To sir, with love!

Bangalore's weather, my mood-- they seem to be taking a leaf from each other. Do you know how it feels when a long awaited dream finally becomes a reality? 

Before the elders in my family (waiting with bated breath) start their congratulatory calls, I have to confess: our website went live a few days back. While we still keep adorning the living, breathing creature with little, new ornaments each day, other things waiting for my attention came knocking together. 

A quick lunch was on as usual-- me at my desk, looking at the phone, the laptop-- switching screens in between mouthfuls of chapati and tendli I hurriedly prepared earlier this morning. 

Mind you! It was no mean feat, especially when I have to be on high alert with my ears acting like my earphones, muting nearby noises to make sure I do not miss the sound of the garbage van. I have to be a little faster than it, if I have to ensure that the bucketful of wet waste leaves home.

And then the phone rang. I picked it up on the third ring, if my memory serves me right. Not a call I expected at that hour at all. But here was he. 

" Hello, sir. How have you been?"

"Don't."

"Are you in Bangalore? "

"In hell. I died two months ago."

In between morsels of food, I wanted to chuckle. But at the same time, I knew it had indeed been a long time since we last spoke.

"Sorry, sir. The last few months have been crazy."

"Did you take bath?"

"Sir?"

"Did you take bath at all?"

"Of course, I did. Why?"

"Combed your hair? Ate food? Spoke to your dad?"

I knew where this was going. 

"No one cares about us in hell. You wouldn't know if I died."

"I am sorry." (A smile played on my lips despite me chewing the last bit)

I shut my tiffin box and washed my hands and went for a little walk outside. 

"How is your wife? Your daughters?"

"I am in hell. Phones, FB, Insta, mails-- we don't have access to anything. Kaalan only gave us a chance to make one phone call. Not to family or relatives, but one who touched my life in some way."

I could not stop smiling. How dramatic! Only he could do this. I smirked.

"Do you know there are cockroaches, worms and mosquitoes that accompany me at night. I had pain in my legs last night and the mosquitoes massaged my pain away. The cockroaches provided a fluffy bed for me to rest."

"Noooo. Not cockroaches and worms. Yuck! Mosquitoes find me anyway."

"There are lots of colours in hell. Someone from heaven told me that over there, they had white coloured people with black teeth. Here, people are skin-coloured with white teeth. While milk and honey flows freely there, I don't get much food here-- no one to appreciate, care or call me-- things that nourish us. But you know what? Here, each day brings a new colour. Red, yellow, green. There are elephants the size of oranges. Oh! Reminds me to tell you, I weigh only a few grams here."

"Wow! The size of an orange? That's interesting."

"Yes, they are blue in colour."

"Blue? Wow!"

"They fall along with the raindrops on the ground. With their trunk, they take me on a roller-coaster ride. "

I was walking, imagining it all. I realised that two of my colleagues went past me, wondering why I was on a call for sometime now. This was unusual. 

"There are no males and females here. You can choose your form. What would you like to be?"

"I don't know. If I can be anything, let that be the case."

"How have your parents been? I have become too lazy these days."

"They are fine. Says my dad too-- he is bored of adding tadka to the amazing curries he makes. I may follow suit, soon!"

"Okay. I have bored you enough. Haven't I?"

For the first time, my train of thoughts broke. 

"What? No way! I wouldn't have imagined blue elephants falling down the sky in the middle of a work day, if it weren't for you."

What an afternoon banter! Without me even saying a word about stress, strain or one of those words that are peppered in usual conversations with a 30-year-old something, here was a man who just deviated the conversation to hell vs heaven and for a brief time, convinced me that hell was worth living in-- with the cockroaches, worms and mosquitoes-- of course! 

As unusual this conversation seemed like-- especially between a former boss and worker-- that's the magic some people bring to your life. They become the rainbow in between a storm.

A few years back when I decided to accept the offer I had written off only a while back, I knew it was for a chance to work with someone like him for it's not everyday one finds people like him-- who inspire, bring joy and just make people's lives a little better. And four years later, I still am proud of the fact that our paths crossed.

Thank you, sir! Hope you sleep with a full tummy tonight. ;)

On my way, here's the rainbow I saw for the second time today. :)