Rishi and Me

5 lakhs !!!!????...that too for a camera..you must be crazy to spend a whopping half million bucks to buy a camera,i told to myself,the gentleman standing in-front of me just smiled at me.

So you are a photographer ??i asked.He looked at me again,No !! Hobby."Jesus Christ !! a hobby worth 5 lakhs."Actually, I'm a business man,Rishi smiled,photography is a hobby,passion and much more".

Trimmed bald head with short gray hair,fair complexion,wrinkled cheeks,Military green V neck T shirt,slightly built body,Rugged jeans,branded flip flops,a huge camera pouch,pierced ears,a ray ban "outdoors man".trimmed french beard.He looked like some one i wanted to be after 25 years.Sir you are from?? i asked.I prefer Rishi to Sir,He winked.A man who is almost 25 years elder to me asking me to call him by his name.Hmm though I'm not comfortable i will do that,i smiled.I'm from Mysore.I guess you are interested in Photography he asked.Yes I am,I replied,but I prefer to be in front of the camera.HA HA that's cool,He suddenly turned his camera towards me and clicked.I looked super smart in those pics.

So u went inside the temple I asked,"No..I didn't come to Pray here..he said.Then what brings you here in "Thrissur Vadakkumnathan Temple".Dont tell me you drove all your way from Mysore to just take snaps.He smiled at me,magical smile.

You went inside?? he asked.No I'm not a Hindu.i replied.Then what brings you here Joe ?? HA HA good question,actually i love this place,i usually come here to spend my evenings.You Know this temple is in the middle of a 2 km Round road.So much of silence in the middle of a town,All the vehicles are rotating this temple.when ever i come here, i feel like sun,,with vehicles and people rotating and revolving around me like planets and satellites..

"Do you write Joe"?? he asked.Yes i do,but not books and all,i have a blog and i do write on social networking sites and all, that's it.i replied

Well you must write,you talk like a thinker.he patted my shoulder.Well that's a great compliment.But you still didn't tell me what brings you here.i was curious.

Well..After long pause he said,my wife likes this place a lot,She is from Thrissur,she believes in Lord Shiva.Oh good, so you are waiting for your wife right.??i asked.Yes he smiled and answered.I felt so proud for guessing it right.You are an atheist?? i asked.Ha ha No way man,I believe there is A super power,i know gods are there,but for the past few years,we are not in talking terms,though he was smiling his eyes were so serious.I started liking him for no reason.

You are too disorganized to be a banker,i know he was deviating the topic.Yes I am, I know it.I replied.No offense k,i meant you look like a media person,or a yea,i told you na a writer,a photographer .you do look like a creative person than a technical man.I must stay i have never seen a banker with a goatee.we both laughed out.

Nice coffee,he carefully sipped the steaming coffee in that disposable cup,You can find a lot of coffee sellers in bicycle inside this temple Ground after 4'o clock.i said.

Do you mind if i ask you some thing i asked.No Joe...You ask..he told.
Shall we walk i asked,he stood up.."Actually you are from Mysore and your wife is from Thrissur.....i stammered..

"Love Marriage Joe.." he smiled..Madras Christian college..She was my junior.I was the only guy who had an imported military bullet in that college,I was the only guy who dared to smoke inside that campus in-front of my seniors, i was the only guy who could get anything done in that college,Dad was filthy rich,brothers were in politics,police officers were regular visitors at my home.i lived like a prince.

He paused,then only i saw the marlboro packet in his hand.He opened his black Cielo car's door,kept his camera inside,i saw his wood land shoes inside the car.He locked the car.This is an old car right?? i asked.Yes i have an old benz too but my wife likes this one. ok then what happened?? i was so curios.

I lived like a prince. i had everything i wanted,those days i used to think that nothing could beat me,or nothing could make me weak.But one day i happened to read a poem in the college magazine,i was shocked when i realized that my eyeshad become wet, I wept reading that poem,i wanted to see the person who wrote that.

She was practicing classical dance when i saw her for the first time,wearing an Yellow half saree..I told her that i want to marry her,she dint speak a word,she left.One year we dint speak,we met many times but we never spoke.One fine morning she told me that her parents wont allow an interstate and inter-cast marriage.I asked whats her opinion.She said she loves me..The rest is history..I married her...his eyes were wet,i could see an young Turk crying reading a beautiful girls poem.

Now i want to meet that elegant lady who stole this great man's heart,Rishi are we getting late,I mean your wife.??never mind Joe she takes a lot of time..K so You drove all the way??i asked,Yes she enjoys long drives.

