She Did Not Know

She held in her dirty hands,
A Clean Crisp Note.
She touched her Chin to it,
To soil the note.
She held in her dirty hands,
A Once Crisp note,
How & Why it lay in her hands,
She did not know.

She remembered collecting bottles,
To give somewhere,
She remembered collecting plastic,
To give somewhere,
And She remembered the crisp note,
It came from there somewhere.
But What she would do with it,
She did not know.

She saw people, clean and bright,
Walking hurriedly along.
She saw cars, glossy and fast,
Flying people along.
She tried to look at herself,
She saw a cloth in rags.
She felt her rough stiff hair,
It too was in rags.

She sat in this safe place where none,
Might drive her away.
Other People too sat there, she would tense,
But Buses would soon take them away.
Others saw her, dirty and looking with lost moist eyes,
What is she doing here?
Before they could Wonder and Answer her,
The buses Thankfully took them Away.

A lone man saw her, spent his time and let buses pass,
He wanted to answer her.
He went to her and handed his pocket of coins.
Take it he said, to those moist eyes.
She looked at him and the coins, She did not know why,
She paused, wondered, and took it.
The man went and searched for buses to take him away,
He had answered her, he felt relieved.


She held in her dirty hands,
A once crisp note,
And She held in those dirty hands,
A few shiny coins.
She took out a coin, and looked into it,
She saw someone familiar in it.

She held in her dirty hands,
Notes and coins,
How and Why she got it, What to do with it,
She did not know.
She took out a coin again and looked into it,
And saw that someone again.
Who was that who looked back, she wondered,
She just did not know.

She looked at people, walking hurriedly along,
Could anyone answer her, she wondered.
She did not know.

-nanda
True happenings with imagined feelings.

Life throws at you some powerful moments,
Out of everyday simple life.
You can either take it and try to feel it,
Wonder why and why not.
There might be no answer.

Or you can always just take a bus,
And run away from it.

Das M.A, L.L.B

Reader-friendly pdf here:pdf

Das M.A, L.L.B stepped on to the bus and took his usual seat. Marked reserved for senior citizens like him, 65 years and above. It was a pair of seats at the end of bus, just behind the rear wheels. He thought it illogical to seat old men at the bumpiest part of the bus. “Oh well, It really doesn't matter in the end”, he felt.

Over the years, people lost track of his full name. His qualifications gradually took on the role of his surname, and his surname stood now for his first. What was his first name? It took a second even for himself to fish it out of his foggy memory. He wished he too didn't end up losing it in course of time. He adjusted his heavy spectacles oiled with age over his ears and thought that even if he did forget, “Oh well, It really doesn't matter in the end”

The bus would leave this first stop exactly at 9:30 AM. Plus or minus ten minutes. And Das would be on it every alternate day. He alternately visited his only immediate family, his son and daughter, since his wife had departed and he had sold away his house soon after. He paid these visits more to spend time with his grand-children than to see his children. He loved his grand-kids and they too loved the bespectacled old man with white hair who wore only white. He carried chocolates for them every single day and so he held them in his sway. His son, however would drop him at his daughter's house the next day. Why to trouble his son in this manner he worried sometimes. “Oh well, It shouldn't matter in the end”, he felt.

On these bus days, he would quietly observe the stream of passing passengers. At any time, he would see people across all ages. Looking out of the window, he would see more people. Everyone has a place to be, a place to go to. Life is one long Journey. Life is Motion. Life has a final destination? Everyday you need to be somewhere. And there are days when you wish you weren't where you were. “Oh well, It doesn't really matter in the end”, he sighed.

