Dog Lady

An unknown entity,
To this city
A broken dream,
But show no pity
A mended heart,
That had no start,
A fading smile,
Whose hand’s a cart

No human touch,
No quest for time,
No murky life,
No gin with lime

The pride ensues,
As her canine construes,
The smell of humans,
The touch of flesh,
The taste of blood,
The crunch of bones,
The pain life holds,
The liberation time,
No gin with lime

An unknown entity,
To this city
A broken dream,
But show no pity
A mended heart,
That had no start,
A fading smile,
Whose hand’s a cart

Phoenix

"Phoenix.... rise from the ashes" commanded the head-priest of the Kamakah Temple in Sumanatra, the valley of holiness.
"Rise from these ashes, Phoenix and bestow upon us blessings from the great God, Kamakah... Rise from these ashes, to fortify our faith in the alpha and omega... Rise from these ashes, to bring us salvation... Rise Phoenix, Rise ... " the priest bade the remnants of the bird and its nest, as the crowd looked on, soaking in the spiritual saga, waiting for the hosanna moment.
The rich and the poor, the hungry and the mighty, the lepers and the hakims.. all ready to exult, ready to sing praises, ready to receive the gift of Kamakah...
"Rise.. Phoenix!!" .. "In the name of Kamakah I command you to rise!!!!!" the priests voice now getting louder. "Rise.. and show the love Kamakah has for His children".. "Have mercy on us..... Rise!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Rise Phoenix!! Rise!! Rise!! Rise Phoenix!! Rise !! Rise!! Rise Phoenix!!! ".. the crowd joined in... the chanting grew louder..
Mass hysteria set in.. Days went by.. Two thousand of the sick and hungry were dead..The rich set back to town , torn, lost, weary... The head priest was decapitated by the royal gaurds for failing to please Kamakah...

Salvation was not to be this time... Phoenix did not rise.. Phoenix did not rise because she loved her mortal self.. She had destroyed herself.. her nest.. her offsprings..
Phoenix had attained salvation.. Mortality is the way, she finally realized..

Role Change Day

On a Role Change Day at the prestigious Indian Bank of Commerce, Credit Card Division...

CHARACTERS :

1)CEO of Indian Bank of Commerce, M.S.(Finance)- Cornell University, MBA (Harvard Business School) - Today replacing M.Sivanandan, the top tele-sales person in Bangalore.
2)Mr.R.Murthy, B.A (English) - M.G.University, Nellore, M.A (History) - Swaminathan University, Coimbatore, Tally 1.0 (Tally Institute, Banashankari) and a commoner just sold to the telecallers phone number list.

Trrrinnnnggg Trrrrrriiiinnnnnnggg

Mr.R.Murthy: Hellow ?

CEO : Am I speaking to Mr.Murthy ?

Mr.R.Murthy: Who it is?

CEO : Mr.Murthy, I am calling from the Indian Bank of Commerce Credit Card Division. We have an offering for you in the form of a Credit Card, that I certainly believe will not merely help you substitute your cash, but will also fetch you reward points that you can redeeem at your own will.

Mr.R.Murthy: eh?? What you want?? I not understanding ?? You calling for what??

CEO : I beg your pardon Mr.Murthy, I think I was not audible.The telephone lines drive you nuts at times, you know.
Would you like to benefit from our consumer-centric, credit-friendly, fair-trade driven offering?

Mr.R.Murthy : Saaar.... I not understanding!! Who it is ?

CEO : Let me simplify it for you... Do you own a Credit Card?

Mr.R.Murthy : Yes... SBI

CEO : Excellent ! We are offering you a Card that will provide you with benefits, better than those offered by any other Card in the Indian Market.And that is not a hollow claim! Our numbers this Q4 will prove them to you.

Mr.R.Murthy : What benefits your Card offering ? Why I buying your Card?

CEO : Two reasons - We will give you excellent Credit Rates, based on your spending. This is of course a result of the superior Credit Calculation we developed in collaboration with the Indian Credit Institute. Number two - Our customer reward program, directed not merely at retaining customers, but at ensuring their absolute satisfaction. This again is a collaborative effort of IBC and CustSat Inc.

Mr.R.Murthy : eeeeeehhhh! Stupid person.. What you talking???? I having nice card.... free.. coming with free watch that I gifting to my wife. I not wanting your useless card!!!

