Ignorance is probably the worst virus to have ever afflicted the human mind.

India- Then & Now

Once upon a time, before the world was demarcated by border lines and religions and Earth was taken over by the Human Race, there existed a tiny magical kingdom called India.
India was so named after its beautiful and generous queen, Indiana.
The inhabitants were a mixed lot consisting of elves, brownies, pixies, ghouls and goblins.
There were only two humans in the entire land.
The Queen, Indiana ; and an old wizard, who went by the name of T.Ray.
Those were magical times when feelings such as jealousy, hatred and discontentment were unheard of and everyone was equal. Nobody was poor because nobody was rich. Even Indiana led a simple life, inspite of the fact that she ruled the land and could have had anything she wished for.
But she lived in a small wooden cottage where she grew pink and white lilies in the front lawn and a small vegetable garden in the backyard.

In India, the daily assembly addressed issues that were settled in front of the whole kingdom.
The inhabitants helped each other whenever they could and feelings of animosity were alien.
The only person who was not satisfied was T.Ray. A wizard by birth, he was the most powerful man in the entire kingdom and was called whenever someone was ill or needed a stroke of good luck.
The wizard secretly desired to be the King and make radical changes throughout India. He wanted to drive out the goblins from the land and assign important positions to the elves, who were an innocent lot and worshipped and admired the wizard because of his magical powers.

One day, after much deliberation, the wizard decided to speak to Indiana and to show her a magic preview of what the ideal India would be like if only she would let him make a few changes. He knew he would never be able to fulfill his dream without her consent, as Indiana was the most powerful woman in the entire world and nobody ever dared to refuse her word.
The wizard woke up early in the day and got ready for the daily assembly.
By the time he reached the assembly venue, the daily issues had been resolved. T.Ray-the wizard, went to see the queen who welcomed him, unaware of his propositions.
The wizard explained to her how beautiful a world he thought it would be, if they drove out the goblins from their land.
Indiana listened to him patiently and tried to reason with him, telling him all living beings had a right to live wherever they wanted to and that the great kingdom of India had never discriminated against any section of people. She warned him that such an action would cause unrest among all the inhabitants and disturb the peace.
But the wizard was not willing to listen.
He thought he had formulated a perfect theory for existence and felt insulted that Indiana didn't welcome his views.
Finally, when Indiana saw that the wizard was not going to relent, she started fearing the outcome of his obstinacy.
She banished T.Ray from the kingdom forever and asked him to leave India within the next two days.
Feeling dejected and insulted, T.Ray experienced an alien feeling take over his entire being. Always hailed as the wisest man in the entire land, he had not foreseen the possibility of the Queen declining his suggestions.
Anger and an urge to wreak havoc began to dominate his thoughts and he vowed to avenge himself.
He went down to his basement where he stored all his magic potions and brews and began to practice his black magic.
T.Ray concocted a strong magical potion and with the help of a few of his faithful elves, sprayed the potion over every vegetable garden in the entire kingdom, with the exception of the Queen's garden which was always heavily guarded by the ghouls.
Within the next one day, every brownie, pixie, elf and goblin had eaten from their vegetable gardens and the magic potion sprayed over the vegetables made every inhabitant go mad.
They started behaving in a most peculiar fashion. Arguements and disagreements became commonplace and everyone resorted to reacting violently at the slightest provocation.
The only unaffected people were Indiana, because she consumed only the vegetables which she grew in her own private garden which had not been infected by the magic potion; and of course, the wizard himself, who had by now left India.

It didn't take long for the queen to realize what had happened and she immediately issued a series of edicts governing public safety.
But now, since she was the only one left who could think in a rational manner, her words of wisdom were misunderstood by the inhabitants and they together stormed her cottage and beat her to death.

