Sunday, December 24, 2006


Mu:You walk ahead,I ll follow you.....
Da : Why not together?
Mu: Ok....

Mu:How long is it?
Da:Why? are you bored?
Mu:No,I dont want it to end.

Mu:My leg is aching....
Da: Do you want me to carry you?
Mu: yes.....till the end.



Sunday, December 17, 2006

In the spirit of engineering.

Take 1:
"Lets get a shoe rack." He said.
'Yaar, we ll be moving out of this place anytime from now' I tried to give an excuse.
'We have been saying this for the last one and half years.' He smiled
He was right. We were waiting for a move or rather contemplating for move, but nothing has happend for quite sometime. Offers came and went. some were really good and some pathetic, some we wanted and some they didn't want us. Yes we were to be here for some more time
'ok lets buy one'. I gave up.' how many shoes do we have??'
'umm May be a 20.." he said with a smirk.
He had seven pairs or so in that count. ' So we need two eh??"
"i think so..."
" lets order a new one which can take all our shoes, lets go to carpenter and ask him to make a really BIIIIIIIGGGGGGG one"

Take 2:
"How much will a shoe rack cost ...i mean a 4X5 ft one....." I asked with all my apprehension. I knew around 1000 buck we were going to blow today...
He took his 1960 calculator and started typing. he was not a as fast a SW engineer, but at least he had the liberty to charge the client as much he wanted.
' That would be 3000 for 12 inch super quality Plywood"
Both of us just dropped our jaw." Brother, i don't want a shoe rack made of gold.??" i told him.
" i can make it for 1600, thats the final price"
" we need to think, we ll come later" he knew that was the end of the deal. We started walking back. where to next......
"lets go to second sale market, i think we may be able to get a nice one that fits our bill" Ideas where starting to sprung out of my old weedy head.

Take 3:
Heaps of wooden furniture lay one above the other. Some had a broken arm, others a broken leg. But some were fortunate enough to be in a single piece.They once had a glorified past, An era where they were loved, where they were the fashion. But as change was inevitable they were destined to be here at last.
'Do you have a shoe rack or something like that" I didn't have any hope but then necessity was mine.
"we had one made out of cane, but we sold it off today morning." The o
ld man in charge said with a weary eye.
"Its dusty here, you know i am allergic to dust. why not we make it" My friend gave me
a challenging look.
"when did i say no....." I smiled.

Take 4.
Brainstorming sessions, drawings, measurements,Axe blades, Pipes, T joints. and 2 hrs. Our hall got converted to a living hell after the creation. With a four floor structure that was not only stable but also obeyed the equilibrium laws that once we heard in the sominiac mechanical class. Moreover, we gave it a flexibility to take it off in a polythene cover and pack off to another location.
After 2 hrs we were beaming at our creation.
"Next thing we should make is book shelf" My friend said a energetic confidence.
"what???, i quit reading."


Saturday, December 09, 2006

A walk to remember

"Are you coming for a walk? "

An individual who knew me for the last 23 years asked.She was my mother.
'Huh....I am reading a book mum, may be tomorrow". I loved my couch and the hollywood movie that was going on. I was in dolce far niente.
"Ok", she said with a dismal voice.
I may not be good son, but then which son could make his mum unhappy."
"wait......I ll come."
I switched off the television and got up and fletched a muscle or two and was on my way out.

From the time i remembered she took the same route and usually starts at the same time, so i didnt ask where we were going.She had slowed down and i had gained pace. But i slowed down for her to catch up. Then we walked in unison.

I used to go with her like this , long before the college. Then it decreased and gradually, it stopped. Only the path was the same, but surroundings had changed. New buildings had come up in our small residential areas. we passed many like us . some smiled while some looked with a suspicion, but we dint mind.

Then we began to talk about the job, friends, the latest movies and stopped in books.

'which was the last book that you read?'
'Ignited minds, its good one, i got from your shelf...i didnt you read stuff like that' she said with a sparkle in her eyes.
'its an old one, you didnt get anything else...i think i brought it two years back while traveling from chennai' I exemplified .
" Son, when age and responsibility catches up, you come down on what you like....i didn't have all the enthu to go to library and take one or two for read" . The tone had suddenly changed to dry one.
" But lately i am catching upon, i wanted to read Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, you must be having it,right?" She said with new air of confidence.
" I had it but i gave it someone else" I didn't want to talk about it anymore but she didn't let me finish.
"well then get it back for me" She commanded.
"I cant mum, i ll buy you another copy.......i gave it to her as a present" I didn't know how to put it better than that.
Suddenly she stopped and turned to me and asked " you still love her ???"
"Mum i am missing my show, could you please walk a little more faster"
I complained.


On the next day, I bought that book one more time and wrote :

" Love is eternal , for a person who taught me"
your son,
B