Any way nice meeting you Sir, sorry Rishi,,One more thing would like to know i said
What Joe.??he smiled..Sir your fight with the Gods??

You really wanna know ?? he asked,Yes,i was becoming serious.

Don't you wanna see my wife??Rrishi asked..

Yes i would love to...i replied..

He pointed his finger to the twilight Sun..

There she is Joe..

For the past few years i don't pray to Gods..They took her from me..

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome..He smiled

I couldn't talk..Then why are you here?? i asked

Today is my Birthday..she used to come here,in this temple on all my birthdays..

I walked towards him,,I hugged him.."HAPPY BIRTHDAY RISHI"..he hugged me tight..I could see a Lady wearing an yellow half saree smiling at us.....

Night bus & lone girl

Every one surrounded the conductor,the driver was shivering,he sat on a cement slab."Sir everything ok"?? i asked the driver,,He raised his head n looked at me,he was sweating..if this had happened before this junction or in a straight road,we all would have died, he said.Now Im the one who got shocked,i searched for another cement slab 2 sit.but i couldn't find one.Oh God..I looked at the front left tyre of the bus.Tyre burst accidents are so dangerous..

You call the nearest Depot and arrange a bus,we should reach Trivandrum, one guy was almost yelling at the conductor."that's not possible,lets wait for the next Trivandrum bus to come,Ill make the arrangements,conductor said.

Other than the drivers comment,everything else sounded so cool to me,neither I'm in a hurry nor i have so many kilometers to travel.I just need to reach kaloor,almost 30 minutes travel from Angamaly,From there my friend will come to pick me,we will have food from some good restaurant.so ill wait for a low floor a/c bus.i don't belong to this havoc.

That girl again smiled at me.She was sitting on the side by seat in the previous bus.The dilemma of deciding the dishes for my dinner dint allow me to react to her smile.I saw her walking towards the conductor,they talked some thing.She walked towards me.Blue Nike T shirt with a white swoosh and "DO IT" writing,ash hooded sweat shirt,a big luggage and a small carry bag, converse shoes,colored hair."sorry i cant speak or read malayalam,will a get a bus if i wait here" she was worried.

Do i look like a station master ??i asked my self.I left the thought of food,"k where you wanna go"?? she paused for a moment ,"ALLEPPEY". Oh my place..where in ALLEPPEY ?? I wanted to ask,but unwanted quest can lead to huge responsibilities.

K The thing is that ,if u wait here you can get into the next Trivandrum or Allappey bus with this same ticket.i said.Will i get a seat?? she asked,I'm not a fortune teller,as usual this was also a mental dialogue.."I'm not sure..usually buses will be crowded at this time..i said with out any mercy. Shit,shit shit..she murmured.being the only female passenger without a male companion,she has got all the rights to worry at 8.45pm at a junction in Kerala.

A green bus arrived,Trivandum Express,fully crowded,everyone rushed towards the door,almost everyone got into the bus.The conductors talked each other and exchanged some papers.The bus left ,3 PEOPLE remained,conductor,Joe Thomas and The "DO IT" girl."How will you go" The conductor asked me,Ill take an A/c bus to Kaloor.K he replied and you madam??? will this a/c bus go to Ernakulam?she asked the conductor."Yes" He replied,"will i get an allappey bus from There?? she asked,he sed "Yes",Then I will go with him she replied.."WHAT?? GO WITH HIM??? I was shocked.

Conductor left,Low floor bus came.
She opened her purse,i peeped into it.One Ernakulam and one Kaloor,she got the tickets.."WHY WOULD YOU TAKE MY TICKET" I SHOUTED..chill jus a matter of 20 bucks.don't be a male chauvinist she said."Jesus what should i tell her".

By the way Im Sandra,Sandra Issac,working as a business analyst in Chennai.She introduced herself.Im Stephen..a freelance writer I replied,Cool,any way thanks for giving me company,I kinda feel safe now.MEN stare at girls in Kerala..Cheap real cheap.She was bitching about mallu men to another mallu man.It happens i just shrugged.She talked a lot,about tamil movies,,cuisines,her Kerala connections, etc etc.

2more Kms to KALOOR.she read the sign board,so its time for you to leave she sighed..Yea I said.

Stephen I'm extremely sorry i want to tell you something..she was sad.