Today he saw a child with his mother. The small boy wore his uniform of khaki shorts and blue checked half-shirt. He looked gloomy. His mother on the other hand showed evident displeasure. The boy didn't do well in his tests perhaps, Das thought. He laughed to himself. The boy's mother probably was thinking that she bore a failure. He vaguely remembered instances of his own son and wife in such situations. And he chortled a little bit more discreetly. He felt like telling the mother, “Oh don't worry, You'll see that in the end, it really doesn't matter”

Halfway through the trip, the bus was crowded and many were standing. Among them was a middle aged man, 40 perhaps, or 50. Das saw him holding on to his luggage and was finding it difficult to balance and stand. He was eyeing people who were sitting one-by-one. Das thought he was trying to evoke sympathy and get himself a seat to sit. Das saw uncertainty in the man. Das remembered his middle-age phase. You have to give up a lot on how you used to be. You have to prepare yourself for what eventually you'll end up to be. Like everything, this also will pass, Das felt like telling the man. “And in the end you'll see, that it really doesn't matter”

It was now the last stretch of the journey and a young man came and sat just in front of Das. He was wearing a strap bag on his shoulders and now he kept it on his lap. He looked smart, and Das thought he must be in college or probably he might even be working. And of all the people, Das had seen today, this young man looked the most sullen. He was staring out of the window and it seemed like he was trying to spot clouds, and then find the silver lining in them. He was lost in the deluge of the infinite blue sky. Das saw him tensely gripping a phone in his hand and every now and then, he would stop looking out and glance at his phone like he was expecting something to happen. Poor man was tormented and it could mean only one thing. Only one thing can put a man, in the prime of his youth through such torture. It had to be a woman. Maybe he is just missing her or maybe they had a fight and he is worried, Das thought. And Das knew quite well how it felt to be so. He remembered his courting days with his yet-to-be wife. He unexpectedly had to work temporarily in a different city far away from her. With passions flying between them, he remembered the only way to satiate them was through writing letters. But this meant the correspondence would often take 3 days and sometimes up to even 6. He remembered how he felt when her letters would arrive,

I Read this Letter of Letters,
Where the River of Ink courses through,
I follow along the Curves and their Loops,
Which Promise Me My Fiery Desire.

They Pull me towards in Spirals,
I Lose myself in their Sweet Speech,
And Blind myself in the Images that Reflect,
They Pour me with Life, Her Letters of Life.

Lost in these thoughts, he awoke in a jolt from them. His stop was now just a minute away. He felt like talking to the young man, “Oh young man, brighten up! The passions will pass, the torments will end, your love will be yours, and your's alone. And then you will see with time that, in the end, it all really doesn't ..”

Before Das could finish the sentence in his mind, he saw the young man suddenly sit up. He was glowing now. And the sun too had changed sides to cast rays upon him. Das was surprised and was at a loss to comprehend what had happened. He stared clueless at the young man, and as he arose to proceed towards the exit, he caught a glimpse of the phone in the young man's hand. And there on the screen were displayed just two characters.

And there on the screen were just two characters- :)

Das had learnt what that meant a few months back from his grandchild. His past flashed by him all over again. He wished he could relive, and escape those difficult times like this young man did, in just an instant. He remembered those days of wait to hear from her, those harrowing days of agony, sweeping all over him. Thoughts of his Khushi visited him all over again.
How he had wished he could be with Khushi always,
How he had wished there would not even be a grain of friction between them, and
How he had wished there would not even be a second of time uncommon between them.

Khushi, talk to me,
Khushi, write to me,
Khushi, come to me,
Khushi...

He tried to shrug off these thoughts, and he knew he would fail.
He heard a faint voice whispering, “In the end, it really doesn't ...... ”

But Das chose not to listen to that voice.

-nanda

for Khushi
:)

E.A.U

reader friendly pdf can be downloaded from here:pdf

He sat staring at the screen. He wondered when was the last time he looked anywhere else. It was for dinner he guessed. But how many hours ago was that. In his room with dark draped windows, he could not tell the passage of day and night. Flooded in artificial light, there was no sense of natural time. He went by his biological needs. Closing his eyes when he had to. Grabbing a bite when he had to. All his other time was spent working at his console. He worried if he could complete this work of his in reasonable time. He had to. Within this lifetime.

