Maitrimoney

‘Is this your first time Shambhunath Das?’Jagan asked raising his bifocals.

‘Yes’

‘Hmm, and you want a first timer?’

‘oh of course’

‘Ok good here are the photos take a pick’

’This one’

‘Hmm good choice - she is Maitri, brand new, just registered’

‘ok - what else do you want?’

‘Errm fair skin,well endowed,convent educated,knows computers..’

‘Maitri fits the bill,you sure you have the money,will you be able to provide for her?’

‘Yes I do,all my savings are in place and I will take care of her’

‘Please deposit Rs.50,000’ Jagan said readjusting his bifocals.

Six months later Jagan Sahay closed his matrimonial shop and eloped with Maitri Das.

Gyanban Thoughts - Sometimes when I read the matrimonial columns in the Sunday times I am appalled by the commoditising of a sensitive bond such as marriage.With such materialization comes crime.Frauds and cheats take advantage of ignorant people.This story comes with a twist in the end and clues lies in between conversations. The title of the story is quite apt, and I enjoyed writing this piece.

Return Gift

Brian Paul called and said‘Happy birthday bro’
‘Who’s this?’ asked a startled Aaron Barnes.

It was six years since the two school friends had last spoken. But their acquaintance withstood the test of time.They had been to school together for many years, but then came that fateful day when both of them failed to get pass the higher secondary exams.

Fate took them to different parts of the world and more importantly in to different paths.

Life changed their fates from that point on.Aaron went on to become a top executive in a large multi national company and Brian struggled to make two ends meet in a shipping yard doing MIS reports.

Corporate life made Aaron a sharp thinker,a shrewd calculator and a strong personality.Hard life and struggle made Brian a carefree, ego less, hassle free guy.Over time their vocabularies had changed accordingly.While time saved mattered to one,time spent mattered to the other.

In spite of their different paths, fates, and demeanor's they managed to keep the connection over the years. Brian would call mostly and Aaron would usually be busy and would return the call at a later time.Brian never minded that and Aaron liked that he could be free with his childhood buddy.There was no pressure to be politically correct with him.

However,in the last few  years there was no call from Brian and Aaron had never noticed it either until today, when Brian called to wish him for his birthday.

‘Thanks buddy long time no see no hear,how goes?’asked Aaron Barnes.

‘Goes well mate,no job,no salary and a family of 5 to run,can’t complain’he chuckled.

‘Oh sorry to hear that’ said Aaron.

His corporate mind took over, anticipating Brian’s next move.He decided to preempt it and address the elephant in the room.

‘Oh so you must be in need of money’ he said.

‘Oh totally – I do’ said Brian.

Aaron silently felt good about his analytical abilities but decided not to show it.

‘Send me your bank account’

‘Ah –that won’t be necessary buddy’ said Brian.

‘What? I mean , I don’t understand’ said Aaron.

Aaron raised his eyebrows in surprise and couldn’t muster up a further response.

Brian continued ‘I mean yes I do need to earn more money, but I am ok, working on some projects,some stock market play and it should work out soon  so I should be good, besides my wife runs a small boutique in the neighborhood, so she chips in for the daughters school fees, so we re still floating.’

‘Send me your bank account’ Aaron stressed.

‘Aaron – chill. If I take money from you, it will become excess and then I will get used to it and who knows I won’t be able to repay you back – so won’t take it from you, at least not just as yet.You see,If you give me fish to eat I will get used to it ,I need to learn to fish’ Brian concluded.

‘Ok as you wish – I respect your views – call me if you need anything’ said Aaron.

Brian smiled and said‘Sure I will – but today I just called to wish you a happy birthday’.

‘Thanks buddy – appreciate it’said Aaron and they hung up.

Aaron immediately called Vanessa,Brian’s wife and managed to get hold of the bank account number and IFSC code for a bank transfer. He transferred money into Brian’s account right after that.Aaron felt good after a long time. It was something he had done for a friend without any expectations.

When Brian got to see his bank account a few days later,he realised what Aaron had done.He decided to call him back and return the money.

‘Hello can I speak to Aaron Barnes please?’

‘I’m sorry who is this?’asked the receptionist.