I know what you are going to tell,i replied ,what??she asked

i took my bag and stood up

First thing that you are not going to Allappey
Second Thing Your name is Not Sandra Issac.I said,she was shocked,she gaped at me?? HOW DO U KNOW THAT??

First and foremost thing..the bus fare to Alappey from thrissur is 105 bucks,you gave a 100 buck and two 2 rs coin to the conductor in the first bus and he gave you 50 bucks back,,54 bucks ticket is to Ernakulam.

Secondly,A girl called Sandra Issac will never have Lord Krishnas photo inside her purse near to the mirror.i smiled.i know its real cheap to peep into a gals purse..

Stephen Im SO SORRY..I DONT BELIEVE GUYS THATS WHY...her eyes were filled..

Dont worry..u don't owe me an apology...its balanced...Cus MY NAME IS NOT STEPHEN N I'M NOT A FREELANCE WRITER..I SAID.n walked towards the door

THEN WHATS YOUR NAME..SHE ASKED

"KALOOR" The conductor said..the door got opened..i got down..bus moved..she was looking at me through the glass window..her eyes were filled...

the bus went away..i took my phone out..5 missed calls..n i din even know it..

Eric,Andrea & Paneer Mutter Masala

So u Indians like spicy dishes huh?Eric was almost weeping when he asked this.His eyes were filed with tears,his nose turned red.If you r not comfortable with spicy dishes,y did u order it?? i asked.

"Cuz the name sounded orgasmic" i was shocked when Andrea ,Erics gal fren answered...i looked at the menu "Paneer Mutter Masala".but for me the name sounded like an old auto rickshaw starting voice"....Her face had turned red,she was wiping her tears with her left hand.

So dude u work in bank?? Eric asked.Yep i answered
Good man ,its cool..but u know man banking in our country, it got screwed up man,it really got screwed up,Eric was weeping,i wondered. are dEs tears cuz of Paneer Mutter Masala or cuz of the US banking sector.

I know Eric,"Sub prime Mortgage Crisis".i answered humbly..Eric was surprised,See Andy See,HE IS GOOD,HE IS TOO GOOD,he shouted.People at Bharath restaurant stared at me as they thought i was trying to steal A foreigners purse.

No wonder man,no wonder u r a banker at this age,no wonder..Eric cried.
No wonder your banking is screwed up,i said to myself,Cuz u ppl r so bad at analyzing people,i crash landed in bank,n u r saying i deserve this.No Wonder u ppl cudnt recognize ur future loan defaulters.I dint say this to him,i sed this to myself.

But recession really hit below d belt ryt? u know India is only country which could face it properly,we dint get much affected.Its just because of our strict financial policies Eric,now i have all d rights to lecture Eric and Andrea.

"""Screw it man..SCREW IT. it aint abt any f****ng policies, u knw wat actualy happened in US??Eric gulped a glass of hot water.U knw wt happened there.
Some"""" M*$*#* f****ing Bast***s""" took sum bucks from the bank and din pay it back,,they cheated the jackass bank officers by showing some f****ng fake papers.The jack ass idiots who sAt behind the desk,couldn't evaluate the actual value of the land.n they gave money to those Bas****s and couldn't get in back and
WE ALL GOT F****D IN THE A##.""

I COULDN'T MOVE OR TALK

What an awesome explanation about the US sup-rime mortgage crisis which demolished the world economy.

I asked in my mind

WHERE WERE YOU ERIC?? WHERE WERE YOU WEN I CHEWED ECONOMIC TIMES,FORBES,INDIA TODAY ETC IN KJC LIBRARY TO UNDERSTAND THE REASON BEHIND RECESSION.

WHERE WERE U WHEN I SAT CLUELESS AMIDST THE FINANCIAL EXPERTS WHO BLABBERED A LOT ABOUT THE MORTGAGE CRISIS IN MY COLLEGE

WHERE WERE U WHEN I YAWNED IN THE SEMINAR HALL OF KRISTU JAYANTI COLLEGE DURING THE MBA BRAINSTORMING SESSIONS ABOUT THE EFEFCT OF RECESSION IN THE WORLD ECONOMY

"ERIC YOU HAD TO FLY ACROSS OCEANS WITH YOUR 5ft 10 inch GIRL FRIEND TO ENLIGHTEN ME"

THE MOMENT YOU DECIDED TO HAVE BUTTER NAAN AND PANEER MUTTER MASLA AND FILTER COFFEE FROM THRISSUR BHARATH RESTAURANT,,THAT MOMENT WILL ALWAYS REMAIN SPECIAL IN MY LIFE....