Elsewhere, the wizard saw in his crystal ball all that had happened due to his magic potion. He was not a cruel man, just greedy for power and status. He started repenting all the trouble his actions had caused and his guilt for causing Indiana's death became so enormous that he went into solitary confinement and his mind deteriorated. He became a mad man and lost all sense of reason. He travelled all over the world looking for Indiana to appologize to her. But Indiana was already dead and the kingdom of India was being divided again and again - sometimes by the pixies, sometimes by the goblins, till all that was left of it was small pieces of land that its inhabitants called States. The pixies stayed in one state, the elves in another, the goblins in yet another and so on. Nobody came for anybody's assistance.
The effects of the magic potion were so strong that it had now permeated itself into the very soil where all vegetables were grown.
Everyone went mad and behaved in as violent an irrational a fashion as they could- sometimes in the name of religion, sometimes in the name of politics and sometimes without any excuse at all, till the very name of India was wiped from the face of the Earth.
And what happened to the wizard? Well, that's another story altogether.......

David's Turn

If there was one thing David hated more than going to the dentist, it was shopping for fresh vegetables. Shifting to India had not been something he and his wife Laura had taken kindly to. They missed London. Travelling in the tube had been replaced by travelling in the local train, the clean roads replaced by streets that would have been mistaken for garbage dumps back in London.
But the worst was grocery shopping. While most things were easily available at the corner shop, for some strange reason, the Indians insisted on selling vegetables in an open market they called subzi mandi. Sure, the bigger supermarkets did house the same vegetables for sale, but the rates were steep and Laura and David couldn't afford luxuries yet. This particular chore was on nobody's favourites list and they finally compromised that to be fair, they would take turns to get it out of the way.
That particular Friday, it was David's turn and since morning he had been dreading getting off work. Loud, shrill voices of vendors , the flies that invariably settled on the wares, and the wayward rotten tomato that always met its end under David's foot welcomed him to the mandi.
He stood at the entrance with his empty cloth bag that would soon be brimming over the top with his purchases for the day. Taking a deep breath , he ventured forth and started haggling with a woman over the price of cucumbers.
Forty five minutes later, he took out his list from his trouser pocket and checked one last time for any items he might have missed. Satisfied, he neatly folded his list and replaced it while trying to find his way out of the open market.
As soon as David reached his car he felt someone tugging at his trousers. He impatiently turned around and realized it was a child. David had been warned about beggars and peddlers by his colleagues at work, but this child, a girl no more than five, didn't look like a beggar to him. She was smartly dressed in a white and pink frock and had ribbons in her hair. She was wearing thick children's sunglasses, the kind that balloon vendors sold in India.
David could see she was scared and feared she would start crying any moment. She was obviously lost and he felt he couldn't possibly leave her wandering there alone.
He bent down to face her and asked softly," Are you lost, dear?"
"No, I'm not losted, Mommy is losted," she replied.
David smiled at her innocence and gently patted her head.
"Well, lets look for your losted, I mean, lost Mommy then, shall we," he said offering his hand.
The little girl smiled," You help?"
"Yes dear, I will. Now whats your name?" David asked, pulling his hand back when he realized the girl was not going to take it.
"Baby."
"Haha...okay baby, it would be easier for us to find your Mommy if we went together, so why don't we hold hands and look for her," David said , taking the little girl's hand.
He took her to the main entrance and asked ,"Do you see your Mommy, baby?"
"No," she said simply.
"Hmm.....then we might have to go inside."
They went inside and each time David asked her if she saw her mother anywhere, Baby gave him the same response. No.
"I wanta go home," Baby said after more than half an hour had passed.
"We can't leave your Mommy here alone, can we?" David tried to reason with her.
"Mommy near car."
"Well, then let's head for the parking lot instead of wasting our time here," David's patience was running thin.
"Children! The same everywhere. Brats!" he thought to himself.