‘Ah I’m his friend Brian Paul’

‘O Mr. Paul I am afraid Mr.Aaron Barnes is no longer with the company’.

‘What? But I spoke with him last week?’

‘The call must’ve gone to his personal mobile sir – we usually allow a small grace period for the mobile service to remain open till all his accounts and contacts are aware and or his papers are closed as the case may be’ she said.

‘Oh this is terrible – how long back did he move out?’

‘Sir,Its been about two months,it was rather unfortunate that his department shut down and he had to move on’ she whispered.

Brian could barely speak‘Oh’ he said lowering his voice.

‘Would you like to pass on a message in case he calls? asked the receptionist.

‘Y-yes just let him know I wanted to return the return gift he gave me on his birthday’.

Gyanban Thoughts : Often friendships develop over time, through unspoken words,uncommon circumstances,and different paths.Sometimes we get too caught up with what we know about people,until someone comes along and makes us revisit our belief system.This short story is dedicated to all best friends out there.

Opposites Attract

It was the same table they met and fell in love.

Susan and Jim sat quietly on that table. Two wine glasses one full,the other, half filled. Jim tried to renew his romance after 26 years of marriage realising how much he’d ignored her.

It was in the opposite table, Susan had her heart stolen.

Gyanban Thoughts: In pursuit of passion sometimes we forget what we have all the while,only to realise when it is too late.

Irony

Jogi shouted from the cliff – ‘see you bastard, I am alive’.

The path to freedom lay in front, he was about to be a free man now.

Serving a life term on a remote island was a curse in itself. But Jailer Romero made it a life worth giving up. On the first day of a prison term Jailer Romero would greet the new comer with a warm hug,clean him, inspect every crevice on his body,then dress him up and finally walk him to his cell and utter those famous lines- ‘You die only once,but I can make it happen every day’.

Jogi never fell in line.Obedience was the missing chromosome in his body.He tried escaping 22 time in the last 14 years.Solitary confinement,ice blocks confinement,food deprivation,the mummy trap and split eagle – these were Jailer Romero’s torture techniques or work of art,as he’d like to call it.

That day, Jogi came out of yet another solitary confinement. He was given water,some food,and a bath.He slipped in the bathroom and injured himself.He lay there motionless,not enough energy to scream,not enough resolve to pick himself up.The attendant promptly forced open the door and alerted Jailer Romero.

Jailer Romero remarked‘Slippery when wet, eh?’ 
Jogi looked up feebly and smiled ‘its easy to enter or exit when its wet’
Jailer Romero landed the baton on his shin and said ‘well we need to make the surface rough in that case’.

Jogi had to be taken to the hospital to repair the shin bone and ruptured veins. Not the one to sit still,he created a ruckus in the helicopter.It crashed  and with it, his hopes of escaping the island.

But he picked himself up yet again.

Jogi shouted seeing Romero running towards him ‘See you bastard,I am still alive.’ And then he jumped into the blue ocean below.

Jailer Romero stopped running,he paused to catch his breath and then smiled.He thought about the long iron spikes he’d nailed into the surface of the mountain.Each bent skywards to catch the prey.

Convicted rapist Jogi lay blood-splattered, spread eagle on the iron spikes, much like Kimberly Romero,whom he pushed from a construction site 14 years ago, and Jailer Romero laughed looking down from the cliff and said ‘rest in pieces - ironic isn't it?'

Gyanban Thoughts - inspired by Papillion or Shawshank , such great works of art. This is more of an ode to those masterpieces.

Unwrong the world !

Global warming , nuclear threat,

Who cares ,my needs should be met.
Pollution and the greenhouse effect,
What is that? Oh nothing to fret.

Sandy Storm or the fiscal cliff
Why are the Gods so miffed?
Mindless violence and sorrows deafen

Guns on arms swollen.

Dicey healthcare and dystopia

Financial crisis and hysteria.
Gang rape of life in media.

Sign of peace, an utopia.

Happy and Gay still in dismay

Black and white still fight,

Erupting fury in disarray.
Money might in poor light.

Terrorists and alarmists
Selective reading of the texts.
Water is in short supply
Yet tempers boiling nearby.