Imagine Singularity,
Embrace Homogeneity,
Denounce diversity,
Imagine Singularity.

Adnan echoed these slogans in his head and returned back to his world that lay designed in a multitude of lines displayed on his screen. Now and then he would ponder over a line. He would then stroke his long hair, glare at the problem, and would move further only when he had untied the knot he perceived it to be there. He went on like this for hours at a stretch. He heard the door bell ring and he shouted "Come In" assuming it to be the maid. He didn't even look back. It had been a long time since anyone paid him a visit. He had seen to it that no one would disturb him by explicitly telling them that they weren't welcome. He didn't have time for anyone.

Rajam saw Adnan at his desk. He had changed a lot in the 5 years that Rajam had been out of the country. He still had his thick black framed spectacles on, but he had become more leaner, bordering on scrawny and mal-nourished with long hair that seemed matted in places. "Adnan! What has happened to you!?", Rajam startled Adnan. Adnan was surprised and he turned to look at Rajam. Surprise gave way to instant irritation which he made no effort to hide. "Rajam. Hi. I did not expect you to come unannounced", Adnan said crisply. "Unannounced! You have no phone, and you do not reply to my mails! What do you expect me to do?! The only way I know you are alive is through your weekly articles on technology in that magazine". Rajam spoke in an indignant tone. "Hmmm" came the terse reply, "What brings you here?" Adnan asked indifferently. "You Adnan You! What have you been up to these last 5 years. I heard you quit your job shortly after I left. No one has any idea what you are doing!" Rajam was still animated. "Well the magazine pays me enough for my needs Rajam, that is what I do", Adnan said. "Thats it?! Come on. You clearly have been working on something else. Those articles hardly take a few hours to write"

Adnan finally took his eyes off the screen and turned towards Rajam. He had been a close friend in his student years. He looked blankly at Rajam, noticing how he too had changed. He was more filled now. The good life he presumed. His head too shone a bit under the white light. He was looking at him with expectation in his eyes. To know what had happened to him. A lot had occurred, Adnan knew. He felt if he ever could tell any person what he was doing, it had to be Rajam. "I have been working on my dream Rajam, it is as simple as that. It requires my total devotion and that I have not failed at", Rajam felt a conviction in Adnan's words. "And what is this dream Adnan?", Rajam asked. Adnan wiped his oily face and rubbed his eyes. As he was preparing to speak, Rajam saw dark bags under his eyes. He hasn't slept a lot evidently he thought. "I call it E.A.U, 'Everything And yoU', it is a new operating system Rajam, entirely new". "An OS?! Entirely by yourself!? Are you the next Linus Trovalds?!", Rajam exclaimed and continued, "But why Adnan? Do not we have already too many?". "Don't you understand Rajam? That is exactly why, there are too many of them. Eau is going to change all that. It is going to replace all of them", Adnan replied. Rajam wasn't satisfied, "Explain it more Adnan!", he said. "Eau Rajam, Eau. Think of just one OS that runs on all your hardware. All your computers, all your embedded systems, everything. Imagine all your OS specific programs running without any hitch on this. Imagine it to be entirely free, zero bugs, and it runs how you want it to, just like any previous existing system you might have worked on with zero compatibility issues. Wouldn't you prefer such an universal OS Rajam?", Adnan ended his evocative speech. "It all sounds too good to be true Adnan, frankly", Rajam replied.

