Touched by an angel

Felt it was a dream..opened my eyes..still it was the same..gave myself a pinch..still the same..thick mist all over..I got up from where I slept..found myself on bed of green grass rather than my hard bed..when I looked up could see the blue morning sky in between the canopy of trees.I stood on my feet ..tried to take in the new surroundings..how did I land here..just few minutes back I had put down the novel I was reading and got into bed..was it a dream..I didn't know..but never until now had any dream felt so real..maybe this is it..this is where I was meant to be..I looked around..could see woods spread for miles as far as my eyes could see..shrouded in thick mist..that was becoming lighter now.I could see a path paved in front of me..it just appeared out of nowhere..I was pretty sure it wasn't there a minute ago..finding no other option I took the path..walked on and on as far as my legs could carry me..hours must have passed..sun was burning brighter now..still it was weather was cool..I could hear a sound.felt like music to my ears..there ahead I could see a silvery stream sparkling in the sun..flowing through the woods..cut by the rocks.I rushed towards it..dipped my bare feet into it..felt awesome..could hear sound of hooves..a slow trotting sound..on the other side of the stream..exactly opposite me..was a white horse..slurping water from the stream..it looked so heavenly..I wanted to touch it..made a move towards it..it looked up..turned into the woods..slowly at first then it rushed..tried to pursue it..but ..couldn't keep up with that beast..I fell on my knees to the ground..trying to catch my breath..I could still hear the sound of the hooves on the forest floor..but couldn't see it anywhere..was just a white speck..lost in the mist..


     I wish I could get hold of it and ride it..had no strength left in me. was really hungry..and the moment I thought about it..could see a meal laden on the grass in front of me..every imaginable dish..this is pure pleasure..tasted like a slice of heaven..after treating myself and regaining my spirit..with only one thought in mind, to pursue that horse..I started my walk or rather say my journey..didn't know how long it would take..how long I would be stuck in this place..liked silence..preferred being alone at times..but right now I felt so lonely..that I longed to hear a human voice..I walked on..woods becoming thicker and the mist thinning out with every step I took..it was almost noon..I wished there was big bed in the jungle..nothing happened..closed my eyes..and wished again..nothing happened..what was it then that happened sometime back..how did that platter come out of nowhere..my mind must be playing tricks on me..I walked on..there was a twig on the floor..I didn't notice that..

      I tripped..would have fallen flat on my face on the ground..but no..there fell onto a big soft bed..so comfortable..and I could hear soft voices near my ear..saw tiny hands wrapping me in a thick warm blanket..to my surprise there was a small crowd of tiny people..with tiny wings on their back..couldn't make out what they said..there was a pretty girl among them..who played a tiny grand piano..a tune so soft..that literally put me too sleep..felt I was on a bed of clouds floating on..felt something warm and wet on my cheek..opened my eyes..there it was that white beast..above my head..did it just kiss me.. I don't know..now I had the chance again to touch it..before I could reach it..it rushed away again..I  ran after it..ran and ran as far my legs could..sun was setting in the sky..with different hues spread across the sky..the woods were becoming darker..shadows of the trees were growing longer..I didn't want to lose this time..there it was..it paused..did not run any longer..it stood at the edge of a cliff .I  walked closer.. couldn't believe my eyes..it wasn't a horse anymore..


   She was an ethereal being in  white..couldnt see her face..she was shining bright..must be fallen star so I thought..I went closer..she had wings of pure white..how I wished I had those.. how I wished I could fly..the moment I thought that..she touched me on my shoulder..and when I just looked back..my shoulder burst open with a pair of white wings..I turned to see that face..what I saw, was the face of an angel.. couldn't describe it..lost my grip and I slipped of the cliff..felt I lost it..felt I would crash down and die..but no I spread my wings and flew away and saw that that face from the edge of the cliff..I  was up in the sky so high..closed my eyes..when I opened them again..I was in my own small bed..in my tiny room..touched by an angel.

Thanks for the memories..

