I believe life is a journey of random thoughts.
Thoughts that last for a second and the ones that last for a
lifetime.
It is only at the stroke of some random thoughts that I
chose to share mine from today and few from the days, not many calendar years ago.
Random Thought #1
An hour back, the dogs got grumbling again; not one of the
rare patterns that I am not well acquainted with. But this event keeps
repeating itself. Unusually these fights break out during this specific hour of
a crossover, from a Sunday to the Blues-day (Monday). These conflicts break
through the silence of the night. I appoint the lamp in my bedroom the official
spokesperson to anchor the unspoken hours, of an otherwise noisy night. One
random thought after the other, is this how this night plans to reveal yet
another day? Bow, vow, woof, hoof; there go the dogs again. Either hungry or
horny, they are going to stop at none.
Random Thought #2
If I am asked what my favourite colour is, I will be heard
announcing yellow as my first choice, only to be followed by red, maroon, brick
red and neon red. At times, I spend hours explaining my fondness for black and
white. Therefore you will not be left with a doubt to see me drive a white car.
It’s a cosy little, spacious car. It goes by the name of Zen Estilo and sports
a tattoo too – Mom’s Pride, Our Honour.
My car is not just my car; it’s also our family’s first car. Fresh from
a new scratch and slapped by the failing veins of its AC, it drove us through
the highway, saved us from the potholes, left us feeling rich with the
experience of moody monsoons. As the winds blew, the downpour grew fiercer and
the muddy waters flowed thicker, the car chose to run tougher. Either angry or
ambitious, our car is just another story in making.
Random Thought #3
I remember seeing her in the hospital. I have known her
mother for years now. We have been colleagues first and then friends. My mother
had accompanied me to the hospital. The nurses had wrapped this bundle of joy
in the softest clothes. Her mother, my friend held her tenderly and gently
placed her in my arms. For three minutes that I held her, I was overcome by
countless emotions. As she kept growing, her mother shared her stories. We
attended her first birthday, skipped her second and maybe forgot her third. But
she kept growing. Today she is in the second grade. Initially she ran shy of
me, locked herself in the kitchen and didn’t reveal herself till the time I had
left their apartment. Today as I flashed my smartphone and told her, “This is
an apple.” The same shy girl came closer and replied, “Uncle, if this is an
apple, shouldn’t you be eating it instead of confusing it as a phone?” I am yet
to recover from this innocent question of hers. I think I will never have a
reply to this question of hers because every object of our desire makes us its
ardent slave. Ira, I salute you.
Random Thought #4
In the year 2008, Nikhil and I were in Goa. For the five
days that we stayed there, we explored every corner of Goa that made us imagine
a million things about it. We went on a river cruise, we drove on Hero Honda Splendour,
we observed the mannerisms of foreigners and secretly saw some Indians ape the
American tanning ways. On the second last day, we were told that we can spot
dolphins, if we delve deep. The boat might have taken us to the spot where
dolphins supposedly take a plunge or two; we saw none. Years later, while
attending a seminar, I heard someone whisper, “Did you see those dolphins?” I
was at my wit’s end. I was attending a scholarly talk and I had heard someone
talk dolphins. Before I could react pretending to be irritated by the small
talk, I saw her walk in and she carried those two dolphins with utter grace. I
don’t remember the year and neither do I remember seeing the woman again. But I
am sure the tattoo of those two dolphins on her arms might still be busy making
her look more beautiful than ever. My first encounter with tattoos and the
spell they cast.
Random Thought #5
If migration makes you famous then I too had migrated a year
back to a new city. Three hours away from Mumbai, I had made Pune my home. But
my migration didn’t make me a celebrity like other cities could have possibly managed
to. My migration was always pregnant with the sensation of feeling detached. On
weekends, I would rush home like a child rushes back from a boarding school.
For the five days that I would stay in Pune, I hated being a stranger to some
realities. There were very few honest faces, which surrounded me and my
thoughts; they still are a part of my life. But the city failed to make me a
celebrity. I wish I had shifted to some other place, as they say Bengaluru is
much happening. There's always that city away from the city we live in, which
feels a little lonely and sometimes a lot more homely. But my home will be
Mumbai and the only other city that I can survive in happily is Kolkata. Of the
two, which one is my favourite? Oh don’t compel me to make a choice between my
two mother cities.
Random Thought #6
He was fond of smoking. Tea kept him energetic. He was
smarter than me. In his 50s, he was handsome and still desirable. Today he
would have turned 69. But he chose to leave handsome rather than live through
the oddities of time. No matter, how against I was to his many thoughts, he
will continue being the hero. Even today, he is famous as Hitler in our
hometown. He would have continued being famous as Hitler in future too. Such
was his temperament and such was his obsession with a disciplined life. Happy
Birthday to you Baba; I will keep missing you on every July 10.
It’s 1 AM. Before I could sense it, Monday had barged into
my mobile phone reminding me that sleep offers no discounts. And in this
journey of random thoughts, I wish to wander more, learn more; see the dolphins
bounce again, doesn’t matter in which form – either real or in the form of a
tattoo again.
-Virtuous Vociferous
