‘You guys go, I stay here.’ the Rainlover told his friends.

‘What’s wrong with you man? We came to a book faIr and you are sitting here on the grass!’ his friend, Snehangshu urged!

The Rainlover just silently sat on the grass and fell on the grass staring at the sky above. His friends understood that their requests would have no impact on this rude and rigid person, so Subhankar was bound to say, ‘Look, we’ll take some 30 minutes to have a look at the stalls, you better be here.’ The Rainlover looked at him and gave a salute to convey that he would follow the command. Snehangshu and Subhankar both shrugged and moved forward. The Rainlover started checking out the half-moon-lit sky with his hands over his chest.

It’s peaceful to lie there like that! Book faIr might not have a good appeal to him, but then, lying on the grass, he was at peace. The book fare hustle bustle was going on afar from the grass that he was dreaming upon. He can be real rude and unsocial at times and that irritates his friends a lot. But remembering all these, there was this Rainlover, staring at the sky, smiling.

Suddenly, he heard a man’s voice behind his head, ‘Fine. Fuck you and fuck your tears.’

Then the woman’s voice also responded with equal vigor, ‘Fuck off!’ Both the voices were irritated. But the Rainlover didn’t look back, he knew it all and that’s why he till date doesn’t understand the game called LOVE! Why do people come close to go away? Somewhere he had heard, ‘A woman spends 10 years to change your habits and then she says you aren’t the person she married with.’ The Rainlover was smiling all by himself. Then he saw a girl coming and sitting just a meter away from his feet. She sat with folded knees upright, put her arms on the knees and placed her slightly bent head on the arms. From the angle, the Rainlover could see the girl was of brighter complexion, her hairs were curly, and the indignant movement of her head suggested that she was about to cry. 1,2,3… and there she was wiping the tears away from her face through her left palm. The Rainlover went on staring the ‘spontaneous overflow of powerful emotion!’

The rain poured for some 3-4 minutes, he went on staring. Suddenly, the girl turned back and shouted at him, ‘Don’t you feel ashamed to stare at a helpless girl?’  It was for the Rainlover. What could the Rainlover do? He smiled and closed his eyes with his hands. The girl’s voice was a bit low now, ‘What do you think you are doing?’ The Rainlover didn’t take his hands away from his eyes, said, ‘Stopped staring at a helpless girl.’ The girl forced a smile perhaps and the Rainlover realised a hand on his hands, she was trying to take his hands away from his eyes. The Rainlover resisted, ‘No, No… please don’t let me stare at a helpless girl.’ The girl smiled, ‘Stop this.’ The Rainlover asked, ‘Stop what? You said stop staring; now you are the one who’s asking me to stop ‘stop-staring’! What exactly should I do?’ The girl was laughing by that time. The Rainlover got up. He saw the girl sitting just in-front of him. she wasn’t someone whom you can call ‘Hot’ or ‘Cool’ or ‘Fab’ or ‘Trendy’ girl, she was just a simple girl, but beautiful with her simplicity. The Rainlover smiled, the girl got a bit embarrassed, perhaps due to the fact that she touched a boy even before they were introduced. But the Rainlover didn’t show any hint of uneasiness, he started searching something all around him. He checked his pockets, his legs, the grass, everywhere, but created such a reaction that indicated that he couldn’t find what he was looking for. The girl asked, ‘What are you looking for?’ The Rainlover had a sense of loss in his voice, ‘Your tears! Don’t know where are they? I can’t find them!’ The girl started laughing again. The Rainlover smilingly looked at her face and looked down.

They were silent for a while and then the girl started, ‘What’s your name.’ The Rainlover told her his name and she said, ‘Nice name.’ the Rainlover smiled. The girl said again, ‘You didn’t ask my name!’ The Rainlover smiled again, ‘I know your name.’  She was surprised, ‘What? How? Tell me what’s my name.’ He was astonished, ‘Why, you don’t know your name that I’ve to tell you?’  She said, ‘Shut up! Just tell me what’s my name.’ The Rainlover said, ‘A…… A…… A…. yeah! A HELPLESS GIRL!’ The girl laughed, hit him on his arm and said, ‘You’re funny!’ The Rainlover did a peculiar gesture – as if he folded something carefully by his hands, brought up his wallet and kept that folded ‘nothing’ carefully inside the wallet. She asked, ‘What was that?’ He smiled, ‘I took and kept ‘You’re funny’ as a compliment!’ She was laughing and laughing, and finally when she could gather herself together, she asked, ‘Tell me, why sometimes people are so rude?’ The Rainlover promptly replied, ‘Because sometimes they aren’t soft. Simple.’ She smiled but asked again, ‘Stop it, tell me na, why sometimes people are so rude?’ He asked, ‘Hey book fair is going on right there. Why do you think I’m an Answers Bank or something? Go and buy a book that can answer you.’ The girl got the humor in the comment, yet didn’t give up. Rational or irrational, whatever it may be, perhaps being prompted by the aura of a strange moon and presence of a ‘funny’ guy, she got a weird urge to know something that she herself knew from a stranger! So asked again, ‘Tell me na, what do you think?’ The Rainlover asked, ‘About?’ She said, ‘… about why sometimes people are so rude!’ He paused for a while and said, ‘Empathise less on the word ‘rude’ and more on the word ‘sometimes’… it means people are only SOMETIMES rude, not most of the time. Simple’

