THANK YOU, TASHI !

In this country, there is a saying which goes something like 'On each food grain is written the name of the man who shall consume it.' There may be variations to this statement from one region to another because this country changes dialect every few kilometers!

Anyway, after joining this institute in Pilani, Rajasthan for a teaching position, I was quite happy because the environment is peaceful like the place I hail from, and there are peacocks, parrots and squirrels on the campus streets. However, having belonged to the eastern corner of the country, I began missing a few foods. Two of them were thukpa (a preparation of noodles in steamed soup) and momos (yeah, the ones on which you recently read articles on health risks...but I say, momos are not foods...they are emotions!). Resisting not more than a month, I decided to calm down my conscience by having a plate of momos at the institute gate. Oh! You only know the importance of a food only when you don't have it! Deep down my heart and belly, I knew that these did not even match half of what I had eaten before, but the joys of getting my hands on one were bubbling!

Only one month later, someone informed that the Tibetan Market Association was here for selling their famous woolen garments. I was familiar with their clothes as I had been visitor to their temporary markets at Silchar and Guwahati. The most wonderful thing about them is that several groups of them travel across India during winters and for the rest of the year, they are on to other jobs. It feels great that they come together for a social cum business hangout for a period of the year and make journeys to warm the people of the country. And their woolens! Oh! They are warm enough to trade your wallets!

Now, here comes the bonus of their fairs. They put up food stalls at the site of the market where they cook for themselves and sell some of those to the visitors too. Once I entered the market area, my eyes rolled towards the food stalls and lo! there were momos. I was never so much delighted because I knew their momos were the best as they pour 'that' sense of original taste of the hills. We ordered one just to check the so-thought originality. After 20 minutes came the plate of steamed momos and the red chutney! I was right! The warmth was so familiar! The pieces were soft and almost melted in our mouths, and the stuffing spread across the tongues. And we were praising the food after every delightful piece!

Having enjoyed that plate of momos, we inquired if they made 'thukpa' too. They smiled and were surprised how we had known that food item of theirs. After exchanging notes of brotherhood, they invited us the next day! The man in charge of the cooking was named Tashi, and such a fine gentleman he is! We visited them twice after that, and as it was Diwali time, we thought of extending our destiny to the 'sweet tooth' level. They were happy to receive the 'kaju-katli' and we were more than contended.
Finally, we said, "Thank you, Tashi."
I am now a contended man and believe that once you miss a food from the bottom of your belly, the world shall conspire to get it to you! Isn't that a bit cinematic? Yes, it is, and so were the momos and thukpa!

No man is a stranger if you know how to befriend him in the truest of senses without hidden agenda! 

LIKE AN INCENSE

Beyond the plate of fries
rest my heartbeats
switching between yellow dim
and romance in me
for the lady in maroon
smiling at me:
the soup warmed
our talks of affection
that bloomed like tulips
plucked from serene fields
from the remotest of greens.
I long for the sanity of madness
that grasps my poem's lengths
despite protests by men to pen
not my words warmest...
...and that fragrance of fries
brought shyness out of nowhere,
placed it like an incense
in the middle of our breaths!

THE MUSIC OF THE SEA

[Dedicated to New Year, 2018 at Puri, Odisha]

Easy recliners and shy moon
on sand turfs warmed by noon
compose a memorable tune
that plays by a solitary dune!

Warm corns caressed with Indian spices
and tea with flavours of fruity biscuits
instill a feeling of holiday pleasant
filled with a sense of patient moments.

Camels adorned with silken sheets
complain not of the roaring seas:
long they for the oases far,
homes beyond the deserted stars!

Waters are calm, but rest they not,
might they carry in infinite lot;
men enjoy the moments on shore
despite they know the sorrowful more!

The sea ends not, the horizon indistinct,
the cool breeze subdues all thoughts, weak.
A sight of relief it is:
reasons are unknown
or attempts not made to think of it:
just moments like time in a chaotic soul!

OMELETTE

(Merry Christmas)

A foggy morning,

stubborn clothes hanging,

willing not to dry

till the clock went past nine!

I discouraged myself

to warm up for a jog:

I had started only a day before,

for my belly like a trapezoid

extended to faraway places

and the Sharmas had 

already started! 

Sigh!

Who wastes a Sunday?

I slept till noon

in peace with the neighbours

who would protest my music...

I call it 'mutated classical',

neither understood I
nor did they!

I sprung from my toilet seat

like a 'monk with a hundred wands'!

The kitchen seemed a hall

and the egg a candle,

I burned my prayers on the stove

with sauces, carrots and capsicum,

each mingling with the onions

like a prophecy of the gods.

The cheese melted like wax

into the yolk of the egg,

into the soul of my gourmet self

and I lived my Sunday

just as I live myself!

3. BHATTI AND HIS PASSWORD

Bhatti had a not-so-good relationship with computers. His wishlist regarding the use of computers was pretty shorter than an average individual. In fact, the list had just one item: watching films. Bhatti was gloriously patriotic, and that made him different from others. He belonged wholeheartedly to Punjab, and could die for his soil. He watched Punjabi films a lot, and had no bigger expectations from a computer other than offering a service of playing films. He considered the computer to be an inferior commodity, and put his natural social outlook above all. At a time when technology was kissing the pedestal of success, Bhatti gave more importance to friendship and brotherhood. Perhaps, that's one of the reasons why he has befriended my mind, and I have sincere respect for the individual.

