Where do they go?

If other than oxygen there is one thing that you can’t avoid while you get through the day, it is the ‘people’

You see them

Meet them

Hear them

Have a chat, crack a joke and laugh with them

Out of these numerous faces around

Walking and talking, Breathing and sweating some appeal more than the others

You like some over the others

Well you also have illusions that you love some…

You take a few steps with them and take some more

Hope that these would be like footsteps in the sand of the time

The more you take, more you shall leave behind

And yeah they are steps in the sand

However, water from the sea washes them off moment you set your foot forward

Memories at times are like a FIFO stack in computers (first in first out)

Pilled under huge stack of other memories and other people…

And so the life goes on

Till one day, something just goes missing

Something somewhere stops

Just like you clicked with people

You probably unclick

As smoothly as they became integral part of your life,

They slide away even more smoothly

You have them on your yahoo or gmail address book but don’t know if their account are still active

You’ve their numbers but don’t know if they are still in the same city

You’ve their digital footprints in your inbox but you let forwards and useless advertisements pile up on them

They are on your mind but there is only so much you can process at a time…

They are mentioned over a few beers and drinking stories or as ‘one of my friends’ over soul searching instances

Until..

An awkward smile at a grocery shop

A confused glance at a pub

A familiar voice over a conference

Or a brushing of shoulders at a movie theatre

Makes you wonder…

Aren’t these people just like steps in the sand…

More you take – more you leave behind…

Where do they go?

Guess back to the sea of faces they belong to…

Neo

Quantum Of So-Less

Much talked about sequel to the Casino Royale, movie 'Quantum Of Solace' starring Daniel Craig and the new bond girl Olga Kuryelenko, finally hits the screen and after having watched the same trailer hundreds of times, I rushed for the movie with my friends.

Now, if you were thrilled by the ‘on the foot chase’ from Casino Royale, you will be on the edge of your seat when Quantum kicks off with an Aston Martin snaking through the hilly roads in Italy while being chased by the bad guys. Insane car chase with Mr. White locked in the boot of the car is simply stunning. It felt rewarding to have watched Casino Royale before heading out to the theatre.

Things turn out, ‘well not exactly as expected’ while interrogating Mr. White and it leads to another very well pictured chase, which leads our double O to yet another lead and to another lead and from one dead man to another.

All that agent M and we know by the time we get to the half is that there is something, someone and some organisation which is much bigger than what we’ve seen or imagined. It is out there and elite secret services don’t know anything about it.

In the course of time, Olga Kuryelenko is introduced elegantly. If you are hoping for some action from the new, bold bond girl, I’m sorry but you’ll be let down. Bond is after the bad guys and is working his way brick by brick and lead by lead. When all of a sudden MI6 decides to bring him in and restrict his movement. That is when Bond goes back to Mathis and seeks help.

This venture leads him to Bolivia and that much closer to the bad guys and their plot. Mr. Green, Bolivian dictator, compromised CIA agents and if time permits then Bond is after guys who killed Vesper as well…feeling I get.

James Bond claims, time and time over again that he isn’t driven by vengeance or revenge. He is only answering to the call of his duty. But Bond not being able to get sleep at nights, Mathis and Camille (Olga) reminding him about Vesper and asking him to let himself free are the clues that he isn’t over Vesper and probably, something more than duty is driving him to go after the bad guys. As an audience, one may get confused as to If bond is going to have to fight the bad guys to protect the royal grace and the crown and in the course of time a side mission would be to take out the guys who killed Vesper.

Well, as bond advances towards the bad guys the death toll increases. Things speed up and cars roll and guns fire. The regular stuff and it continues till the end.

The background score is good; action scenes and chase sequences are of supreme quality, exotic locations and face off with newer and more sophisticated villains.

However, our double O seems to be getting more of a broken hearted revengeful, confused, lover boy.

Bond was after Le Chiffre in the Royale and other than the call from M during which she tells Bond that organization behind Le Chiffre kidnapped Vesper’s boyfriend and did all that they did.

We do get glimpses of ‘that organization’ and we hope to see that organization shape up and be defined by its body and activity but I guess we are going to have to wait a little bit longer. Newly promoted 007 might need some more time and creators of the movie some more bandwidth to figure out what that organization is all about.

After having waited for two years for this movie, walking out of theatre I felt, I want to go to sleep and only wake up when the next one is out.

However, no smart and cheeky gadgets, Bond goes to bed with just one woman, not a lot of wits and charming by the Bond, relationship between M and double O becoming more of a Mother-son kind and closest Olga Kuryelenko comes to action is a peck on bond’s lips and some shouting and inane shooting and flashing ramp looks…just the facts.

However, it is a 007 movie so feel free to knock yourself off.

