और विश्वास करना होगा।

कई मनुष्यो को सुख का आभास दुसरो के सुख से मिलता है और जीने की चाह किसी अच्छे मकसद के लिए जीने के लिए होती है। अपने चारो तरफ देखिये आपको हज़ारो ऐसे मनुष्य मिलेंगे।  अरे अपने लिए जिया तो क्या जिया। मनुष्य हर काम व्यवसाय के लिए नहीं करता है , हरकाम साबुन या टूथपेस्ट बेचने के लिए नहीं करता है। और हर सुख सेक्स और पैसे से संचालित नहीं होता। और ईश्वर पर विश्वास भय से संचालित नहीं होता बल्कि जो बुद्धि हमें ईश्वर ने दी है उससे संचालित होता है। है ना .?

end of an era

It was mid of the day, I had my class 7th results in my hand and I was crying - bauji, I am sorry, I will not do it again, I will study harder, as I escape the beating from his walking stick, which I gave it to him.

Bauji to the world, for me a godfather. He is my paternal grandfather. A father of my family, my mom, and my sisters. Soon after my dad was gone, he came over to our house, took a decision and we moved from an independent house to a multi-family house with bauji. When everybody left our hands, he held them tighter.

Mom was super irritated with the fact that now we are in the smaller house, but she was not understanding the fact that we are not paying the rent anymore, he is already started saving us on monthly basis.

I was 10 years old and haven't even tasted the full benefits of having a father. He was standing there as a pillar.

All he wanted for all four of us was to study hard and get settled and stand on our feet, independently.

His first preference was always mom and will be mom - always always always.

As he fondly calls us engineer aka maharana sanga, chief architect, doc sahib, and teacherji, respectively. Those were the dream roles he already had in his mind.

He got my mom into a teacher's training school. Arranged the scholarship for the tuition fees for our respective professional schools. Managed loans where scholarship was too low or unavailable.

He is not a godfather, he is God send. He is much more than that. I have lived with him more than anybody of my cousins.

He slowly got the assets to build up for my mom, like a smart financial planner setting up a plan for life, not just for a few years but for the rest of her life. He is a genius.

All of us are indebted to him for life. If it was not him, then we would have been somewhere on the streets of Ajmer, begging, fighting for 2 meals a day. He is the angel in our lives.

The most hard-working man I would ever see.

The best recycling man knew how to use the envelope almost three times, before discarding it. His use of Leyi (old native gum).

He taught all of us including mom to go to the bank and do the basics of banking. He taught us to fight. He taught us how to manage the least of the resources. Great Manager.

Those totaling of marks in the answer books in short summer nights. Those long walks to nearby Sabji Mandi on a cycle with him, negotiating with the vendors for 2 counts of green chili and a bunch of cilantro. Negotiator.

His evening walk to Hanuman temple at Madar gate on Tuesdays, and his carrying of fruits from there. Regular exercise.

He ran around to various shops for a copy of bio-data just to save a few paise and get a cleaner copy, consistently. Perfectionist.

End of the day, all he needs is a green chutney and half a piece of lemon in his food. With various vegetables spread on his steel thali with sections. ending with rasgulla.

I remember how he use to carry those small bottles of water with him all the time, as the doctor has asked him to limit the intake of water. His strict routine. Come whatsoever, his daily schedule will not change.

Those meetings for everything, as small as buying stocks in the stock market to as big as marriage decisions.

Bauji, you are un-replaceable. You will leave a big void in our lives.

We will never remember you because we will never be able to forget you.