My Experiment with lenses

Oct 31, 2010 2 comments

 
Muzhapalngadi beach, Kannur, Kerala.
The longest drive-in beach in south Asia.
Awesome place...

 

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Dry Rose Petals

Sep 12, 2010 9 comments

“There is never a wrong time to visit Goa” Exclaimed the floor manager as I walked into the Rendezvous, A shack facing the beach on the Bagha … 

“Yes , that’s true” I said.

“Well , are you alone Sir “ he asked.

And I just smiled at him.

“Understood, I have a perfect place for you he said, You would have a perfect view at the beach and lesser audience … Here sir”

“That’s just perfect… I’ll have a beer, Premium please…. and fish fingers… Yes that will be all“ I said making myself comfortable…

“give me 10 minutes” He replied and walked right through the shells hung on the door frame…
I pulled out my book from my backpack and placed it on my table. Call me old fashioned but I still write in a book, Not that I don’t accept technology and change, but I love the smell of the ink, and the feel that  ink smudges  gives me.

 My vacation was almost over and so was my book; But the endings always put me  to a corner, and  Sometimes I feel I have to be fair to my characters, but then Life isn’t just fair…

My eyes followed a cool gush of  the sea breeze, Just to see  the blue vast sea flirting with the wind…
I felt as If I was having a conversation with the sea,  and I was telling her how beautiful she looked .

I was enjoying the trance…

Then my eyes turned towards a guy coming straight at me with open arms, with the pace that he had, I couldn’t get a proper look at his face.
“Aman My brother, what a great surprise” he said as he hugged me tight.
“Rahul, wow .., It’s great to see you… “ I said trying my luck with the names, which I always keep forgetting

“How are you ….Where have you been…. you look great… are you alone” He asked, Well I could say that he looked excited.“Hey you know what, you can answer them later. First I want you to meet somebody”

He dragged me out of my seat , Well that was Rahul, warm and  friendly, We were partners in crime back in the college… back then  I always thought of  him  as Puzo’s Godfather, The cartel leader.

Then when time passes by , life gets us all busy…

“Aman, I am going to introduce you to my wife, Neha…. We are on our honeymoon” He said as we approached their table, He then hugged from behind…
I saw her face, as she smiled and turned around …

There I saw her again…

Dressed in a white salwar, she looked even more beautiful than the last time we met three years ago.

I could feel the world spinning around me, … I thought I was having a panic attack … I blinked , to ensure this wasn’t a dream or I was just not hallucinating .

‘No it’s all real Aman, Face it’ Said someone within.

She stared at me in disbelief , as Rahul introduced me to her  ‘ Neha ,meet my friend Aman, We used to be best buddies in the college, but, after the college he just disappeared, and today , after eight long years I bumped into him here isn’t that great’
Yes, Rahul the world is a very small place I said regaining my senses to normal…

I smiled at him, so he just wouldn’t see her staring at me in shock…
My waiter  was kind enough to bring my stuffs to the table, “it happens all the time” He said
 ‘So tell me where are you now a days and how are you ’ Rahul asked with the same amount of curiosity that I saw in him when we both first saw a stash of weed in the hostel.
“ Pune,  I work as a copywriter with an ad agency, Life ‘s good , Tell me where have been”
“Arrey  Yaar,  London , After post-graduation I settled there, We got married last month.You know how it is ,parents always wanted an arranged-marriage, but I am happy that I found Neha. She’s just perfect for me” He moved towards her and kissed her on her cheek…

She smiled…
 The same smile that she gave me years ago ,when she accidentally broke my crystal vase…
I noticed that she never took her eyes off me…  and then our eyes met… in spite of all my efforts to stop that from happening.

The wind blew her hair onto her face, and She tucked  the strides of hair  between her ears, I used to love it when she did that…

My mind drifted like a paper caught in the wind, back into streets of memories…
Everything flashed in front of my eyes.
The first day we met,
Our first date,
Our first kiss,
And then the  good bye…

Rahul cut the  silence saying “ Neha, Aman used to be the writer in the pack, we used to listen to his poetry when we got drunk, Do you still write Aman?”
“You know what they say; Old habits die hard…,  I still do, I am writing a book. And the Goa vacation was an excuse to complete it”
“Oh that’s fantastic, What is the book about” Curious Rahul asked.
I smiled and said “Read it, when it’s published”
He laughed out loud…

I couldn’t stop looking at her;  God ,she looked beautiful!

In the backdrop the sun had started retiring back to its solitude.

even though I  managed to kept my sanity in check, I couldn’t help a deep  feeling of despair that  crept through my soul , leaving it hollow once again.

But then things started appearing more lucid and the perfect ending for my story was coming to me …

I told him that I was in a hurry, and we exchanged numbers.

As I was leaving  a dry rose, slipped out of my book and fell at her feet.
Our eyes met again as she picked it up.
I turned around and walked into the sunset.

She didn’t speak a word , but  her eyes talked to me…She said “I am sorry”
And I said …..


Ayreej Rahman
12th Spetember 2010; 4:10 AM

Disclaimer : This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. :)

 

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Jun 30, 2010 3 comments

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come,
or a plane to go or the mail to come,
or the rain to go or the phone to ring,
or the snow to snow 
or waiting around for a Yes or No 
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps,
For their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil,
or a Better Break or a string of pearls,
or a pair of pants or a wig with curls,
or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

**This is an Excerpt from Dr.Seuss's poem called 'Oh! The Places You’ll Go!'
**I just loved it and thought I'll share it with you guys...