Neo

Other Side

When the light through the windowpane makes it impossible to keep the eyelids closed and twisting and turning in the bed comes to end, I open my eyes and check the time. It is one in the noon and second thing I notice is stiff and frozen muscles and splitting headache, symptoms of inevitable disease known as ‘hangover.’

I drag my ass off the bed to the washroom. Splashing water on face and cleaning eyes, I notice a stamp on my right wrist. I hold my wrist up see the blur blue inked stamp in the mirror. “Ahh, that is where I was.” And other thing that it reminds is who I was with, you know.

Wait, I didn’t plan to start Sunday like this but then I’m not complaining either. Saturday noon I did the regular stuff. Cleaned up apartment a bit, washed some shirts, made some food and read up a bit and watched TV. Later I met up with a friend and somehow just a friendly catch up shot off to tangents such as life and what is it that matters in life, we did some loud thinking and some retrospection. It was getting a little too heavy for Saturday night. And then rung my cell phone…roomie asked, “Whats up bro? What plans?”

Yeah right, so I don’t happen to be the most social, party prone and the fun person, so my calendar for weekends is an empty slate (most of the times). So this party comes along in this plush club and this kind man gifts me name on the guest-list, ‘A’ list as he would like to call it.

Simple white t-shirt, blue denim and shoes and bike keys and we are off. As people start trickling in, we get into the club. Nice and low seating sofas, mini bars sprung up across the club, glittery dance floor and something that every party needs, ‘abundance of pretty faces.’

I remember first hour when I just sat down there and downed my beer. Later, got to talking with some folks and I remembers downing shots in the name of good times and new friendships formed. What followed after that was something, let us just say, I was new to it.

Now, I’ve two left feet so normally I look for a girl with two right feet so we could dance. And more often than not it has either been the girl I was dating or a very good friend. First case, she doesn’t have much of a choice and later, I don’t have much of a choice. This time was something different. Another shot and then dance floor.

I stood there like I needed directions to the toilet and I couldn’t read the language. Which is not exaggeration because I was looking for some space to dance, some association and wasn’t able to follow the music at all.

I got my directions when someone held me by my hand and all I had to do was just follow (to start with). Well, after that there wasn’t looking back. Alcohol has been Mankind’s best friend and it didn’t betray. Music picked up, dance partner was fun and we made space where we could dance.

It only improved with every passing number, every gulping drink. Things I said then I can’t remember now, but whatever I can remember is absurdly stupid. However, it just seemed fitting and well, seems to have worked as well, had a good time after all.

Long drive, spinning head, someone’s head on my shoulder, me choosing to catch glimpses of Lamborghini over start gazing with someone, elegantly dressed girls, exchange of numbers, drunken sms-ing and good byes and roomie riding both of us home is what I kind of remember.

I blink my eyes and look at the image of the stamp in the mirror and the guy in the mirror smirks at me, saying “Welcome to the other side.”

Neo

…and We remained 12 hours apart…

After waiting for half an hour, at 8:30, I finally swiped my card in and walked up to the bay. Took off my shirt, signed against the canoe I was taking in and I hit the water.

I always find myself into the rush to row wider and stronger and faster in order to get away from the shore as quickly as possible. And I enjoy it because it gives a kind of rush of blood and flexing of muscles so fast, am often close to getting a cramp but I love it anyways. Once, I rowed my way in, I relaxed a bit and found my rhythm. And once me and my canoe were one and ore was cutting water just as smooth, my mind couldn’t help but wonder - why didn’t she come?

I had met her a day before. Nahh, I mean we’d known each other for over a three years (or two as she would like to correct me) from the days when I was still in Germany. A quiet face, brownish short hair over her forehead, and comforting yet mysterious smile on her lips, flawless blue eyes and elegant eyebrows- yeah, I can still remember. Two years had gone by and none of us had bothered to get in touch, why should one. It was probably an evening or a workshop that we did together. I sure noticed her back then but I’d noticed her friend more, so to say.

Well, I was excited to meet after so long. I thought of it more so that she is in my city and if was in hers, she would show me around and that is what I’m going to do. Just like another Job. I’ve spent at least five of my weekends showing people around and have got some of my dearest friends and acquaintances out of that and it is cool thing. I get to know a little more about my own city. So, I was up for it.

I walked into Café Leopold. It wasn’t full but there were a lot of tourists and I was wondering if we would recognise each other at all. Turns out, it is still not possible for someone like her to go unnoticed. She was writing her diary, sitting at the right corner table, black coloured salwar-kurta, same good old short hair, pretty eyes and spark in her smile. Very formally, I said hello in my possible German dialect and I settled down on the chair in front of her. She still looked very pretty and this time with a subtle sense of peace in every-bit that she came across. But somehow, I wasn’t going to compliment her. Just a thing you know, you don’t want to go ga ga about someone just within in five minutes of seeing them. Let us just call it a guy thing for the moment.