"That doesn't make it unrealistic does it, nor impossible. This is what I have been working on. This addictive desire to create an all possible OS. Eau, which means water in French Rajam. Tell me, what is the property of water?" Adnan quizzed. "Property? What do you mean by that?" "Its mould-ability Rajam!Pour it into any container, and it takes its exact shape in an instance. My Eau is just like that Rajam. Pour it into any hardware and it will instantly percolate through all its peripherals and invade all the silicon pathways. It will seamlessly integrate into the hardware and will result in one single entity", Adnan said with a flourish and his speech was wrapped with fiery passion. Rajam saw the intense sparkle in Adnan's eyes. He was speechless. He thought about it. He saw all monopolies vanishing, all inconveniences ending, an Utopia for the world of technology. He remembered Adnan in his university days, how he would rave about the philosophy of Richard Stallman, the guru of the free-software revolution. This Eau could very well be the pinnacle of that revolution. It had no reasons for failure if it worked the way Adnan said it would. Why wouldn't anyone not want to switch over to it if it worked the same way you wanted it to. It could be a hybrid version of all, and entirely free. Rajam ran over these thoughts within him, while Adnan quietly had turned back to his screen. Rajam started, "Adnan, this..", hesitated and continued,"this is visionary Adnan. It can change a lot of things". "Change it will. And this is just the beginning Rajam. My vision stretches far beyond what I have just said", Adnan replied. "More?! What more?!", Rajam felt his curiosity pricking out despite being numbed by Adnan's revelations.

"What else is unique about Eau Rajam, what else is unique about water?" Adnan asked. "Unique??" Rajam questioned back. "What can be unique about it? Its the most common commodity everywhere!" Adnan burst out in a sinister laugh at that moment. "That exactly Rajam, is its uniqueness. Everyone needs it. Food may be different, language may be different, humans are all different in many aspects, water is one thing that is common to entire humanity, sounds very trivial, but it is a fact. I am going to capitalize on the universality of Eau after it is established. Every distribution of Eau will have its unique instruction set translucently embedded. It will be present unobtrusively along with the previously existing system it emulates. Each task you perform, Eau will point out an easier alternative. With fewer keystrokes, with fewer clicks, it is going to simplify every task you perform Rajam, with its equivalent language. And it is going to be addictive, because people Rajam, are basically one lazy race. They want things easier for them. Eau is going to that for them. I call this the Eau-way. And I predict this affectation will spread into common language as well. It will all converge into one single language governed by Eau users! What we are going to then have is this unique universal language for humans just like there exists the unique machine language of one's and zero's. Imagine Rajam, this is going to be as common as the real Eau. Once this happens, people will be talking in Eau! Yes Rajam Eau! Imagine! It is going to be the single greatest unifying medium for all people in the world! Imagine!"

Rajam tried. It was beyond his capability. Beyond his entire gamut of thought. He never would have thought of world unity. He saw borders disappearing. He saw Eau as one fierce tsunami that would sweep across all bastions of technology, and soon would invade upon the world of humanity. He shuddered when he saw those fierce flickering eyes of Adnan again. It scared him. What Adnan was trying to achieve was transcendental. Adnan spoke, "Eau is going to encompass every aspect of our life one day Rajam. That day it no longer will be 'Everything And yoU'. It will be 'Everything And Us'. Eau Rajam, Imagine!" Rajam had imagined enough. He just closed his eyes now, and wondered if all this a mirage. He gathered courage and asked, "How far have you come Adnan, When will it be complete?". "It is almost over Rajam, I have equipped it for the present and the future", he pointed to a CD and said, "Here is version 1. But I have to complete the documentation and details of it so as to make it accessible to everyone" As he spoke the lights went out. He thundered, "Damn power cuts! They set me back by an hour everyday", but Adnan saw that it wasn't entirely dark. Light tunneled from behind Rajam. Suddenly his face drained and became pale. "Rajam, did you not close the door when you came in!?!", he shouted. "I must have forgotten Adnan", Rajam said puzzled by his outburst. "Close it Quick! Clo..", Adnan coughed on his words and collapsed on the floor. His face was wet with sweat and blood had completely drained out. His pulse was ebbing out. Adnan was no more. Rajam stared in horror.