Dogged man and the human chain
Tested faith and  unforgiving pain

Pinned hopes to miracles in vain
Waited for a dawn which never came.

Where are we headed,what do we gain?
Crossroads ahead for the DNA strain.
Yet another moment goes by,
Wonder if God fell out of the sky?





Gyanban Thoughts: Where do we begin fixing things? What else will it take? What are we doing to change ourselves?

Taint

She looked out of her 30^th floor window and took a deep breath.

The dawn was quite cloudy; she turned to look at her customer lying in a pool of blood.

‘I thought 20 years was enough to forgive him’.

‘But I guess not’.

30-year-old Kamala, finally managed to kill her first provider and perpetrator.








Gyanban Thoughts -  writing a 55 word fiction is quite a challenging task in itself,but what makes it more difficult is to capture emotions and pain with minimal usage of words. In this fiction, Kamala is a prostitute and comes across the man who forced  her into this predicament when she was just 10 years old.The use of the words "first provider" could also mean a family member,among other hidden meanings,but I leave it to the readers imagination. The title Taint has multiple layers and is applicable to the story literally and figuratively.

Countdown

5 years in solitary confinement.

4 years in a padded cell.

3 years in rigourous imprisonment.

2 years in a regular prison

1 year in judicial custody.

Day 0 – parole turned down.

Countdowns are however always the same for both the lives.

Some guilty lives are forever innocent and some innocent lives are forever guilty.







Gyanban Thoughts -  this 55 fiction tries to capture the ironies of freedom.Classics like Papillion and Shawshank Redemption are some examples of how freedom serves as the sole motivation to sustain the rigours of prison. Beyond a point whether one is guilty or innocent does not matter - what matters is when will the parole come their way? History is replete with instances where innocent lives have been lost along side the guilty ones, to the shackles of time.


. image courtesy : here

Bearer

They came in a hurry

With their minds blurry

They raged and cried

Some tears dried.

They came happy sad or frayed,

Romantic or hearbroken everyday,

Thoughts screaming out loud,

Some down but not out.

I travelled with their lives

Everyday noons or nights,

They told me their stories,

Some ambitions,wishesh or glories.

I smiled and help them move on

Crossed the crossings forlorn,

Cushioned them on the bends

Some twists and some turns.

Today I stand alone as a former,

Quietly ensconced in a dark corner

Waiting for the grinder

A gruelling end,and a gentle reminder

Life is just like a passenger…

Gyanban Thoughts – this poem is written from the point of view of a Taxi.The title Bearer is aptly fit the sentiment of the poem.So many stories unfold in his daily life, so many travellers join him in the brief journey,yet no one ever told his story.No one ever cared what happened to him? Where was the time or need ? They were there everytime we needed them,we travelled and reached our destinations time and gain.But did you stop and care of what happened to them ? Or did you rationalise it out of your lives ? Quite similar to our lives isnt't it? How we forget those people who took us to our destinations...

Life is just like a passenger,always  looking forward to the next destination but seldom realising how important the journey was...

Almost Famous

Visible to the world for exactly two minutes and thirty seconds. She would slip back to anonymity for the next 12 hours or so.She had just completed her segment on the weather updates. The same thing she had done for the last five years with the popular news channel DNTV 24/7. Her life revolved around rains in Mumbai to the sunshine in Nevada.

Nobody ever saw her hanging out with friends or ever heard of her family. She just came did her job and went back. Damini Mathur, 31,dressed in a grey suit with a black turtleneck top, and sharp pointed black shoes, looked every bit a news anchor material- a job which she pinned for but never made the cut. Ever since she first saw Salma Sultan on Doordarshan news – she had wanted to be a newsreader, be famous one day just like her.

That night she headed back from the studios in her modest metallic black Maruti Alto. It started to drizzle heavily and then quickly intensified into heavy rain. The roads were dark, empty and with a near zero visibility she drove on gingerly. The FM music switched on in the background kept her calm. The drive from office in Okhla Industrial Estate to her residence wasn’t all that far or difficult. However, soon the rain intensified and lashed the windshield furiously making it difficult to drive.