 

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The Software Engineer Who Sold His Soul For A Pack of Cigarettes

Apr 28, 2010 10 comments


Not everyday you see a  European Ramp Model look-alike sipping Whiskey in a Desi Bar (TASMAC ) somewhere in the  in the Outskirts of Coimbatore. … The first thought that crossed my mind is that  another Foreigner who came soul searching to India , Without the knowledge  that people here still had no clue that they already have sold their souls For petty things like religions, demographics, the-IPL, Bollywood and the Great-Indian-Politics
----
 I fumbled into this bar to celebrate my  yearly LACK of Appraisal , that I just had in the office, a few hours ago.
Four years  as a software developer , I had seen people who Joined as fresher , raise to the level of Seniors  and Leads and I am still at the place that I started off. The Same old Sweaty seat and the same old weary Desktop.
The Place was a bit crowded but ; I didn’t care… 
I just wanted to get drunk quickly. so this is the best place. they serve liquor that tastes like Alien Shit, 95% Homemade with Vijay Malliya’s Million dollar Brand Name just to  give it an exotic feel.
But as of today I wasn’t bothered about how it tasted and what the Ethanol or  Fucking Methanol proportions was.
I should have listened to my friends back in the Engineering college who told me that Coimbatore was a bad choice; When I had other options like Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad  and Even Cochin If I wanted to stick to Southern terrain of the country. Well  I just turned them all down because I just thought I was happy with my achievement, which I later realized to be the biggest blunder of all.
 I always have been a happy-go-Lucky-guy. Never wanted to bite more than I could chew ,I remember my grandma Told me this... but Grandma had no clue what Corporate India would turn out to be… and I would end up at the very bottom of the corporate-food-chain – A Shrimp in  a Small software company , where I would  report  to the guy who just passed out of college two years ago, …
And to make things Worse I have a Boss who has No Balls at all , He could be a Desi version of the Pointed Hairy Boss from the Dilbert  comic strip, John was the  Marketing Manager of an FMCG company Prior to joining iMac Software Solution (P) Ltd as Chief Operating  Officer.

 He still thinks Writing Java codes for a much complex Inventory Management system is as simple as selling a Detergent Soaps.
The last bit  of the respect for him vaporized when that bastard told me “Vivek you are a Hard worker, But you aren’t a smart worker, There are lot of areas that you have to improve like Excel and Macros, See Java alone  wouldn’t get you anywhere..  So The Management has decided you to consider your promotion for the next year…. We have other plans for you. The company has decided to provide you with additional responsibilities so that you yourself  could explore your true potential and there is a three percent  Hike  on your profile for this, that’s the best we are giving Considering the current Economic Situations”
“What the Fuck” No I didn’t say that…. 
All I said was “Thank you John” and I walked out of the Room
Man , This is all So unfair I know I am much Smarter than most of my seniors. I really wished I had a better life!
 I realized that I was out of Cigarettes, I had almost quit  smoking a few days ago but you just can’t when you work with assholes desperately trying to Poke a dagger up your ass every time you turn around, Stabbing skill scale differing with the demographics.

A few hours ago I came into this place which looked very odd and 4 shots of Whisky-like fluid made all the eeriness disappear. And It looked a lot like home now .
I waved for the waiter;
 I politely asked him, If they had Goldflake Kings…and he Politely told me NO!
Super!!!
A few seconds later … The guy seated on the next to me extended a packet of Dunhill Red, and said; "Help yourself."
Well in my true senses  I am very Skeptical and the first thing I would have done in such a situation is refused  but to my surprise I just pulled out one and said  “Thank you” the Guy lit a match and offered it to me… I took a good look at him, He looked  like a European model you see in the FTV Mens with elvish charms and evilly tender frame . His Face was fair and without a single mark or scar, that was all I could catch in the Twilight of the BAR.
Haven’t seen you around, tourist Huh?: My curiosity Popped it!
Oh really? But I have seen you a lot of times;, I know you well. He replied with an accent.
What? I was puzzled, and this was not the answer I was expecting, was the guy hitting on me???
You heard me , I have seen you , I know where you live , where you work,  I know your family, your girlfriend, Everything about you. "I EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (:p)" He said taking a long drag from his cigarette.
I was in no intention of retreat; Tell me what was I talking to Swati about, last weekend.
He smiled and said  “You didn’t meet her last weekend but the one before... you guys went to Pizza hut and You were whining about how much you hated Rahul’s  Mr. Know-It-All attitude and the confidence which he cooks up bullshit”
Well Now, things started to change, the guy was telling me real conversations from my life, Quoting me exactly the way I said it!
Either I am being stalked or I am under surveillance. Or this guy is Supernatural: Don’t tell me- a Vampire? Options chased in one after the another…
But there was one thing: I don’t know why I was stupidly Courageous! Or let me rephrase “I WAS DRUNK, enough not to feel fear”
I looked at him he had all the basic criteria that would qualify him as one.
He smiled and said “I know exactly what you are thinking, But I am no vampire, I am the one who they Bow to…”
“The Devil?” Now I could literally feel blood drain away from my Face, I was desperately hoping Cyrus Broacha jump out of nowhere and tell me “This is MTV Bakra, Vivek” or Aston Kutcher came running screaming you’ve been Punked!!!
For the Next 15 Minutes, I sat there and nothing like that happened, and I was sure that this was the last cigarette I am ever going to have,so I took long drags savoring it’s flavor…
“I am not going to kill you , I am just here to help, Normally I  give 10 wishes but taking in consideration the current Prices hike In India My Accounts Department and Downsized the list to two in return for your soul . Non-Negotiable! He continued “What‘s in your mind ?”

Think:
what do you expect from a guy who is completely SLOSHED when asked such a question
:I said “I Need to pay the bill and get back Home,  and Can I have one more cigarette”
Next thing I hear is “Granted and you can keep the pack, Thank you Nice doing business with you” …. And he walks away into the darkness…


Well , after a month I received an Offer Letter from  IBM ; Behind the cover it was written “Complimentary offer: Happy B’day”