World of Peace

I woke up with a painful thought that I have lost my job. Until yesterday I was the best in the industry, but now I am no longer needed. The recession is taking its toll over my life. The day was also a gloomy one as my hunt for nre job didn’t pay me any returns. Neither did the cool breezy evening fascinate me. I landed under the roof of a temple. The sight of the idol of a smiling God irked me. I rose onto my feet, went close to the idol and started cursing God for my ill-fate. I might be emulating Amitabh from Deewar…saying “kush tho bohut honge na aaaj tum…jisne aaj tak tumhare sharan mein apna maata nahi teka, woh aaj tumhare saamne kada hai.” I put my hand into my pocket and found that I had just Rs 100 in my pocket. I picked up a rupee coin and threw it at the idol saying “tum tho doosroon se lene wale ho ..tum mujhe kya dooge.” A bright light blinded my eyes and a voice echoed through the temple “What do you want me to do?”  I replied ” Who are you ?” The voice said ” I am the one whom you were cursing for your ill-fate… I am God”. Though I was not sure who it was, but the need for a better luck forced me to believe in what the voice said. I said ” I have lost my job and ehhh……… if you are God you must be knowing what happened to me.” The voice replied” I know what had happened to you, now what do you want me to do for you?” I replied” Give me a better luck at least this time around.”

The voice paused for a while, though the light still blinded my eyes, confirming that so-called God was still around me. Then the voice replied “I would give you a boon that should make you a happy man.”  “What is it ?” ,I replied. The voice said, “ I will give you the rare ability that would kill your hunger for food for 7 years. But you would need to adhere to few conditions. ” “What are those”, I asked. The voice paused again and said “You must not work for anyone in these 7years, nor you should spend the Rs 99 that you have in your pocket. On failing on any of these conditions will cease the boon given to you.” “But..but…wat about my other needs ?”. “You will get anything you want for yourself on making a single wish.” The voice and the light vanished into thin air.

I went back to my flat and had a pretty peaceful yet confused sleep. The next morning was a new begining to my life. I wandered through the roads aimlessly. I never felt hungry and my wishes were fulfilled in seconds. Days passed and one breezy quite pleasant evening I went for an evening walk along the shores of a beach, I found a cute little girl sitting on a bench and staring at the kids of her age venturing into the shallow parts of the beach. The little girl was happy to watch her fellow mates enjoying the splash of water. I went close to her and we both started to build sand houses. Just then, an ice-cream vendor passed by captivating the focus of the little girl. I knew her eyes were more towards the ice-cream stall than the sand houses, though her hands were mechanically building them. I put my hand into my pocket and fetched Rs 2 to buy her the ice-cream, but then the words of the divine voice struck my mind. I realised I would lose the boon, if I spent even a single pice from those 99 rupees. I refrained myself from approaching the vendor for the fear of losing the the boon. I walk away from that place to avoid the confrontation with the disheartened kid.

As I walked past the girl, I found a small jelabi vendor selling fresh hot jelabis -my favourite. My mouth watered, but I can’t afford to buy them.

My life moved on peacefully, without doing any work. I found many ads in the newspapers suiting my profile but the conditions laid down by the divine voice reminded me that I shouldn’t work for anyone.

One fine morning, I set up on a morning jog. I saw a familiar face sitting at a park bench. My heart started to sing “Kitna haseen chehara ..kitne pyari aankhen…kitni pyari aankhen hai aankhoon se jalakta pyar”. I know she had been my dream gal since ages.  I could see her looking at me even few minutes with a hidden smile. My heart sank as she walked towards me and said ‘Hi’. I was in trance, my foot rose above the earth, my lips went dry. I knew it was the time to propose to her with a rose, but ehhhhh…. a voice sang ‘Rukh ja ooo jane wale rukh jaaa..jhoo tu chahe tujko laake doonga’. The voice chained my leg with the fear of losing the boon and eventually I lost my lady love.

Years passed and I had those 99 rupees in my pocket and had all my personal wishes being fullfilled at a single thought. One fine morning, I woke up and went for the routine morning jog. I returned back to my bedroom and realised that I had a strange feeling in my stomach. I panicked and I started to sweat. I didnt’t know what was happening with me, the earth slipped from under my foot and I fell on the floor. After sometime I realised that the strange sensation that is engulfing me is ‘hunger’. Ohhh alas the 7 years have gone by. Now I need to work to earn my daily bread and other amenities.

I walked out onto the road and realised that the world has changed a lot in these 7 years. I couldn’t find any hotels around where I can have my breakfast. I saw that the hotels are replaced by the food vending machines. I went to one of them and the sight of the menu dazzled me. The minimum cost of any dish was Rs.100; I fall a rupee short to buy any of them and it was not possible to promise to pay the remaining Re 1, as it was a machine and not a human being.

My ill-fate, threw me on the road and my head reeled because of hunger. The entire 7 years revolved around my mind, the divine voice, the little girl, the jelabi, the job offers, the lady love and many more things. Now at the end of the penance-like 7 years, I am back to the same state, looking for food and job.  The divine voice that spoke all trough these 7 years didn’t speak now. The only voice I could here was my inner voice which never spoke since long. It asked me, “What have you achieved at the end of the 7 year long ordeal ?” I had no reply for that. The inner voice then replied “But I know what you have lost in these 7 years.” ” You have lost the beautiful, heart warming smile and happiness that the little girl would have borne on her face, if you had bought her the ice-cream she longed for.”  I fell silent as I knew it was true. the inner voice spoke again, “You have lost the pleasure of relishing your favourite jelabis” My stomach and taste buds cursed my me for not giving them their share of pleasure. By now I had come to terms with the reality and realised that I have also lost my lady love and the various opportunities to find a job.

Now I stand losing all this for 7 long years, yet not in a position to buy myself a single plate of food. Do you know who am I ? …. I am the modern man ..I save plenty for my future but lose the small pleasures that I can enjoy today and by the time I feel like enjoying the fruits of my saving , I realise it is too late. All that I can say is “Before you save anything today, please think — am I losing anything? “

PS: I came up with this story, when I was discussing with a friend about why people save money for the future.