She was about 5 kilometers away from her home when the visibility levels became zero. The rain had blinded the windshield of the car. She stopped the car. Suddenly the FM switched off. She tried tuning into other stations but the antenna caught on to nothing.

There was an eerie duality in the scene – silence and noise coexisted in the form of rain and fear. The headlights were on, but they could only see water and darkness ahead – an abridged hope. 

The wheels could only feel the chilling water and the dying heat of the engine. The cold outside the door and heater inside the car fought a constant battle. The calmness in her, and the calamity outside, struggled to break –in to each other’s defenses.

Just as this battle was raging on, there was a tap on the door. She pretended to not hear it the first time. A few seconds later the tap got louder. The windows were rolled up and she strained her eyes to check if the door lock was up. She was trembling, shivering with cold and fear accelerated the pulse. The car heater had probably lost its battle with the cold outside. But she held on.

Her neck was taut with tension and her fist-clenched stiff. She was looking right ahead without blinking her eyes. A blink could lose her advantage of the vigil. The car air conditioner got switched on, the temperature in the car plummeted to 15C – yet the knob was on red, indicating the heater was on. 

As she sat upright in the car trying not to scream, her breathing got heavier and every now and then her feet muscles started to cramp. She decided to start the car and brave the rain. The ignition made a muted sound and announced its dysfucntionality.

There was a warm air blowing on her neck. The pulse flickered like a dying bulb. The sweat turned cold. The rear-view mirror looked at her knowingly. But she avoided looking back. The eerie silence returned to haunt her, however, this time not alone. She sensed someone in the back seat of the car.

As a flash of lightning contrasted the tinted window glass,a  warm palm placed on her right shoulder triggered a shock wave through her body.

That’s all she recalled the next day. 

She sat up in her bed watching the news as usual before going to work. The coffee machine indicated that her double shot espresso was ready to glide down her throat. As she walked up slowly to get her cuppa, she glanced over the running ticker of her news channel, which read –

“Breaking news – weather claims a weather girl’s life”



















Gyanban Thoughts - sometimes being famous is not by design.There are so many lives spent chasing the eternal fame but it keeps escaping them.The film industry is one such example where scores of lives go unnnoticed.A close second would be television,where we see so many people but hardly ever notice them.So many news anchors hog our attention but barring a few, rarely we remember any of them or even their names leave alone remembering the support staff like the folks who give us the weather forecast for example.This short story is dedicated to them.The alternate title for this was Weather or not but I opted for Almost Famous owing to the connection it made to the story.

Wrong Right

The rule you break,the money you make,

The tatto you hide, love the other side,

The drink you mix, the date you fix,

The visit to the Phantoms paradise.

The chocolate you tempt,the forced restraint,

The burger you loathe,then relent,

The blueberry scuffle, the Tiramisu battle,

The war of scoops,the strawberry rattle.

The manufactured news you read, the poor you feed,

The fast you take, the democracy you break,

The politics at work,the peace with a jerk,

The allowance you snatch, behind the latch.

The speeding bike, rush from the bar,

The ignorant loner,hits the car,

The paying pop and the comforting cop,

The raving party must not stop.

The imemdiate need,for the designer breed,

The wonder rich kid and inherited greed

The cheap local, almost anit-social,

The poor boy ,a mistake collossal.

The ego flaunt,the brilliance gene,

The designer life,and evergreen,

The proud momma and bitchy in-law,

The nasty treatment,a derserving flog.

The ditcher in the eye, eternal love,

The flaming passion,a hidden trove.

The extra attention,mesmerising charm,

The scathing remark and dark sarcasm.

The way you dress, the food you eat,

The money you spend, the holidays you take,

The colleagues you met,the freinds you beget,

The marriage regret and the honeymoon fret.

The beautiful sight of a landing flight,

The detour fright, the allegiance delight.

The ultimate sacrifice, eternal paradise,

The burning cause and reprise.

The warming night,heated day,

The burried earth, and trapped decay,

The melting ice and changing scape,

The floating wave,watery grave,

The escaping life and the drowsy brave.

All that you know is so slight,

Who knows , wrong could be the new right !

