Coffee and a Cig

"You want to go for a cup of coffee?" asked Kat.
"Sure, although I want to go for a smoke, I will join you." replied Sid.


They walked on the winding foot path leading to a small open cafe. That was their usual meeting place. While it seemed like they were dating, they weren't. They were what at best two casual friends can become. Kat was as addicted to coffee, as Sid was to fags.

"When are you planning to leave that bad habit?"
"Whenever you leave yours!"

"What? Coffee is nor as addictive and neither as unhealthy as cigarettes."
"OK, whatever, addiction is addiction. You can't leave it one fine day. It takes time. Well can you leave your coffee, well say today?"

"Yes I can. If I believe it is very unhealthy. OK lets do one thing, I wont have coffee today, you don't have your cigs. We will both go and have apple juice then."
"Whatever. We will see."

"No promise me, we will start from today."
"OK OK. Lets go about it today. And the time I catch you having a sip of that caffeine-heavy drink, you will know where the smoke is coming from!"

"Uh waiter, please get us two glasses of fresh Apple juice." "So, hows auntie and uncle?"
"Gosh, tum bhi na roz roz. You ask me the same question everyday. I hardly call them, say once a week."

"Well, you should call them more often then. They are your parents! Anyways, how is your old friend these days? The one who used to call you like five times a day?"
"Well, that friend is no longer in my life. I am damn happy about this fact. And no more questions on this topic."

"OK, well" In the meantime the waiter came and served them two glasses of Apple Juice. "Well this doesn't look fresh. Waiter....... did you bring it out of a can?"
The waiter totally ignored the question and took the glasses away, and quickly brought two new glasses which apparently satisfied Kat.
"Well that's what you call fresh juice!"
"You are too particular! Loosen up!"

"Why should I loosen up? You know what happens when one drinks canned juice?"
"What? One dies? Right" "Ha ha ha, as I said loosen up"

"Ok ok. Anyways, so where were we?"
"In a cafe!"

"Ha ha ha, nice joke really. That is what your idea of loosening up was?" "Ha ha ha."
"Yes. I have another idea."

Sid got up and kissed on Kat's cheeks.

"What are you doing Siddhi. You are a girl."
"Well Kartik, being a boy you should be the one doing this long ago!"

to be continued....

Wounded Soldier

Silence. That is what it was. The bullet hit my stomach and tore it apart. And I had become silent. I was famous for my very loud war cry, but today a small bullet had silenced me. The purpose of standing in the way of that bullet was unclear to me once it hit me. Why was I prepared to die for my country? If I kill a hundred soldiers behind the enemy line, what would the country give me? Then it came to my mind, satisfaction to have served the nation. But the question arises, what comprises of a nation? Geographical proximity, cultural history or just a sovereign government? Is it a group of people who are governing this country, are the people whom I am really serving. They represent the nation. But do they?

I am about to die and am confused. Am not a tiny bit satisfied with my death. Why should I protect my government when it just comprises of corrupt politicians. What will happen if I don't protect them. There will be another bunch of losers who will govern us. It may become a little worse, but it ain't getting better either right now. My soul cries, my senses die down and I think I have reached death, I think I have finished my journey, I think I will soon fade away in this brightly lit universe.

It must be days after which I would have opened my eyes. Oh dear, so what they said was true. There is indeed life after death, cause last time I checked, I was dying. But then, it wasn't so rosy as I had thought, I was still residing in that dark universe. I was saved by a doctor, to be thrown back into this universe, which I despised greatly now. But it was worse, I was paralysed, and wasn't able to walk. I was thrown out of the army, paralysed, without a job to do, and a meagerly pension to live with.

It would have been better if I would have died, I thought. I was a wounded soldier, the worst form a human being can be in. Then I thought the nation will help me. Obviously, I was willing to die for it. I applied for a bench job at the Army Head Quarters, and was lets say, deemed unqualified. Damn, I never completed my studies, I had always wanted to serve my country. To fight for it. To protect the sovereignity. To do what? To become a wounded soldier.

Shh.......

Silence. It is sometimes so deafening, sometimes golden. Silence makes me think. It makes me shout at the top of my voice. It makes me tick. I somehow grow in silence. There are so may silent instances that have shrieked and have made me stand up and think.

Yes I was silent. Totally silent - no "Oh!"s or anything when Dhoni got out in India's World Cup match against Sri Lanka. But the "Oh" was so loud that I could hear it in my sleep the day after and many more instances when I saw the Indian team in chronicles.

It was dark and silent when I saw something on TV which I never could have imagined in my lifetime. Yes it was a quiet evening in early September. It was so dark that it blinded my images for days to come, it was so vivid and yet so silent. The aghast faces of people in Manhattan were so silent from inside that they were shouting at the top of their voices.

Then it is a silent refusal to a child beggar. You know that you really want to help this child - but begging won't lead them to anywhere. But the indifference around you shuts you up. You become silent. You refuse the child who is willing to cry for money. Remember when I used to cry for chocolate when I already had had one.

Then it is a silent nod when you stare at the TV and obey to what the politicians say. Last two weeks I had a crash course on politics when I saw a ministry's tyranny. When I thought that I never have voted - I deserve these leaders. People talk of rebellion Rang de Basanti style. But they remain silent. They just nod and accept what leaders say. Because we are used to being told what we should do.

Our heart is always silent. It doesn't speak a thing. It never will until it dies out in pain. Because it knows what it has to do. We all one day become like the heart. Take in the bad blood, do our duty! Silently - that is.

Finally, one dies silently. Everything inside is silent! Our body silences itself. No matter one wants to cry. The body is happy to be silent - this silence is golden!