She was silent… thought for a while and then looked straight at the Rainlover, ‘Thank You!’ The Rainlover smiled, she said, ‘Thank you.’

By that time Snehangshu and Subhankar were back, their eyes were saying it all, they’ve caught the ‘Mr. Flirt’ red-handed! Subhankar said, ‘You smart-ass, now we know what stopped you from going with us!’ The Rainlover looked at the girl, smiled and said, ‘See, how people can be so rude SOMETIMES!’ The girl smiled, three boys started moving forward, the girl shouted from the back, ‘Hey you didn’t even ask my name.’ the Rainlover looked back and shouted back, ‘I told you people can be rude SOMETIMES!’ She was smiling again!

FRIENDS, DOES IT TAKE A LOT TO LOOK AROUD WITH A SMILE?

Kailash, the home of Shiva, the god of destruction of evils and Parvati, his beloved wife. That fine morning, the nature was really beautiful... facing the cold nice wind blowing right through them, the couple was reflecting upon their children on the earth. These children worry them a lot. Suddenly, they heard uproar of voices coming from the blocks the rocks. The divine parents got worried! After a while, they realise that there was a procession approaching them…  There were men, women, aged, younger everyone approaching with shouts that they want justice! Shiva looked at Parvati, she is also clueless about it! when they came closer to the couple, Shiva asked, “What happened my children, why are you shouting?”

At this a 40+ person came forward, asked everyone to keep calm and started, "Lord! with due respect, we are here with our dissatisfactions. You have to make sure that all our wishes are fulfilled!" His face looked really determined!
Shiva smiled, "Go Ahead my son."
The person started, "Lord, I'm a judge in a court. Now-a-days, the law is very strict against bribery. This is not justice. I mean everyone can’t rise to the level competency whom people think of bribing to get their work done. I’m a special one. Shouldn’t I have some special freedom to take bribes and let the privileged ones, however criminal, go free? Let me earn more by proving the innocents to be criminals and vice-versa."
Shiva smiled, "Alright! Done my son. Now be happy."
Parvati was astonished, "What did you do lord?"
Shiva just smiled back at her.
Then another person approached. He looks quite Gandhian in appearance. He said, "Lord, I'm a teacher. The profession has nothing. People say, it has respect. But tell me lord, can one survive with only respect in this world? I also want to be a honcho! Please allow me to make money through private tuitions and leaking the question papers. Please….."
Shiva smiled again, "Done!"
Parvati again was surprised but remained silent… she knows her husband!
Then another man approached. The white approach and stethoscope suggest that he’s a doctor. He started, "Lord, I'm a doctor. I work in a Govt. hospital, which is bullshit! Excuse me for the slang, but really father, there’s nothing. Please let me concentrate on my nursing home. And one more thing… please let me make money through prescribing foul medicines also."
Shiva, "Done!"
Parvati, "Dear Lord......!!!"
Shiva, "Sshhhhhh...."
Thereafter everyone came one after another, women willing to abandon her babies and marrying a rich man, politicians for crime, policemen for bribery, girls with a plea to rename boundless sex by woman freedom, young boys aspiring full freedom on access to drugs, promoters willing to build houses by uprooting the slums illegally, executives for no work more pay, establish players for more endorsements and less debates on poor performance, producers to have hassle-free casting couch trying outs and what not!
Shiva approved all of their wishes.
Finally, came a young man. He was nicely dressed and cleanly shaved. Seems like he will be somewhere around 28/29 years old.
He said, "Lord, my parents are really old. I know they have done a lot for me. But I want live my life now. My honey, Julia gets really irritated out of my old shabby parents’ uncalled for advices and worries! So I sent them to an Old Age Home. The people around question me a lot for that. My life is hell now. Please allow me to do away with ant sort of responsibility from
them. I’m sick and tired of it."
Before Shiva could say anything, Parvati hurried, "Lord, please don’t do this, not this time please. Atleast dont allow him... now this will ruin the society, people will never be eager to have children if they are like this. The society will be spoilt! It will be hell prabhu! They will no more have faith on you! Please don’t allow this!! Please… my lord!"
Shiva smiled and said to the boy, "Ok, done dear... go and live your life!"
Parvati broke into tears… she was sobbing.
Shiva took her face by his hands, and looked at her eyes. By his fingers, set the tears aside and softly said, "Dear, have you forgotten that I'm the god of destruction... let them be corrupt, respectless..... i will again take up my Damru, and will again go for Pralay Nriya (the dance of destruction), again i will dance, destroy them....because it’s their destiny, and I'm just facilitating it....