As soon as they reached the parking area, he saw a number of people huddled together in one corner.
"Probably an accident," he thought to himself, deciding that if he didn't find the child's mother in the next 5 minutes, he would take her to the nearest police station.
He then heard the sound of a woman wailing coming from the centre of the huge gathering of people.
He couldn't make out what she was crying about because she was saying something in the Indian native tongue he hadn't even begun to master yet.
One of the men gathered around the woman suddenly started pointing at David and yelling something. David was initially taken aback but then realized that it could mean only one thing. The crying woman was Baby's mother and the man had recognized the girl from the description the lady would have given of the child.
David led Baby to the centre of the small crowd and the mother rushed to her lost child, smothering her with kisses and comforting words.
She finally looked at David and said," Bless you! Where did you find her?"
"Well, to be honest, she found me. We've been looking for you since almost the last one hour. Have you been standing next to your car all this while?" David said, allowing his irritation reflect in his words.
"No, of course not,"the lady replied," We've been searching for her all over the place too. But this is a huge place. Though if I'm not mistaken, I did see you more than once this evening."
"I am probably the only white man in this market. How could you miss me?" David said.
"I'm sorry. I just didn't think that my child would be with someone like you," the lady apologized.
"How did she know you'd be here?" David enquired.
"I told her that if she ever got lost she must tell someone to take her where all the cars are," the lady replied pointing towards a man Baby was now hugging ," Her father was looking for her in the parking lot while I searched inside"
"What puzzles me," said David, softening a bit," how come your child didn't once see any of you either? The parking lot is not that big"
The lady looked at him in bewilderment and said," How could she? Baby can't see at all."

That night while driving back home , David silently thanked the Lord for making him go to the mandi that day. He was glad that it was his turn. To do a good deed.

@#$%

i see him standing blocking my way out
i see him flash his lecherous grin
i know its another night of pain for me
and i know tonight i pay for my sins

he comes towards me as i lay paralysed
i see him slowly unclench his fists
i see venom dripping from his eyes
as he slowly wets his lips

i scream but i know its of no use
i cry and i yell for all i'm worth
but tonight's the night i lose
my faith in goodness on this earth

"stop", i plead and beg for mercy
"it hurts", i say and fall to the floor
"no use bitch" is all i hear
as i try to make a dash for the door

he reveals the weapon he so loves
and i shudder at the very size of it
and as it pierces my tender skin
it gives me an ecstatic hit

i hate myself for loving the effect
as he cleans the injection of my blood
he whispers "i'll be back for ur dose tomorrow"
"yes i'll be back till ure hooked on drugs"

just felt like writing something on this topic. don't worry, i'm not into drugs. never will be.

DIPSY Doodles

PROLOGUE

It was not very long ago that I read this line in some book:
"What is written without feeling is read without pleasure"
Some writer of spiritual books i think...you know...the kind that claim to change your lives forever soon after you're done reading the damn book. Hell if my written work could become a best-seller and get me a million, I'd write with feeling too. I'd bloody make a stinking stew out of feelings of love and hate; jealousy and redemption; of monks and their ferraris; of shepherds and buried treasures....I'd spin the craziest yarn you could dream of....

But you know how it is. There's always a catch. You've got to be somewhat of a recluse to come up with a story like that. People don't think you've "lived " enough when you're just 23 and you feel you have a story to tell the world.
They think you're just another confused soul, who is getting used to the idea of becoming an adult (never mind the fact that it's already been 5 years since you've officially had to carry that burden).
No-one ever took me seriously as far as I can remember.
Not that I really blame them.
When I was born my folks named me Dipsy. I guess they thought they were being funny but try going through life with a name like that and you'll realize what a sick sense of humour they had.
i mean, really! Which parents in their right minds would name their daughter DIPSY??!!
All through my academic life I dodged sad jokes like "Hey guys! I got the chips! Who's getting dips-ee?"

Anyway, thats not what this story is about. But I guess it's only fair that i let you know what I'm like before we get down to business, right?

So anyway, I'm 23 and I'm done with my graduation. And now Dad wants me to do some other course,you know, like get settled professionally and stuff.
I'm not too ambititious though. I mean yeah, I'd like to work and stuff but I got a story to tell before I start doing any of that.
And you look like the kind of person who's got enough time and patience. I think I'll tell you.
Now my story doesen't have any mythical creatures or passages that would send you on a soul-searching trip. It's just a simple tale of the life of a girl I knew like the back of my hand.