   I was just looking at the calendar, at my birthdate. In about 4 months I'll be 24. Cant believe it, that I have grown so much, how the years have gone by so soon. It just feels like yesterday, when I looked like a tiny monkey, on my mums lap, being fed with cerelac. Drooling on the sides of my tiny mouth, chuckling at mom when she made those funny faces. How tiny I was, everything so gigantic around me. Then the sound of the anklets when I ran around the house, with grandma behind me with plate in her hand with something gooey..something that would make my bones strong she would say, but tasted gross. Sitting on my grandpa's lap in the car, so I could get a better look at the dogs running on the road, putting my head out and letting the air rush through my ears. Climbing the garden walls to pluck those huge pink flowers.

Swinging on the gate of my house..sneaking around my neighbor's house and peeping through the windows..dropping a bag of sand on that fat cat sitting on the washing stone. Those big drops of tears falling from my eyes when being left at kindergarten all alone, behind that huge iron gate closing me in..screaming with the other children at school. Moving on to primary school, carrying that mountain of books, sitting in the last bench in class, getting my ears twisted by the teachers

for not completing assignments, getting rapped on the knuckles for untidy notes, copying during those class tests. Sliding down the big slide..going round and round on the merry go round..racing towards the swing before anyone else grabs it,..those drills and exercises during saturday pt classes. Growing a few inches taller and tying long braids almost reaching the waist..getting it oiled and braided tightly by grandma..it did hurt..but now that pain seems sweet. Those dreadful visits to the dentist, to remove my big teeth. Slurping that cone ice cream, after getting my tooth removed. Moving on to high school..now the world didn't seem that big..I felt like a giant myself

when I saw those kids from kindergarten.

Stepping into my class in that big pink building, all girls dressed in pink skirts, trimmed hair

and some tied in long plaits. 3 years there just went like the blink of an eye. Those long tiring runs around the ground for coming late, those 5 mins break when I would run to the other classes to gossip with my friends there..those 1 hr lunch breaks when we sat in groups shared our tiffin with more gossip coming in. Those times when I sat on the flight of steps with my friends, looking outside the gate, trying to spot her crush among the groups of boys passing by. Passing chits in class, commenting on that language lecturer, dropping things down when that old maths maa'm was dozing off. When my whole class was labelled noisy and stood out in the burning sun on that hot summer's day. Those chilly nights when I studied late for the exams, with that hot mug of coffee, which I thought would give me more strength to keep my eyes open a little bit longer. Man I miss all those..

Crying on seeing all those wet eyes, when maa'm made that moving speech on our farewell day..filling up autograph books with numbers and addresses..making blind promises to keep in touch..then comes the first day of college, stepping into the class packed with a hundred nervous faces..looking at me..those nervous hellos and hi's..the initial introductions..the same trend again follows..new friends..new crushes new fights..yet still the same old history repeats. And years have passed having moved into engineering college..become a first class engineer and here I am sitting in my location with my PC in front..back to the present after a long trip to the past. Memories are really powerful..a time machine that takes us back to those days. So now when think of my birthdate I dont regret getting older..just go back in time in my mind to feel younger..

If you carry your childhood in your heart,you'll never feel older.

Weird Weekend - Part2

Saturday evening was worth remembering. I went on a long walk in the rain, with my hostel friends. When evrybody were running into their houses and shops avoid getting drenched, we were the only ones walking out, carrying our colorful umbrellas. With not a care in the world, we walked on. Felt like a night carnival, minus the crowd, with spotlights from the lightning and music of the thunder. We walked on talked on about the week, work place gossip etc etc. Got a sudden urge to eat something spicy, and what a luck..the bajji shop was open. It wasnt a shop exactly just a cart with sheet of plastic for its roof, owned by a couple. They cooked up some hot spicy bajjies which we gobbled up without wasting a minute. Then we rushed to an icecream shop to have some, to cool our burning throats. Soon after that we started walking back to our hostel in the darkness.