Not deviating from the episode, Bhatti once bought a new computer after getting numerous suggestions from his numerous friends. Like every other individual, he wished to use a password on his machine. Not delaying a good task, he put a password on his computer to protect his important files which consisted only of films and a few unused softwares. Bhatti was happy. He was in the league of people who locked their computers with secure codes. Due to his social involvement, and negligence towards technology, Bhatti forgot his computer's password. He realized this when one day, he wished to watch a film on his laptop. He was worried, and so was the hostel. It was in the news that Bhatti had forgotten his computer's password.

Bhatti approached his friends, trying to get a clue from them as of what the password might have been. Can you just imagine that a person relied on his social groups to derive that one missing link between him and his password? Such was Bhatti. None could help. Finally, Bhatti asked a friend to reboot his machine. The friend was busy and asked him to come the day after.

The friend waited for a few days but Bhatti was nowhere to be seen. After a few days, Bhatti met his friend. 
His friend asked," Bhatti, you were supposed to come the day after. What happened to your computer? Did you do something?"

Bhatti replied in joy,"Oi, after you left, I tried a number of times, and finally, I was able to recall my password."

"Ok. What password did you put that it took so many efforts?"

"Oi, Yaar, my password was Bhatti, all in uppercase."

".........???" 

2. THERE'S NO SHORTCUT TO BHATTI

I know not if the introduction to Bhatti in the earlier episode was sufficiently justifying, because he is a man with a bundle of traits, which shall become clearer as we proceed through the episodes. 

There's no shortcut to success! Bhatti defied this truth, and he could defy it in the most perfect way possible because he believed in his decisions, although he never hesitated to correct them when he was wronged by his classmates.

One such incident relates to the days when Bhatti was pursuing engineering graduate studies at a prestigious engineering institute of the country. He was truly fond of films, and the only thing he searched for when he would encounter a computer was media players. One evening, he was watching one of his favourite films on his friend, Vijay's computer, and was deeply engrossed in it. A friend of Vijay arrived at his room to ask for a folder of simulation files. Since it was Bhatti who was using his computer, so Vijay asked him to do the file transfer. Bhatti was a bit distracted; he paused his entertainment, minimized the player, and quickly sent the folder to the drive. The friend asked doubtfully," Pretty fast, huh?" Bhatti felt that the question was out of his syllabus, and replied,"Ah! It's a new computer." The friend thanked both of them, and went to his room. A few minutes later, Vijay's friend returned with a disappointed look, and said, "Yaar, Vijay, the files aren't running. I think there was some problem during the transfer."

Bhatti now felt a tinge of irritation striking his irritation glands because he was having interruptions in entertainment. He uttered, " Oi, what happened? You still don't know how to open a file. Hand over the drive, I am resending it."

Bhatti once again completed his task at lightning speed, and advised," Insert it properly, and have some patience. I know you will do it this time." Bhatti didn't want him to come back for another query. The friend thanked again, this time in a tone of uncertainty, and left. Bhatti resumed with his participation in watching the film.

Around fifteen minutes later, the boy returned, and directly went to Vijay, and said," Please check my drive once. I don't understand what's happening. I am sure there's some infections."

Bhatti acted as if he didn't hear any bit of what was going on between the two, although deep down his heart, he knew he would have to pause again. Vijay took the drive, and asked Bhatti to plug it in. Bhatti was burning inside, but he controlled his might and fright, and put the computer in Vijay's control. Vijay checked the drive, and sighed furiously.

"Bhatti...why were you sending the shortcuts to his drive?" he asked.

Bhatti was perplexed for a moment. He knew he had done the transfer. "I transferred the folder that was on your desktop. I have seen you running your simulations using that."

"Bhatti, that is a shortcut. The actual files are in the source folder."

Bhatti didn't utter a word. He kept mum, and decided to talk to Vijay later.

1. INTRODUCING BHATTI

You have come across a number of social media memes, right? I mean, in the most general of all senses, and not pinpointing the exceptional individuals who file moral petitions against memes, humans are enriched by humour. Now, there are two classes of humour: one, that is born out of imagination or linked to the thinnest line between fiction and reality, and the other, a truth that can spontaneously bring out the laughter in you irrespective of your state. The name, Bhatti, is synonymous with the second category of humour. In fact, he is a comical quantity which requires no forced intentions to urge you to participate in a plate of laughter. He is someone who would love to search papads in a dish of papdi chat, and use those papads to furnish his desires of joining the Indian defence. Bhatti is like pure cinema; his actions are experiences rather than reasons of pity. A boy whose teenage halted in time, although his body grew to manhood. It's just like the dictums of Bhagvad Gita, where the soul is immortal and the body is temporary. In Bhatti's case, his mind that leads to humour from his unintentional errors is permanent, whereas, his growth as a person is imminent. Bhatti also realized that he was weak in engineering, but he didn't let his dreams of clearing the administrative services fade away. Bhatti is a legend in his own league, a legend who innocently parted moments of joys to people around him, and to people beyond his time when these tales were relevant, to someone like me. His legacy is unique: for everything he has done, he has never done them correctly, but he is the most correct person I have ever heard of!
The best part about Bhatti is that he admits his wrongdoings, particularly, those in which he contributed immensely to little acts of daily corruption of sorts. You must have never met a person like him with a free mind and a wonderful heart. In fact, keeping aside the seriousness of the hilarious in Bhatti, he is a person whose association can inspire you to imbibe the Bhattigiri in you to keep yourself away from your nonsensically serious problems. 
To conclude the introduction, I owe him a treat for his legacy has taught me the most important note of life which I have only watched in films and fiction, that is, to live a carefree life often, because life is only once!