Gyanban Thoughts - A few lines dedicated to the ironies of life.I often wonder, why is everything that we want mostly wrong? Life exists in opposites, or goodness exists in opposites - probably a betrayal on either side. !

Life has a way of balancing itself,whether we like it or not, agree or not, we just keep pushing our momentary truth and extract momentary pleasure, instant gratification.The popular optimist will say, someday all this will change,and life will become ideal.

The scathing pessimist will say this is as close to happening as finding life on another planet. Somewhere all of our definitions are mixed up with the environment around us.

Also written for Onesingleimpression prompt Betrayal.

image courtesy:desktopnexus.com

It's Time.

Now that the sun has set,

the "Anna" has been fed,

it's time to get back on track.

Rs.20 extra to reach office on time,

paying the school donation is no crime,

Parking fine,please dont take mine.

It's time for the external drive,

pirated movies and pride,

It's time for the fast net connection,

downloaded albums and devotion.

Need for speed or just counterstrike,

find the cheat code with a facebook like.

If exams are on with full tension,

find the leaking questions,

It's time for the Tuition classes,

A new opium for the masses.

I am so hungry skip the diet,

it's only to live, not cry at,

Extra cheese and diet coke,

my control is worthy of note.

It's time to laugh at the boss's joke,

Fall in line with every bloke,

Armchair policitcs and strategy,

I won't do a thing, but am not lazy.

Spot the accident on the road,

find the gap and dodge ahead,

Why get into this mess,

Dont I have enough stress?

Expecting wife, a shopping spree,

have a meeting,you re not free,

Watching serial , no fight,

Have an extra drink on the flight.

Cover the picture on the packet,

Light the smoke ,discuss the racket.

It's time for bed and inhibitions shed,

not tonight honey the mind said,

It's time for another day tomorrow,

It all starts with another sorrow,

but we get by with some conviction,

and on the fly

find time for some more personal corruption.

Gyanban Thoughts - In this brouhaha of anti-corruption, little does one wonder how we play hand in glove ,how you and I are a part of everyday corruption.Corruption to me is just not about money. It is about the mind.How we compromise and make a conveninet life for us and people around us.Just go with the flow.No one wants to break the chain, lest be ostracised and look like a total fool.

And we have our reasons. Ofcourse Anna could do it - but does he have to go to work every day & face deadline pressures,peer politics, and bosses tantrums? Does he have neighbours who just bought 3 BHK villas & remind him why a 2 BHK is so passe ? Does he have to deal with promotions at work? Or who got their faster , smarter ? Do his morning walk jogger friends remind what stock portfolio to maintain? Does he have to take a swiss vacation ? What about the 7 course meal at a 5 start restaurant? After all the festival season is on, does he not want a better deal on the washing machine ?Does he need not need the child to get into an elite school? Do his freinds remind him of why Reebok and not Sree Leather?

Sigh,

Chances are the answer is no for Anna. And the answer for you is an overwhleming YES. Face it.

While ,having a low need for all things material is probably ideal,but it is easier said than done for the upwardly mobile high disposable income gen X/Y of today.Our society is designed to be captialistic/material in nature - and therefore there s a vicious link to corruption in everyday life.

Money plays a big role in most peoples lives, but for us,it has taken ugly gigantic proportions in the name of growth and progress.

So until and unless we are prepared to change our mindset towards our everyday lives we will never end corruptiion of the mind and money thereof.The fear of facing consequences has to be dealt with firmly,collectively and repeatedly lest we get sucked in to the loop again.

image courtesy : Here

Tri upati

In the last 12 months everything had changed for Vinodh – in fact turned turtle. His promotion got stalled his pet project got delayed, his job was about to me made redundant. His 6 year old son couldn’t get admission into the school of choice. His wife kept intermittently ill. As if all this was not enough ,his parents met with an accident, though not fatal, but it caused a severe emotional, physical and financial damage. In short – life was at it’s lowest ebb.

‘When the going gets tough, it’s God that needs to get going.’ Vinodh Kumar lamented to his wife Sarayu.

Just then the lights went out. It was pitch dark in the room. A distant chortle of a few children playing floated into the room.