We walked around. I did my routine, Gateway of India, docks, Bombay Stock Exchange, Fountain, Churchgate, High Court building and back to Regal theatre. While I wasn’t explaining something about the place, I was listening to her story. Which was like yours and mine, but for the fact that she had been on the road from January and she has been pretty much all over the world, from South America to New Zealand, Laos to Varanasi, Agra to Kanyakumari.

While we stopped at Mondegar’s to have our lunch. I completely stepped out of my guide’s shoe and we could really catch up. Surprisingly, we spoke a lot and said a lot as well. Now I knew a little more than before. In her words, ‘I knew that she wasn’t that kind of person and She wasn’t that kind of girl.’ I guessed, I had rest of the afternoon and then probably the evening to figure out those two ‘thats.’

Then we rode up to VT, Xaviers’ College, Metro, Marine Lines, Churchgate and then to the lands end at Nariman Point. And we just hung around by the sea face. We watched people, skyline of Bombay, fancy cars passing by, people walking, breathing, talking, sweating, talking on phones, crossing roads, shopping…we just let the life of the city sink in.

She asked, if we were going to party anytime. And I nodded.

Left the bike and home and we took on street by foot.

We walked up all the way up from Choupati to Nariman Point by the sea. We decided to make a quick pit-stop and sit by the sea-face for a while and we ended up hanging around there for an hour and then back on feet. Very soon we ended up at Mondy’s, now Café Mondegar(Mondy’s) has become a phenomenon for me or rather a synonym for ‘Good Times’ and well that day wasn’t an exception. We sat in, downed some beers, scribbled on tissue papers, put in coins to play songs on Juke box and met some people. We left only when they decided to shut down.

No one wanted to go home so we walked past assembly house to the sea. Alcohol does help you get over some inhibitions and talk a little more than you otherwise. So it did. We just lazed around till early morning, laughed for no good reason, starred at the horizon in the dark and heard the bikes and cars breeze by. Then I walked her back to her guest-house and she asked if we were still on for rowing in the sea next day. We agreed to meet up at 8 o’clock and then just a long silent stare and then I left.

She thought it was 8 pm and it was apparent to me that it has to be 8am to be able to row in the sea.

Well, that is why I probably waited for half and hour. But now I’m hitting the water.

I remember, she told me bout this guy she met in a pub on some evening and then how they were the only ones left to leave when the sun rose. Twelve hours, did she say ?

I couldn’t help but think…

Well, I met her following day in the evening and as both of us were a little short on money we just hung around. Walked, talked, and grabbed an ice-cream and some road-side food. I remember when in Bombay, an hour doesn’t pass without looking at the watch half a dozen times, but this time around the time check was courtesy Mom, dad and all the friends whom I was still to meet. They kept buzzing on my cell-phone.

It only got clearer that time is something; we never have it on our side.

Wine, dine, walks, rides and well hours and hours spent talking and sometime just thinking, grinning and smiling, just felt like a routine, I didn’t want to let go off.

So here was the deal, I couldn’t get in touch with her and she could. So, there wasn’t a lot of room for being spontaneous, even if I was around where was she was staying, there was no way to get in touch with her. Well, it works both ways, if you don’t know if you are going to meet the person again or not, you make most of the time you’ve got and other way, you know it…

So, she buzzed later on in the day and we met up at Regal. I happened to reach early and thought I could take her out for movie and so I got tickets. Turns out she really wanted to see that one and I just smiled like I could read her mind, whereas I had no damn clue…bout nothing.

That was the last evening, next day by that time, I was to be in the bus headed towards Hyd. Only consolation was I hate to be the one driving back from the Airport, so I much rather be on the flight (errr…on the Bus).

We sat and watched the fireflies in the sky and I joked that the city was bidding farewell to her. She was on the road for last nine months, she had travelled over ten countries and met tones of people and this was her last stop before heading back home. Just makes things interesting. You always have lots to talk about lots. Not to mention, I could practice a bit of my German.

For someone who hasn’t been on holidays in the last seven month and for whom 9 to 6pm has been the schedule and life was defined in by nothing but the sum 5+2, spending such a refreshing time with someone was …well beyond all the words that you read so far…

We met up in yet another of my favourite café, she slide the printout of our photograph and a lighter that she had carried with her for last nine months and I slide across an envelope, contents of which I leave to your imagination.

We walked a mile. And I heard myself saying, “So, Das wars.”..means so that was it..

She smiled and we hugged.

And we parted, no one looked back or maybe someone did…

Neo