Adnan's immune system had ceased normal functioning. A result of him being locked up indoors the entire 5 years. The open door and all the external pollutants and pollen had taken his life. Rajam took up to spread Eau. It took 5 years to decipher the complex instruction set and logic of Eau. The researchers gaped with amazement at the beauty of its design. It was unlike any. It was as beautiful as the marvels in microscopic life itself. Eau spread like a virus. At the end of another 10 years, it was the single OS the world over. At the end of another 15 years, Eau became the universal language which Adnan had envisioned it to be. Humanity now had a common platform. A common voice. It now remains to be seen how Humanity uses this gift to solve their discordant notes in all spheres.

The Best Things in Life Are Free

[PS: Listen to "imagine" by John Lennon]

Separation

I shouldn't have walked out on him that way. I should have stayed back a little longer and heard him out. He did ask for only a minute more. But his one minute never ends. It always ends up with another minute more. It would have been the same stories again, more reasons and reasons. Oh, why does he do this to me. He makes it all the more painful. I shouldn't let him take advantage of my weakness for him. It is done now. I am out here, away from him. Walking on the kerb beside this melee of cars and dust with the pleasant morning rays filtering in through the canopy. How many times would we have walked around this promenade here. How many times would we have burst out in giggles. How many times I would have been watery-eyed just by the thought of him being there with me. Yes, I am mad about him, and it is this weakness that makes me not to come in terms with this separation. But, how can I call it a weakness if he makes me so happy after all. How he has changed my world the past few years, I never imagined someone could enter your life and just change everything. Everything. And now, he is making this so painful. I almost feel guilty. But what can I do about it. He has to understand that it is for his own good. Will he?

Sona reached home. She had boarded her express train of thoughts and it brought her home before she realized. She went in and shut the door. She went over to his cot and lay. Her thoughts arrived in time yet again. She felt is starting all over. It was too much to bear. Why did she have to leave him. Why couldn't she have stayed a little longer. Why. She clenched her eyes shut and buried her head into the pillow. She tried to close away the sensations and emotions. She wanted to escape from it. She wanted out. She saw it all going blank, disappearing, dissolving, into nothing. She fell asleep.

The Bells tolled in a distant land,
Light of Twilight all over spanned,
So surreal it seemed, like dreams in sand.
The Bells tolled in a distant land.

"Sona! Sona! Wake Up! Why do you do this to yourself! You have fallen asleep yet again. I had to get the spare key from the neighbor. I rang the bell for so long!" It was Tariq bellowing at her. How would he know her pain she thought. She didn't even bother replying. She turned back and dug her head in like before.

Seeing this Tariq started in a mellow voice,"Sona, look now, see what I have got" .. " I don't want anything now Tariq, go out", Sona cut him off.

"Well OK, work got over early and I just happened to pass by that place you know. I spoke to them, and requested if they can finish it early today. And I gave some lame excuses as well. So, here he..". Sona jumped back alive and sat facing Tariq. "Is..", Tariq finished and He slowly stepped aside. Behind him hiding was tiny Saraf, reaching up only to his waist, still wearing his tiny little knapsack. He was was grinning from ear to ear.

"Mummy! I am home! Daddy got me home early!" his tiny voice screamed. This was really too much for Sona to bear. From the nether of dejection to the pinnacle of immense joy. All in a moment. She stopped resisting and let the flood of emotions take control. She ran and hugged and kissed and swept him off his feet and circled with him round and round. Sona got her tiny Saraf back.

Another day of nursery school ended for little tiny Saraf and his mother Sona.

A Half-Movie Adventure

My first short story(non-verse) post. A reader-friendly pdf version can be downloaded from here: pdf


The vehicle's engine flooded heat into the cave like cabin. Packed in this mini bus of sorts were about 20 kids and steadily increasing. With each stop and start, it would protest the added weight with a violent shrug, but to no avail. It would limber on reined in by the driver.

Akim was the last boy to be picked up in the circuit. And he didn't like it. He stayed just a couple of miles away but he wasn't allowed to walk the distance nor cycle it. He didn't mind the vehicle either. What bothered him was the piquant aroma that greeted him. The lunch boxes of the score and more of kids would be bursting out with the smell of a hundred spices, all mixed and churned and simmering in the heat of the bus.