Was almost midnight, when i just finished my dinner and got into bed. When i just plugged in my earphones to listen to my favorite songs, i heard my friend calling me out loud. I rushed into her room, and there she was lying down clutching her stomach. She was sick and crying in pain. We were all freaked out, where do we take her, what do we do at this hour. I took my friend with another friend to the hospital nearby. To our bad luck the shutter was closed. We banged hard on the glass doors, didnt care if it would break. The guard came running, cursing us all the way, having woken him up from his sleep. How could he sleep peace fully when we were having a nightmare. We rushed inside called the doctor on duty. My friend had a bad stomach and had to be admitted then and there. Without second thoughts and without listening to her tantrums we got her admitted. The staff said they were giving us a special ward, which turned out to be men's general ward. We went in without complaining. The clock struck one, the corridors were dark and empty, the room had a bad odor which further added to the ambience of the so-called special room. My sick friend was almost in tears, when the nurse was poking a needle in her veins, i looked on as the fluid passed on from the small plastic bag hung onto the bed, through the tubes into her veins. Wasn't a pleasant sight. After she fell asleep, i tried to sleep, but there were some other big fat blood sucking inhabitants in the room which weren't letting me sleep.

Soon after the lights were switched off by the ward boy, i could hear the sound of the fluid dripping from the bottle. They sounded like the ticking of the clock. With minutes passing into hours i fell asleep. I could feel the heat on my bare hands, the rays of the morning sun were peeking into the room. I woke up and checked on my friend she was doing fine. After getting her some breakfast,we left the hospital in an hour. Felt great to go back to the hostel, was like going back home. The night before was dreadful, that was the first time i ever stayed at the hospital. Well it was a strange experince, but alls well that ends well. Now that completes my weird weekend. Strange yet beautiful, surprising yet scary. I wish for many more such weekends filled with rain and fun, minus nights at hospital!!

Weird Weekend - Part1

I was checking my watch for the hundredth time..waiting when will it strike 6. Was such a long wait from noon to evening. It was a thursday, and the next day was good friday so a holiday, a long weekend was waiting for me. All my colleagues were planning on going to their hometowns..some had already packed their bags to go to exotic places. I was just looking at all of their excited faces, with just one thought in mind, what should i do..where should i head to. My thoughts were interrupted, when my cellphone beeped. There was a message from my friend. I read it in a second but couldn't digest it. Read it again to believe it. She just called me out with some other friends to go to Leela palace, "The Leela Palace". I had never been there my entire life, but had heard and read so much about it. I got all excited. Well my long weekend had a good start already. So i accepted the invite and went along with a few of my friends to one of the most prestigious hotels of our country.

Damn! the moment we stepped out it started pouring. If this is how it gotta be so be it. We didnt let the rain dampen our spirits. So the excited bunch of 5 went with all enthusiasm for a wonderful monsoon evening at Leela. We were already late so we thought, but my friend drove through the traffic splashing water over the pavements,over people walking on the pavements as well as the other vehicles, who were all rushing to their respective destinations. Then there we saw it finally, the gates being opened to us..it all felt royal. After parking the car we went into the lounge passing the reception.There was a long lobby, with a red carpet draping the floor. We were told the event for the evening would be in the ballroom, so we went there. As we walked the red carpet,felt like being at the Oscars. I just walked behind my friends visualizing an invisible audience applauding us. My friend tugged at me , and brought me back on earth from my reverie.

We stepped in and saw the people inside, all dressed in their best, we looked like a mess in front of them. Nevertheless, we went in . I looked up athe huge crystal chandeliers, the lights reflecting in our eyes, all felt beautiful. Without wasting more time, we went ahead and took our seats. There were people from various cadres of the IT world. The event was a product launch.We werent excited about it, just being there felt great. Well the event began at last, there was a pretty host for the evening, who was entertaining the crowd with her jokes. Soon after that there were speeches after speeches by the various managers. The next one hour dragged on with presentations of their new products so on and so forth.

Then came the best part. There was a ramp walk , few models walked the stage with the products being launched. It was delightful indeed for the men around. Then there was dance performance by a not so well known bollywood actress,who moved her hips to the tunes of sheila and munni and some other tracks which were hot on the chart. The event finally came to an end with yet another boring speech. But it was all worth a watch. We ended the night there with dinner and drinks , and left for the day. A few hours back i was wondering what i would be doing this weekend and here i was at Leela.Credit goes to my friend having called me here. I just hoped the next few days would bring such surprises.