Enlightenment

The last couple of weeks have been pure enlightenment for me. As in can you believe it that people have really been practicing what I have been preaching for so long. I mean look at the first instance. During my school days I had inculcated quite a habit of saluting our family deities right on the day of the examinations. They used to happen every Friday and the sudden surge of respect used to be quite “special” on Fridays (the day of the exams). My father used to say, “Faith does not come, one day a week. Its plain superstition” while I felt, who cares till the results keep coming! Long into college I realized the futility of the exercise although I firmly believed that I achieved whatever I did in school due to this and my exterminations in merit lists thereafter has been the slow dilution of this “faithful” superstition.

But, look at the world now. If Mulayam Singh wins this year’s UP assembly elections, you know who he has to praise. I mean, let life of humans go to hell (afterall they are routine activities anyway). How can you coerce someone to go to Noida / Nithari when you know fully well that rotten place is jinxed. I mean the poor guys lost his all important elections last time around since he went to Noida. And the point has been reiterated by not just him but, many more of his successors. Lousy, old, callous allegors.

I have always had a good taste for edible stuff and my more than portentous look is testimony to the fact that well although I have not survived on grabbing food from fellow diners, but “being well fed” is surely an understatement for me. And yes, all those experimental chefs out there, you can try your stuff on me, since I am just the right kind of person to appreciate a grand gourmet.

But lo and behold. I got competition now. My newest celebrity in town has a “taste for good non vegetarian cuisine" as well. With traces of flesh on his oven, the cops have been trying thick and fast to cover things up. But, the nexus between our very old Moninder, his aide and the harbingers of law have been laid quite well now. And who knows, our friend might have been sharing his “lip smacking snacks” with the high and dry of society. Burp!

My father has always had a pertinent question for me. What do you do for half an hour in the loo. The answer has always been a sheepish smile. And from there on, I have always been trying to bring it down to much more bearable limits (it is now!! Believe me!). And if you do not, then ask “Very Very Special” da. When the world was lost in the furore of the significance of 10.48 AM, our Special dada was having one of those tranquil moments which people like me and him cherish. Hope my dad understands now! Sigh!

And oh yes, who can forget my talent of foresight. During my college days, our first year was undoubtedly the most wonderful. That was because before we learnt the IIT lingo and got used to being “frust” in life, the analytical bug had helped us understand threadbare where the regional jingoism lies. So although it was not as fanatic as some that I have seen in many other institutions, we understood quite well where the loyalties would lie. Because most of my colleagues were from three important IITian breeding joints in the country: Hyderabad / Vizag, Bokaro / Patna and the ubiquitous Kota.

Hence, last week while commuting in our dear old Mumbai local, I found the glaring fonts from the Times of India heralding that the government had ratified that there would be three more IITs. And I knew where they would be. So when I checked it had to be Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan in that order.

And still you doubt that I am not just a mere mortal!! Buddha, I am here…..