Encounters

It had been an unusually busy week for Sammy.
He was happy with the way his work had been treating him, but honestly, 36 straight hours in the office without a moment to collect his thoughts were a bit too much even for him. The last time he remembered being absolutely alone was when he was freshening up in the office restroom for his meeting. And those few moments of solitude had been interrupted with the loud Venky barging in with his frequent burps and toothy grins.
It was 23.30 p.m. on a Saturday night by the time Sammy finally left office. He was looking forward to a Sunday full of Playstation gaming, beer and reclining on the Lazyboy he hadn't quite had the chance to use yet.
At 29, Sammy was undoubtedly what girls and their mothers would have called a "a Prime catch"....something that his Mom couldn't stop gloating about and something that made Sammy feel like a trout. He was tall, lean and conventionally good-looking. A workaholic, he had quickly climbed up the totem pole in his professional life and was the head of the Marketing department of the entertainment channel he worked for. His only other passion in life besides his work was the time he spent exercising in the gym- the only place where he allowed himself the luxury of taking time out for himself.
As Sammy got into his car that late Saturday night after work, he wondered if he'd wake up on time the next day for an early morning jog.
"Nah....think I'll just sleep till late tomorrow. God knows i need some sleep," he thought to himself, glancing in his rear view mirror at his reflection.
But there was something more than his own reflection that made his eyes dart back to the mirror.
Something that ran a shiver down his spine.
Something that made him rub his eyes to made make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
When he opened his eyes again, he knew he wasn't hallucinating.
It was still there...a mesmerising bright beam of light that seemed to cut through the plush seat of his car, as if to focus on the neatly placed wooden box that Sammy had never seen before.

Sammy's first instinct was to bolt out and check the license plate to ensure that he was not in someone else's car. But then his eyes fell on the the bright red cloth his mother had devotedly tied around the rear view mirror when he had come home after purchasing his gleaming Honda CRV. She had said it would avoid an accident on the road as it carried the Lord's blessings; and an agnostic Sammy had reluctantly agreed though he personally thought red didn't go with his choice of dark blue seat covers.
Sammy slowly turned around to see if the wooden box was really there or if he had imagined it.
And sure enough, the box was there illuminated by a light that could not be attributed to any source nearby. It was a foot long and just as wide. Richly hued with an arabesque pattern, it was unlike anything Sammy had laid eyes on before.

Sammy pursed his lips and frowned as he stared at the box , considering the various questions that were now flooding his mind.
Could it be a bomb? "No," Sammy thought, "I'm sure no terrorist group would bother to plant an explosive in a box that beautiful..This would cost them a small fortune."
He looked closer and marvelled at the craftsmanship, " Whats wrong with me", he thought, cursing for letting himself get distracted by the beauty of the work of art that was staring him in the face.
Could it be that someone accidentally left their box in his car? "Hardly possible", Sammy reasoned," the burglar alarms would have sounded off and alerted the parking attendant if anyone had attempted to open the car with a duplicate key."
Tempted to see what was inside, Sammy gingerly reached for the box and as he did so the light illuminating the box now enveloped his hand. Sammy gasped and quickly pulled his hand away as he realized that the light was cold and had made him shiver.
He took a deep breath and reached for the box again, his hand penetrating the light and coming to rest on the lid of the wooden container. As soon as his hand touched the lid, the light disappeared as if someone had miraculously switched it off.
Sammy lifted the box with both hands but was surprised to find that it was incredibly light.
"What is this stuff?" Sammy said to himself,"A wooden box can't possibly be so light, even if it's empty."
But the box was not empty. It could never be. If Sammy had thrown the box out of his car and drove home, he would have been able to adhere to his Sunday plans. But that was not to be. For no mere mortal in the past had ever been able to touch the box and then throw it aside.
And Sammy was no exception.