Nothingness can lead us to heights way beyond our expectations. It was almost 2pm and the sun was proving its capability with a full bloom at the mid-sky making the shades as small as possible. The Rainlover had gone to this village in search of some good objects and subjects for his paintings. Going by the apparent look, he got it straight that he could at best except some objects there, but there was absolutely no subject. Yes, if he had the intention of acute personification by turning the object into the subject, then it was a different call altogether.

He took the red-street. A brief 30 minutes' walk on that street took him to a paddy field where he could see hardly anyone! It was summer and the heat was stupendous. Not knowing what to do next, the Rainlover stepped into the fields and started walking ahead. After some 10 minutes of walk, he sat under the shade of a tree standing in isolation beside the vast paddy field. He opened his drawing board, sheets and pencils, started drawing the vast ‘nothing’ in front of him. After a while, he heard a breathing sound right over his right shoulder, he looked back… a barely 6 years old kiddo was standing there watching him sketching. He had just a full-pant; his young body was reflecting a mix of poverty and care. The Rainlover smiled. The boy smiled back. The Rainlover asked, ‘what’s your name?’ the boy replied, ‘Tullu!’

‘So Tullu, what are you doing here alone in his empty field?’ the Rainlover asked with a smile. Tullu went on smiling and then when he thought that he had smiled enough, he managed himself and said, ‘I’m not alone! My parents are there.’ The Rainlover followed his pointed fingers and saw a couple sitting under another tree shade far away from him. The woman covered her head with ghunghat, the man shouted, ‘Tullu Beta, come, let’s have lunch!’ The Rainlover smiled at Tullu, ‘Go tiger, lunch time!’ Tullu smiled and walked forward. But he halted on his way and came back to the Rainlover. The Rainlover asked, ‘what?’ He smiled and started pulling the Rainlover by his sleeves. ‘Come with me, you also should eat!’ The Rainlover started laughing, ‘Please go, your parents are waiting.’ But Tullu won’t listen to him and he kept on pulling the Rainlover. The Rainlover saw Tullu’s father waving at him. Reluctantly, he got up and started walking with the kid.

Then he sat there with the family, Tullu sat on her mother’s lap. The Rainlover was smiling. The mother kept an aluminium plate in front of him and they started eating. The Rainlover took just one rooti and said, ‘Tullu is such a cute kid.’ The mother was feeding Tullu by her own hands; she smiled and said, ‘My Tullu mahaaj!’ Tullu laughed. That’s the time when the Rainlover’s eyes fell on Tullu’s right foot. The foot was proportionately smaller than the other one and it was looking as if someone had squeezed it. The Rainlover hadn’t notice it at all!

He looked up with a different expression in his eyes, his eyes met with Tullu’s eyes, he was smiling still. Then he looked at Tullu’s mother, she took her eyes away, but Tullu’s father cleared his throat with food inside his mouth. The Rainlover looked at him and he said, ‘That’s the only problem,’ he pulled up Tullu’s pant and the Rainlover couldn’t see a special clip was put right from Tullu’s knee to his ankle to support him while walking. The father said, ‘Polio!’

The Rainlover didn’t say anything after that, their lunch was over. They drank water. Then the Rainlover got up saying thanks and blessing Tullu keeping his palm on the kid’s head, Tullu smiled again. While the Rainlover was coming back, Tullu’s father again cleared his throat and said, ‘I think my Tullu is a star!’ Then he lowered his voice and said ‘You know, he tops in his school. With his weakness itself, he will go places.’

