Shot In The Back

Imagine for once a life which would have been much different than what you have ever lived or for that matter have even desired to ever live. A life with a different possibility. These lines should be far more sufficient for an average literature enthusiast to think what i would be talking about. But for more scientific and practical individual, imagine the possibility of a parallel universe wherein there is one more you, but living in a different place and timezone altogether. And that sets the tone of a story I am going to tell you.

So now, imagine yourself living in a different world. A real world. But a world where your community is still living under the threat of a more powerful one. Where civilisation has deepened its roots enough for two individuals to have a sensible talk between two men but not enough to erase the authority of a person with a gun. A land where he who has the gun wins all the arguments. And you being a part of a lesser privileged community, which is being oppressed and exploited by a more powerful ones, are nothing but angered and frustrated. Aggression flowing through your veins, but does not get a chance to show its colours. You sulk and yet have no way to explore the realms of your anger. Atleast not with the world around you.

This feeling was so predominant amongst our pre independence indians, who lived under the oppression of the British. But even before that, there has always been oppression. Of some or the other community. By a self proclaimed higher section of the society. Power play has always been about stronger weapons, more education or simply more money. Even the naxalite movement is a reason of some oppression somewhere by more powerful one on to the weak. The feeling of oppression is evident amongst so many communities. Imagine what if even the farmer decided to rebel instead of hanging himself. That becomes yet another movement.

And with this searing feeling of oppression, one day you decide to rebel. With no option in mind, you choose to face your fears. You choose to rebel against the pre defined status quo of the society which was simply bestowed upon you, without even the slightest consent. You were labelled as the weaker section for no fault of yours.

Now imagine you being a part of such a weaker section. And you have rebelled. For once imagine a life beyond the closed walls of your fancy life. A life of a rebel. Avoiding the law, fighting the system which was meant to further oppress you. Fighting an enemy who is so difficult to be identified as a sole source of your apathy. And to give acceleration to your rebellious movement, you leave your loved ones behind. You get engrossed into the fight. Even though you are a person who would have happily slept on a grass field looking at cloud for hours, and now you are here fighting a war, which has made you a completely different person. Your wishes to live a normal life has got buried deep down in the fate which destiny planned for you. Never to return back.

And now imagine, while fighting your war against this oppression, this enemy, and running away from the law, one day, in broad daylight, may be running through a paddy field like a freedom fighter, you get hit by a bullet in your back shot by one of the lawkeeper. A bullet which has pierced your back and left you a wound which is going to kill you for sure. You just have few more dying moments on this earth.

You stumble on the ground and your entire life flashes in front of your eyes in a moment. You think that you never wanted all of this. You never wanted this fight. It was not you who chose the fate of your own destiny. You never got a chance to choose. You just followed the path laid down by your destiny. a fateful destiny. And you know that this bullet has cost you your life. In some time, your eyes will close forever. And at that time, you so damn wished the life to have been something different.

You would wish something better. More peaceful. In those last dying moments, you would imagine those never spoken words you always wanted to tell to your loved ones. Or probably a dream or passion you always wanted to pursue. And all this would just be a thought as you would be dying. All you would want from life in those dying moments would be one chance to change everything and live a peaceful life. 

And you breath for one last time. And you are gone. Into the oblivion of past tense like so many lives before you on this planet earth.

Story Ends.

The best part about this story and all the imagination you did right now is not that you died being a freedom fighter. But that you still have a life wherein you can still fulfil all those dreams and passion you always wished for. And you can still say everything you ever wanted to say to someone or anyone. You are living a much better life. Its really worth putting it to a good use. Otherwise even in this life your dying wont be any different than dying with a bullet shot the back.

First few shower's

Its 2 am. I just finished watching the FIFA WORLDCUP second match of the first day between France and Uruguay. Nobody scored, and I cursed both the teams for wasting my sleeping hours. Came to my room (den) to write a blog for criticising the hype created by this FIFA. (Specially when a team like France is not able to score even a single goal. What the hell were they practicing all this months?? May be “How not to score any goal and not loose”. But then suddenly I witnessed for the first time at leisure the rain outside my window. Couldn’t resist opening the window and getting the freshness of rain on my face. And the thought of criticizing the FIFA just went into the recycle bin of my brain. FIFA got saved.

Now the topic was clear. But then everyone knows the specialty of that first shower of the season. The aroma of soil, the wind, the lightning (Not always though) and excitement. But my excitement was more to do with my past feeling associated with the rains rather than the present feel of the rain.

Just remembered the time I used to play Football on road with my boys gang during my teens. And we did use to score pretty number of goals. (France... Please take a note of this). Though we always had shortfall of footballs… coz roads have vehicles on them and footballs are not made to come under the tires of any auto or bike and still not burst.

Remembered the rainy season in college days. Never did I carry an umbrella in my entire college life. Somehow I did manage pretty well. Any nowadays I need an umbrella even to go to any nearby shop. Perfect sign which shows that I have grown old. (and boring). Many a times while going to college I did get all wet to such extend that I could not attend a lecture. But then that was so normal for a backbencher like me. Hahaha.

Remembered the few instances when had some romantic moments in the rain. Wow. The girl was all wet. (No pun intended) Me too. And that lightening with a loud bang. Scary enough to drive the girl into my arms with lightening speed. ;) But then the only issue was that there were too many arms. Coz I would be in a crowd of students with the girl being totally stranger to me. In rainy season, even if you don’t know a girl, something really clicks and there seems to be a start of a romantic love story. The only problem being that the girl should also feel the same. But then I guess with guys like me (purely average) that’s the problem in all the seasons. Hehehe.

Also remembered the Mumbai rainy season in the year 2005 where every thing just came to a standstill. Every person living in Mumbai cant forget that. Wow. Now that’s what I call a rainy season. I really pitied the people living in Cherapunji (the place with highest rainfall in India). And felt Bombay to have got transformed into another Cherapunji during those 3 days.

In my life many beautiful things have happened in the rainy season. Many of my life changing decisions have happened in rain. Believe me. It may sound exaggerating but major twists in my life have happened when I was either completely or partially drenched in rain.

A biotechnology student who was more interested in becoming a flight steward and had got approval from his mother to become one… changed his mind to do MBA and joined classes for CAT. That happened purely because of rains. It was that one day when it was raining so heavily and I was supposed to go and get MBA entrance exam details (just for formality to show my parents) and also visit Frankfin Academy to enroll myself for Steward training. Coz that’s what I wanted to be. But I got so drenched in rains that day that I decided to postpone my visit to Frankfin keeping in mind that the first impression has to be good. And since I was least bothered about doing a MBA, impression least bothered for making an inquiry in one of the coaching classes for CAT. I still remember the expression on the face of the counselor at that coaching class when she looked at me… all wet from head to toe. Water was dripping from my pants and t shirt. She got even more pissed when I sat on one of the chairs. But I cared a damn. But later I actually got enrolled in the same class and did my MBA. Now that's a twist.

Now whenever I look at rains… I do remember that one fateful rainy day. Also the view of a heavy loud rain shower does fill my heart with the thoughts of many people. Like the friend with whom I had got stuck at one place for 2 full days because of rains. That place was my home. Or that memory of someone with whom I had witnessed a wonderful rainy evening. Or that cousin with whom I used to ride bicycle in rainy season. Wow. Sometimes it seems that life is all about collecting memories.

And while writing this blog, the last thought that came to my mind was what does this rainy season has in store for me?? May be something as refreshing and beautiful as the rain itself. :)