Bang!!!! tooot... tooot.... tooot.... tooot.....

CEO ( keeps the receiver down and turns around to the enthusiastic tele-callers on the floor) : Deal, Ladies and Gentlemen!!! That was a home run...I want this guy in our list of a million customers. So who is collecting the documents from him tomorrow? Make sure you dont lose him after this! That, you see, was the kind of sales pitch you should make to a customer. Inform them about the benefits of your card... Talk about what makes it better than the others... That will ensure your victory... And your victory is IBC's victory !!!

Mr.Murthy ( to his wife) : Stupid fellow!! Offering me some Card, no benefits... not even a free pen!!!

Of Good,Evil and Piss.....

Gopalkrishna, the God-fearing, evil-despising employee of the prestigious Indian Bank of Commerce hitched a ride on Bus No.201 homewards. It was a typical day at work, he thought, as he jostled his way through the crowd to occupy an empty seat that read "Ladies Only". The work day has remain unchaged for the last 20 years, his thoughts continued; Leave home at 7:00 am, stop by at the Hanuman Mandir, walk down the Silk-Board pavemnent,board 201, reach office by 8:30 am, sign on a few applications, sip kapi, entertain guests and benefactors, leave office at 4:00pm, board 201, walk down the Silk-Board pavement, stop by at the Hanuman Mandir, reach home by 5:00pm.Indeed, nothing had changed for Gopalkrishna in the last twenty years, except of course , his bank balance that grew to an extent that his monthly salary of Rs.10,000 (from the latest Pay Commissions recommendation) constituted a paltry 15% of his total monthly earnings. Bribes, as he specifies, are taken only by agents and touts, who are evil and the society should get rid of them. What he takes, he continues, is a well-derserved fee for the service he provides to the many hopeless that approach his Bank for loans. His chest swells up with pride, and eyes well up when this thought crosses his mind.
"The good Lord will take me to heaven...... "
Gopalkrishna alights, walks down the Silk-Board pavement, smiles at Shyamu,the leper who dwelled there for as long as he had known the place, and offers him a 50paise coin, swells again and walks further to reach the Hanuman Mandir.
"Thank You God.Bless me, my wife, my sons. Help me, your servant, to survive in this treacherous evil world." His prayer had not changed too...
Shyamu, the leper, watched Gopalkrishna with great intrigue as he got off the bus, walked down the pavement, smiled at him , offered him the 50paise and walked further. So much pride, so little charity... he thought... "I ve got enough to buy the Tody today. Thank heavens for firangs who love destitute Indians... Time for me to head to the bar", Shyamu packs his sack, his personal radio,his collection box and then looks around for his dog,Moti. "Where the hell is that bastard??? "
Just about then he sees Moti sniffing at something lying on the pavement... "Eating Shit again, you asshole.. I ll buy you some biscuits today" .. and he grabs Moti by the jute rope ... "Wait a minute!!" What have you found, my little fellow?? That is a bloody wallet!!!!!
Pulse racing, his maculated hands pick up the wallet and quickly scan through it. "Only two rupees!!! What a Bastard!! What am I to do with all those cards??? " He scans more and stumbles upon a picture of Hanuman, a small Ganesha sticker and next to it Gopalkrishnas smiling face... "Ghoosat Saala" .... Shyamu takes the two rupee coin, and throws the wallet down.

Moti pisses on it for a good minute, as if to join his master in a show of anger and disappointment..... (This emotional display fetches him chocolate biscuits)

Gopalkrishna, in the meanwhile, has his heart in his mouth... I ll feed 10 lepers, if you help me find that wallet, he prays... "I have my sons credit card, my debit card, phone numbers... and two rupees in it..."
He races back to the pavement.... looks around frantically, and spots it lying in the corner, close to where the leper sat....
"You are great, O Almighty! You watched over this humble servant of Yours", he exclaims after checking the wallet for missing items....
He picks the wallet and kisses it....
"Why is the wallet wet?? Who cares.... it must be the water from the tap closeby... I ve got the wallet.. Let me thank God by feeding 2 lepers as I had promised Him I would... Where is the closest kirana store... a couple of Parle-G s should do.... "
And he kisses the wallet again......

Void

She held the child close to her breast,
With maternal love oozing out of her.
Her eyes gazed deep into nothing,
As the strong arms held the toddler.

Her fingers moved over the body;
They could not see it being mawed.
She lay there unperturbed;
Her lips moved slightly as they hawed.