He despised the pungency. He would persist in respiring through his mouth as much as possible. Discreetly. He generally never spoke much with anyone around. Bending down, elbow on knee, hands fiddling with his spiky hair, he would keep counting the seconds. It would average around 555 counts for the journey he had noted. Any attempts by the others to converse would be replied with a mono-syllabic answer. It was hard to speak without letting in some of the undesired smells he knew. And the others did not.

"We are here" "Move" "Move", some boy near him was shouting. 553, 554, 5 5 5! Heaving a sigh, He got down and made his way to class. Taking in a deep breath near the garden being watered. Mud and water, reminded him of the rains and the earthy fragrance of distant lands it brought along. He wished the monsoons would arrive soon.

He saw Deena and her group of girls occupying his part of the bench and talking and laughing. He waited outside class for the bell to send them back to their seats. Shy as he was, a pack of girls were his ultimate nightmare. 1,2,3,4,5,6.. the bell rang. Relieved, he went in and sat.

"Hi Dina". My words for the day are done he thought and braced himself for what would follow. He started in his mind, 1, 2, ..

"Hi Akim, what did you do yesterday? did u watch that show on TV, you know the one i told about. Don't tell me you missed it. Oh its Ok, you can watch it again today. Don't forget. did you do the homework though? It was easy, here look"

16, 17, phew. He stopped his count. "Ah uh, yeah" "Thats nice", he said and tried to force a stretch on his lips.

"Akim, what class do we have now? Oh today is Friday no, it will be English first and math next" and just as Dina was taking off in her verbal spree, the teacher entered. The class of 50 stood and greeted her. Everyone went about the tasks of the day, the blackboard was wiped clean, the attendance screamed, text books drawn out and read.

Akim tried to follow what was being read. He was distracted. A long stray hair of Dina was infringing on his sight of view. It was dancing around randomly being blown by the wind.
He edged out of his seat more. Dina looked at him confusedly. The first 2 classes were over and Akim came out to the small ground by the garden near the main gate for the short quarter hour break. During this time he would usually wait in class. Only rarely he would go out and play with the boys. Today however he was chose to amble along the ground. He saw the gate was open and approached it. The scary watchman was not to be seen. He was a tall, heavy, dark man with a long stick with him always. He sneaked a feet out and still no one there. He was surprised. He saw his watch, still ten minutes were left. He thought of running out to the shop nearby and getting some chocolates. A simple plan but was he brave enough to risk it. He estimated it to take just a couple of minutes at top speed. And he could always tell that he was searching for his missing pen. He had one last look and ran. 1,2,3,...59,60. "Two chocolates please uncle" "Thanks!" He turned back and ran. 98, 99, 100.... He stopped in his tracks. He saw a long stick menacingly peeking out of the gate. He could just make out those burly black hairy hands wielding it, and to his horror, the gate's opening narrowed inch by inch. It was closed.

.....119, 120. At the end of the two minutes he had succeeded in getting himself locked out of school. He stood there in shock, staring at the huge black gates.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and jumped in terror. "Are you running away from class??" A boy's voice asked with a slight chuckle. Akim turned around to see a boy about his age in faded khaki trouser and a blue-checked shirt too big for him. He was brownish in complexion, unkempt hair, and dark eyes. There was a small scar below his lip on his right cheek. He looked vaguely familiar.
"No No", Akim defended. "I came out to search for my pen. And they closed the gate!".
"What are you going to do now, shall i knock on the gate? But i am sure the watchman would not like it", the boy said. "How do you know about the watchman? Who are you?". Akim asked.
"I know everything about this school. I help the driver of one of the school bus", he said. Akim now remembered seeing him once or twice in the other bus. Thats how he seemed familiar.