‘Darn another power cut! Just like our lives – dark and no where to go’

‘You know what, He doesn’t show Himself when He is most needed. It’s when you want Him the most He’s not there. What’s the point in continuing to keep the faith?’ Vinodh was distraught.

She looked at him as if to say don’t give up hope, but the words somehow got lost in the deep trenches of memories. After all it wasn’t too long back when she had said ‘keep the faith in Him.’

Suddenly the lights came back and the television switched on.

‘When your back is against the wall, it’s a good thing’ a creaky voice spoke out of idiot box.

Vinodh went through three emotions at once – rage, remorse and resignation. There was a pregnant silence in the room.

Sarayu turned around to find the television flickering with some religious documentary on the NAT Geo channel. The sage on the banks of Ganges spoke to the reporter with a mystical look on his face.

Vinodh too turned around to listen closely.

The sage continued – ‘you see when your back is against the wall, the only way is moving forward, isn’t it?’ The reporter nodded, so did Sarayu zooming out of the television and zooming into Viodh’s eyes.

She had found a renewed vocabulary for hope.

‘You must go to Tirupati – Lord Balaji will solve all our problems’ she asserted.

‘These are signs Vinodh’

‘It’s just a stupid documentary Sarayu’ snapped Vinodh.

When a woman means business her eyes do the talking.

Sarayu looked deep into his eyes, held his hands and mustered up all the courage she had left in her and convinced Vinodh to give it one more shot.

‘Vinodh just give belief one more chance!’ she pleaded.

A myriad of emotions went through Vinodh’s mind. Conflicts, hopelessness and melancholy fought with each other. Finally indifference took center stage.

‘Whatever,I’ll go besides I think I just need a break !’

With that Vinodh set out for Tirupati.

Episode 2

Logic, science and reasoning kept challenging him right through the 12 hour train journey. He blocked them out, reasoning that all logic and calculations had failed, this time he was just going with an escapist state of mind.

Deep down he knew this fatalistic approach to life could back fire so badly that it could send him to a point of no return.

He had taken off from work without letting his peers nor his boss know. His boss had sent out a message a few days back that they needed to have the “talk”.

He knew once he returned back to work it could potentially be the end of the road for him. As the train rocked along he fell asleep with a thousand thoughts in his mind slowly losing voice.

When he opened his eyes next it was Tirupati junction.

The darkness cloaked the crimson skies. The birds chirped their way distantly and the temple bells rang in his mind. He looked up to see the tip of the shrine shimmering in the reflection of the golden sun.

Vinodh had decided to walk up the hills – precisely 2388 steps to reach Tirumala where the central deity resided.

Going to Tirupati without adequate planning, buying a ticket for a “Darshan” is an ill advised proposition right through out the year. Yet Vinodh went ahead, some part in ignorance and some part hoping for a miracle.

The steps looked fairly simple at the start, till he reached about the 500^th step mark, first signs of fatigue set in. Every 100 meters there were replenishments for the body but none for the soul. Cramps in his calf muscles made it even harder to take the next step.

By the 1500^th step, Vinodh had drained out every ounce of energy, will or zeal to keep going. He decided to branch out to the road, hail a taxi and go back , down to Tirupati town.

Just then, a security guard shouted from a make-shift desk near a bend.

‘Your free-ticket can be collected from here’.

Vinodh was startled.

He struggled his way to a few more steps to reach the security guard.

‘Why free tickets?’

‘This is normal sir, for all those walking up to Tirumala we give a free

“darshan” ticket.’

Sarayu’s words drifted into to his mind…keep the faith…

He took the free ticket ,sat down besides the steps and decided to give another push at reaching the top.

Episode 3

Vinodh was exhausted climbing up the stairs, walking barefoot and reaching the main entrance. As a reward he had at least got a free ticket.

Friends had advised him to buy Special darshan tickets which generally cost a bit more but ensured a quicker darshan. He headed over to the Vijaya bank ticket counter and stood in the long queue. By the time he reached the booking window, the counter shut down.

The moment was intense. Vinodh struggled to keep his emotions in check. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

An old man came rushing from behind and banged the window –

‘open up I need to cancel my ticket!’

