The date was Feb 22, 2010.
It was a Monday.
The date is important, however the day is even more important .Monday.
The start of yet another drastic and unknown week. Monday, which everyone dreads. In some countries Monday is called "Blackmonday", for obvious reasons.
However if you happen to work in south Mumbai, especially when you are staying in North Mumbai and travel by ruthless local trains, also work on weekends, and yet manage to have a smile in face, Monday's become stupendously maniacal.
However this week was even more special. The last week of Feb is when the Railway Ministry and the Finance Ministry announce their Budget for the year. On this the Markets Shake. Investors listen. Ministers frown. News Channels enjoy. News Papers are heavy. Magazines are fatter. Sachin plays excellent innings.(this was my research). The list goes on.
I felt like i was on a hill station. Yes it was indeed a hill station.This is Lonavala if i am not mistaken.
Lush greenery everywhere. And Feb, wow ....the climate is cool as well. The birds are chirping everywhere. No noise of honking cars, metal kissing train wheels.The lady announcer in the railway station. Nothing is audible.
The place is just silent. The sky is blue. Really blue. Just a single cloud that is passing. .....No wait....it is bringing a fleet of its family clouds. Wow there is a sudden darkness which has gripped this place. What more to expect now, yes it is drizzling as well.
One by one, slowly , each raindrop falling and settling all over you. It is like a cold ice cube pressed over you skin. The skin sends merry signals to the brain and the brain enjoys it. The raindrops also settle over the leaves in the plant nearby.
Look at it.....it looks like a pearl !!!
I see around me, no one is visible. The road is long. Its not the usual concrete road you see daily. It is one created of mud with grass on either sides and some small plants which have indigo and violent pink flowers. The scene is mesmerizing.
I see a small rock towards the edge of the hilllock which i am walking in. Wait i am seeing someone there. I have seen that lady before. She looks beautiful. .............Wait...i know......i know........
She shifts her eyes from the open valley she had been starring,to see me.
Hi, she said and smiled .....I am Shreya Goshal.
Yeah man....thats what,,,i have seen her somewhere,,,,in some TV show. Yes she indeed looks good. Very few people are born with a beautiful face and a sweet voice and she is one of them.
Hi I am Rax, i am an avid fan of yours. i say.
Oh,,,,hmmmmm...... i came here just to stay away from my fan following and constant pestering, you see.And offcourse the hectic life.
Me too...I said, and she gave a strange look.
I mean i dont have fan following as such but yes i live a hectic life,, so i came here.
She laughs. Wow her laughter is a music in itself.
Sorry to bother you on your holiday, but can i ask you something.
Yeah tell me, friend. ( Wow she called me friend.............am i lucky or am i very lucky?)
"Nothing much but it is what you must be listening to all your life till now, .........can you sing a song for me,, please. I said with a childlike face."
She smiled back. what do i get in return? she asks with a corrupt politician's look.
Quick witted that i am, i see around, pluck one of those exotic purple flowers and hand it to her.
"All yours" i say with an innocent look.
She laughs again and says, which song do you want.
Being modest, i said, i dont want to bug you with my choices, you sing what ever you want to.
She made some noise ,which i think was adjusting the tone of her voice.
She began, Its a English poem, my own composition
i smiled.I am all ears, i said.
Just in a second i saw around, the climate is so cool, breezy. There is no sound except some beautiful birds chirping some melodious tune. I am sitting opposite Shreya Goshal and she is singing a self composed poem to me. What more do you expect of in this life. I closed my eyes and started to listen intently.
" With this life of a little sparrow,
i shout all around , in this world, both wide and narrow.
singing songs of peace and love,
i fly in these valleys and plains , then and now,
But these flowers view of bud,
Jet speed...tell me... oh you there?
WAIT,,,,something is wrong here. Even with the limited poetic and musical knowledge that i have, i can say the last stanza was rubbish. And hey, what happened to Shreya's voice. Why is it so rough? It is not sweet at all, in fact it is anything but sweet, it is hoarse.
Something is weirdly wrong. Why am i not able to open my eyes?
you there?
No,,,,hey i know this voice and at that instant moment i force my eyes open.
It was the conference room of my office. The wind was the AC which was above me and the voice was of my senior colleague.
and he repeated.." BUDGET? tell me your views and Speed up . ( Ok this explains the last few lines of the poem.......)
Maintaining a straight face as if i was thinking over it , i thought for yet another second to start logically
I started " High double-digit food inflation in 2009-10 is a great concern , i think the budget should show clear ways to bring the price rise into control.
There is a huge feeling in the market that the Income Tax limit will be increased by Rs50,000 for men , women and elderly, above the existing limit.
The implementation of Direct Tax Code (DTC) and Good and Service Tax .......................( My colleage signals me to stop here)
OK ..... These points are just too great, but Rax, we are discussing the Rail budget. Hope you are with us.
( Then i kept a i-am-not- well face and in mind cursed who-so-ever thought it best to have Railway budget and Finance Budget in the same week. But this is what would happen when you sleep less and the AC is really cold, i found later.)
I also saw Purple markers in one of my colleagues hands. And just wished i should not have given them to him thinking they are flowers to Shreya Goshal .