The Rainlover smiled, looked at the kid. He was still sitting on his mother’s lap, and his mother was kissing his forehead. The Rainlover was coming back, with thousand blessings in his heart, uttering to himself, ‘Yes, the star will go places!’ and truly he realised ‘nothingness can lead us to heights way beyond our expectations.’

The Rainlover was carefully writing an article on an esteemed film director. Suddenly came a, “Sir, good evening!”  The Rainlover looked up from the monitor, it was a 38-39 years old man standing in front of him. Attire-wise he was a security guard. The Rainlover liked his mustache! He hadn’t seen this security guard before, but yes, they keep on changing. So the Rainlover arched his eyebrows which meant, “What’s the matter?” The man was standing as straight as possible, with his hands kept in the attention pose. He started, “Good Evening sir, I’m new here. I was told that I can leave at 8pm, keeping the 6^th floor open in case any employee stays back. It’s 8.15, shall I leave or wait for you sir.” The Rainlover smiled, “You may leave, thank you!” The man also smiled, but said, “How can that be? You will work late, and how can I leave?” The Rainlover laughed louder, “I work whole night sometimes, will you stay whole night? Go home, your shift ends at 8. Enjoy. Good Night.” The Rainlover brought his eyes back on the monitor again, typed few words, but halted seeing the security personnel right at the same place standing in the same attention pose. The Rainlover’s eyes asked many questions to the existence of the man still there while he should have been gone. The man placed a quick salute and moved out of the cabin. The Rainlover went on working for another 1.30 hours and finally shut down his computer! It was time to head home.

As he was swapping his employee I-card, he saw the same security guard placing another round of salute! The Rainlover was surprised, the man should have been gone now. So he asked, “Weren’t you supposed to go home?” The man smiled, took out his cap, seized the registers there and said, “Sir, My name is Shankar Sadhan Mishra.” The Rainlover told him his own name. Then the man abruptly said, “Sir, ap humko bahut pasand ho.” (I like you!) The Rainlover didn’t know how to react to that, so he smiled. The man uninvited-ly carried on, “Sir, I’m coming from Orissa. You know I’ve done my graduation in mathematics. Couldn’t pay bribe, so didn’t get any job. I love my mother a lot….” He was about to go on, the Rainlover wondering on why on earth the man was saying all these even when the man barely knew him! So the Rainlover said, “I love my mother too.” The man said as if he’s an expert at it, “Your face says that you have lot of respect for your elders.” (Security guard, Mother-lover, Maths-graduate, and now Face-Reader also! Not bad!)

The Rainlover pitched his straight question, “You seem have qualities, so why have you opted for a security personnel’s job?” The man looked at his palm and said, “Well, I used to do farming in my village, but I always wanted to move ahead. So I was gave my fields to the rented-farmers and I came to Delhi. I will start doing a computer course soon. Tell me one thing; will a graphic designer earn more than 8000-9000 here?” The Rainlover was puzzled, who was this he was talking to? He said, “Yes, they earn more than that in Delhi.” He man smiled, “Great!”

Both of them reached the ground floor by stairs by that time. The Rainlover was puzzled, so he asked, “Do you really think you can make it. I mean this job isn’t easy.” The man sounded as a professional, “Nothing in life is easy sir, yet everything is easy if you have a steady head. What do you think?” The Rainlover smiled. They shook hands and said ‘good night’ to each other. The Rainlover started walking with an impressed heart, but something stopped him, he came back and asked, “Are you married Mishra ji?” The man paused for a while, came forward and said with a lower tone, “I love a woman since I was 18. But she got married 16 years back. She told me that I’m good for nothing. I can’t love anyone else, but for once I want to prove to myself that I’m good for at least something. I want to see myself winning in my own eyes.” The Rainlover patted his shoulder and said, “All the best!”

While coming back, the Rainlover was trying to complete the picture, a boy from Orissa in love with a girl, so many dreams in the eyes, dashed with harsh reality, wanting to make a difference, completing graduation, seeking job, but getting rejected as he doesn’t have a deep pocket, going to field again, dreaming while working, coming to big city and aspiring to become a graphic designer at the age of 39! The Rainlover’s heart was broad with pride! He looked back, the Mishra ji was signing out – ready for another round of fight!

FRIENDS, IT’S A FIGHTER AGAIN AND ALL HE HAS AS AN ASSET WITH HIM IS HIS ACUTE HOPE! MAY GOD GIVE HIM THE POWER TO UNDO THE INJUSTICE ALREADY DONE TO HIM, MAY A WINNER EMERGES OUT OF MISHRA JI...