He got the last available special darshan ticket. Felt a bit relived that at least he won’t go back without a darshan.

Vinodh thanked the old man and felt some excitement for the first time.On one hand he clutched the special darshan ticket and on the other the free darshan ticket.

Vinodh was tired and wanted to rest for some time, but with this sudden development, he thought about maximizing this opportunity.

‘Let me take a chance and see if I can get two viewings, today and tomorrow. If the queue is too long I can always exit and come back tomorrow for special darshan’ -Vinodh reasoned.

As he entered the free darshan queue, his resolve got tested.

The queue was almost a mile long. It was nearing 11 PM by the time Vinodh stepped into the long winding corridors of the temple. He was hungry, tired and low on energy. Nothing much to eat other than a little boy selling pop corn along the queue.

He had already spent 2 hours being absolutely stationery in the queue.

Vinodh overheard someone say it would take at least 5 to 6 hours more, to get to the main deity residing in the inner sanctum.

‘Maybe I should not push myself so hard – let me come back tomorrow morning, special darshan should get me a quicker darshan after all, why wait and stress out?’

This time logic was overwhelming. He slowly waded through the crowd towards the exit gate only to be stopped by the pesky popcorn boy.

‘Anna – please have some popcorn’ His big black eyes had an earnest look. His dark dry skin bore testimony of his everyday struggle and malnourishment.

‘No thank you’ Vinodh brushed him away and moved forward.

‘Anna this magic popcorn will help you wait a little longer’. Lord will call you just now, wait and watch’.

Vinodh froze for a moment. Goosebumps appeared in a cluster.

He took the popcorn and went back into the queue.

4 hours passed by and the queue had moved only about 100mts. Yet again it looked like an ordeal to stand so long. Vinodh kept thinking about the popcorn seller who had since mysteriously disappeared.

But that excitement/bewilderment quotient was dying with every passing hour.

Finally after waiting for some more time he decided to quit.

Vinodh decided to finally exit the queue. He just couldn’t pull anymore.

‘Lord it’s not that I am trying to escape, it’s just that I am too fatigued to stand in the queue for another 3 hours. I will come back tomorrow morning and wait as long as it takes – so please forgive me for exiting the queue’ Vinodh murmured silently.

This time he just ran past the gate lest some other popcorn seller or vendor or anyone stop him. As he exited one corridor after the other, he realized he had actually covered a lot of ground while feeling stationery. But there was no turning back. He was a determined man albeit a tired one.

Vinodh reached the final gate, which was the first gate a few hours back. Security was always tight in Tirupati. All gates were manned 24/7.

‘What happened swami?’ one security guard asked.

‘errm I’m not feeling too well, I want to exit the queue and will come back tomorrow’

‘Aarey no saar, I just got a message on the intercom, we are opening the inner gates, please rush inside, you will get darshan within the hour’

Not again Vinodh thought.

‘No you don’t realize, I’ve been walking since 6PM this evening and it is 2AM now. I can’t go on anymore, I will come back tomorrow.’

‘No saar we are opening the gates please go back, besides you cannot exit from the entry gate, you have exit from the exit gate na?!

Vinodh closed his eyes and realized someone wanted to see him today. He turned back yet again.

By the time darshan got over , it was nearly 3.30AM. Vinodh had never seen such a beautiful darshan before. The Lord induced a sense of calmness and positivity in him.

Vinodh sat in his hotel room in Tirumala and recalled what an extraordinary journey he had been through. However, it wasn’t until 8 o clock in the morning that he realized what a divine intervention he had.

A notice board outside the main Temple entrance read

“All special darshan cancelled for today due to VVIP visit.’

Gyanban Thoughts – We always hear, seeing is believing. However sometimes in life you need to believe it to see it. Keeping the faith in the most testing times is just one part of believing, the other parts are when you have alternatives or are doing well. That’s a true test of one’s faith. So the next time you call upon the Lord when in trouble, remember there will come a time when there is no trouble so don’t forget to remember Him even then.

I am guessing if you have read through the story some of you are thinking – this is a complete fiction and some are thinking it sounded like a true story.

Well all I can say dear readers, is keep the faith. Believe what you must, and you will see what you should.