"I can tell him i was searching for my pen" Akim said trying to sound convincing.
"No, he wont listen to you. You will be taken to the principal and be suspended", the boy told Akim grimly. Akim wore a dejected look. He was feeling very scared now. A simple want for chocolates had turned out to be a terrible mistake. The boy saw Akim's drooping face and said, "Don't worry. When the school leaves you can sneak in and get your things. No one will know. If anyone in class asks, tell you were sleeping in the sick room because you weren't feeling well".

Akim felt like agreeing to anything now. And this boy's idea did look reasonable enough to work. He felt a faint relief. He did not know where he would have ended up if this boy hadn't turned up. "But what do I do till then?" Akim asked. "Come with me, we will roam around a bit. Three hours left still". "But where do we go?" Akim asked. "Am going to watch a movie" the boy said frankly. Akim did not know what to say. A movie? Luxury in a time of crisis?? "No. i don't want to come!" Akim almost screamed. "Why? whats wrong? You don't like them?" the boy asked Akim. "No. It is wrong. What if someone sees me? I will get into more trouble!" "Hmmm alright. Don't be seen around here then. Go and sit in that park on the next road. Bye". Saying so the boy turned and walked away.

Akim stood alone in front of the gate and watched the boy walk away. He felt very lonely. He started to worry immediately. An eerie feeling crept around him as he stood there. He saw the boy turning round the corner. I may be found in the park too. There is no difference if I go to a movie or a park he felt. And I will have some hope and courage if the boy is around me, Akim reasoned and went after the boy.

"Wait, i am also coming", Akim spoke as he approached the boy. "Ha ha, ok good. Have you been to the Empire theater??" the boy asked him. "No, never heard of it", Akim said. "Never? Hmm. Maybe you go only to those places with many small theaters in a single building. This is different, there is only one big screen. And it is way cheaper than those places. And more fun", the boy spoke
the last sentence with a smile.
"Oh, how far is it?" Akim asked him. He had heard few times of these huge theaters from his father and had wondered how really big they were.
"Just two stops away from the bus stop. How much money you have on you?"
The boy asked him. Akim checked his pocket and found two ten rupee notes.
"Just this much. Is it enough?", he asked. "Yeah, just sufficient. Ten rupees for up and down travel. And ten rupees for the movie".
Akim thought it was very reasonable. Just Ten rupees for a ticket. Unheard of. He was intrigued to see this place. "Come fast, the bus is right there, run". They boarded the bus and were off. "I do not know much of buses. Have traveled in them very less. We always go by car".

Akim told the boy. "Oh, Which car you have? I have never been in a car". Akim was surprised. So different him and the boy were, he thought. And he wondered who this boy was. He never asked his name. "What's your name? I never asked. I am Akim". "Well Akim, we are here, get down"

"I am Karwa. And this is the theater I told you of" Karwa laid a hand on Akim's shoulder and gestured with the other towards the theater. Akim saw a huge poster of the hero of the movie. It had an equally huge garland of flowers and colorful ribbons all over the theater. It was so different. The parking lot was half-empty with only two wheelers. And he notice that the next show was two hours away. The timings board said the first show was already running. "Karwa, there is still so much time for the next show, and i it will get late for me. lets not go", Akim spoke. "Well Akim, I didn't tell you the entire thing. We are going to watch only half the movie. We are going in during the interval. I know the ticket man here. He lets me in for ten rupees if there are seats inside." He winked.

Akim had never imagined this. Half a movie! And the second half in that! "But what can anyone understand by watching just the second half?" Akim asked Karwa. "Its fun. When i get time i go watch the first half. I guess what happens or might have happened in the other half. Most of the times I am right. All these movies nowadays are so similar".
"Well alright, I have come so far. Lets watch half a movie" Akim said. "Ok wait here, I will go and speak to that man" Karwa left, and Akim was looking at the posters of past movies being displayed in a glass window on one of the wall outside. They were all quite old ones. He remembered
the names of one or two but hadn't seen them. They all had a '150 days', '200 days' in brass letters pinned above them. They must have been very popular movies Akim thought. It had been just a few minutes when Karwa returned. "He is going to let us in a minute when people come out for the interval. We have to sit in the first row. Give me the money". Akim handed over the ten rupee note. Soon people came out and they both went in.