She could not hear the women mourning;
The call of her child was still ringing.

She sang him a canorous rhyme,
As the baby slept, Eternally……

Killing a mosquito

It is 3 am on a warm,humid,electricity-less night. I stare at the ceiling fan (now rendered impotent by the absence of its energy source), wondering why there is no alternative replacement organized in my room.. like an old world pankha maybe, moved to and fro by the attendant.Wish I was a king....
I drag myself out of the sweating bed for a drink. Thankfully, I have some 100 Pipers left in the fridge... Shucks! There is no ice though ... The electricity has gone long before I thought it had...
I normally dont take my whiskey raw... I like it on-the-rocks... I like it nice and chilled... Ice brings the best out of whiskey... The blend of the cold with warm,the mild with strong gives it an irresistible appeal.. I like my whiskey with ice, but tonight, any form would do.

I pour myself a sixty and tag along with the glass to the window.. It is pitch dark outside.. Not a soul resides there... Not a leaf moves....

I take my first sip .... aaaaah! .. whiskey is a life-saver....

I can feel the power of this night..Right now,at this very moment there are people mourning the death of someone dear ... and there are others rejoicing the birth of a baby.... there are shy coy couples spending their first night together...and there are lovers drifting away from each other...

This night is dangerous, this night is beautiful..

What is that buzz in my head?? I am down only two pegs, I cannot possibly be drunk! The buzz is getting stronger now... I can feel it precipitating from my head, to my ears and now to my right cheek... Phat! My hand saves me...

I can see the dark crimson stain on my hand, and squashed in it, my tiny predator. Mosquito - as biology would describe it, is an insect which makes up the family Culicidae. They have a pair of scaled wings, a pair of halteres, a slender body, and long legs. The females of most mosquito species suck blood from other animals, which has made them one of the most deadly disease vectors known to man, killing millions of people over thousands of years and continuing to kill millions per year by the spread of diseases.

Two things to note - Only females suck blood and only females make that irritating, buzzing sound. Bells Ringing?

There was a constant knock on my head asking me why I had killed the mosquito.

All she wanted was a few mililiters of my blood to provide nourishment to herself and her eggs.

She had a life.. now its gone... And gone with her are the lives she was purposed to live for...
Life- that incredible, inexplicable form of energy that makes you and me ... Life- the very essence of this planet...

I am a murderer.. I have, in one instant wiped away a life form that had taken millions of years to come to its present state.
I have mocked at the whole process of creation. I have ridiculed the fight for existence. I have looked down upon God with contempt....

Pained as I am at the thought of this, my body tells me I could have done nothing. It was a simple reflex action,backed not by a philosophical thought process, but by mere nerve impulses. Could I have done something to control this reflex action of mine ? Maybe I can try working on my minds awareness to the physical impulses of pain; This way I can overpower my nociceptive system.

Let me try concentrating on my breathing first...... Breathe in... Breathe out...concentrate... breathe in... breathe out... breathe in.....ahhhh, bliss.... breathe out... breathe in.... breathe out......breathe in... breathe out...

Phaaatttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Damn! I killed another one!!

I think I need one more drink......

Lavatory Philosophy

I have dragged myself to office today.Morning began with an introspective session on the purpose of life and the existence of human-kind, most suitably while I was busy at the commode. Commode - the most inventive and useful creation of man;It serves not merely as a device that takes all your shit, but also as a magic chair that makes you think about things you probably would not have anywhere else... not even in a church! Commodes are of two kinds - Western and Indian ( I ve seen the hybrids too, but lets not get into the details of the acrobatics involved in aiming ur stuff to its destined place of exit) ... I think better on the Wetern commodes ...

I thought about two things - Life and Death..

Life - is a shit-pot. You dump your happy shit and your sad shit in it .. and that is what you make it full of ... SHIT!! .. Death is the flush ... once you are done you need to flush.. it is an inevitable process. If you do not flush, somebody else will... and if nobody flushes, things will get messy....

Death - will come by .. Each and every one of us will die... We have to die, not to go to heaven,not to go to hell, not to be reincarnated, not to attain soul-status ... we have to die merely to perish.. We have to die to complete this irreversible (Botox is a temporary age-defying solution) cycle of life. We have to die to flush our shit down ...
Death is inevitable. If you dont flush, it can get messy.....