Akim saw the imposing huge screen instantly. It was almost twice as big as anything he had previously seen. And there were no Air-conditioners here. Only rows of fans on either side projecting perpendicularly from the walls. And there were no normal seats either! Plastic chairs that one could move around! No one were sitting in the first row he guessed by observing that the chairs were all still aligned in a straight line. "Come, we will sit in the center" Karwa told Akim and leaded the way. They both sat down in the middle. Akim felt very tiny in front of the huge
screen. He looked at Karwa. He was beating on his arm-rests a rhythm with his hand and fingers. "Where do you live Karwa, don't you go to school?" Akim asked. "I live very close by to your school. No, I stopped going to school two years back when we moved to the city. My parents came to work. They work in those places where they build huge buildings. I may go to school again
next year." Akim was nodding his head. "I know to read and write a little though", Karwa added. Akim remembered the two chocolates, he felt like a thief when he thought what these two chocolates had made him gone through. He offered one to Karwa. "Here have one". "Oh a chocolate. Thank you Akim"

The movie resumed with an applause from the audiences along with a few high pitched whistle. "Do you know how to whistle like that Akim?", Karwa asked. "No i don't", he said. "Neither do I, my friend has promised me to teach how to. Ok now, shhh, lets watch". Akim was lost in the sights and sounds over-powering his senses. He almost felt being merged into the screen, like it was drawing him closer and closer, about to swallow him. He looked at Karwa once or twice and saw him laughing with his mouth wide open and enjoying. Now and then he would clap his hands if he found it very funny. Akim forgot about his problem at hand and he too enjoyed the half movie.

The movie ended and soon they were on their way back in the bus. "So this is what you do after the trip to school Karwa?" Akim asked him. "Not always, just once a while when i can afford it and I do not have work. The driver usually makes me clean the bus after the morning trip, and doesn't let me go out of sight. He just makes me sit along with him and the other drivers. They all make me do some small work for them" "Oh OK, and what do you do after work?" Akim asked again. "Just go home and wait for my parents to come. I will be playing with friends till then" Karwa told Akim. "And what do you do after school, Akim?", he asked. "I go home, eat a snack and watch TV. I don't play much. Not many friends nearby" Akim answered. "Ok, maybe I will see you sometime soon then. We can play cricket at the field near school", Karwa told Akim. "Sure Karwa, that will be nice". They got down and they were back near the school. "Just ten minutes left. Go in after some people come out ok, don't go immediately" Karwa instructed Akim who was nodding. Akim thought he will leave 5 minutes after the bell, time sufficient for everyone in class to empty out. "OK Karwa I will do that. Thanks for today". Akim told him. "No problem Akim, see you soon. I better go now, the driver man will be searching for me", he said smilingly. "OK, bye, see you soon" Akim waved and both shook hands and parted.

The bell soon rang, those gates were opened, Akim was hiding behind a tree few feet away. He went in as planned, none of his classmates came across him. He got his things from class and came and sat in his school-bus. Soon it was on its way. Akim tried looking in at the other buses for Karwa but he wasn't in them. He must still be behind or left earlier Akim thought. He was silent than usual at home. He did not want to show his excitement within. They may suspect something and question him, he was afraid. In bed he thought of the day's adventure. Of Karwa. Of the half movie. Of the huge movie screen. Of the plastic chair. He had his first adventure. He had ventured out on his own with Karwa and seen things totally new to him. He had met a new friend. He slept with a feeling of contentment that night.

His school bus arrived the next morning and Akim got in. None of the others seemed to give him attention. Akim's excitement had not ebbed. He spoke first for the first time to a boy next to him. "Have you seen a half-movie?" He asked with a glitter in his eye. He was not respiring by his mouth today. He took in and felt the aroma of the score and more lunch boxes mingling in his nose.

And he took in another deep breath.

Fini