Pausing Clouds !

As the Indigo flight soared into Delhi’s deep blue skies, after the usual abdominal turbulence came the serene state of mind, when the little machine was well above the skies for the naked eye to see anything below other than the white puffs of clouds. Having already travelled 5000 KMs within a week through various modes of transport, this luxury of hitting the home turf after gobbling up the Delhi-Chennai 2200 kilometers in a matter of hours was a huge relief and the mind was ready to embrace my home sweet home. Only some weeks before I was traversing the same distance in 36 hours under the air-conditioned confines of a super fast express and my restless mind was wandering about the days when I used to embark on the same travel sans the comforts of conditioned air. No doubt, as one grows not only in age but also in stature and affordability, one makes the best choice of the day, everyday. And so one thinks!

Man’s never ending quest has never allowed him to be peaceful and always managed to keep him restless on the tenterhooks. A common man fights for his daily bread and when the young, anemic hand was extended the other day over the rail window, I was aghast as to how that hand could hold even a loaf of bread. Then there are those who could spend 70 rupees for a piece of Idly, but under colorful lights, splattering of fountains & the soft music of a maestro! This yawning gap, though one has learnt to take it in the stride, at times, hits people hard too.

Common guy fights for his daily bread, a blue collared worker for his seasonal bonus along with subsidized food, a lucky graduate for a vehicular comfort, a premier educated consultant for better perks as his salary has already been taken care of, top industrialists for more crores of profits… The race is always on without knowing the competitors. The have-nots at times attempt shorter cuts to these positions through the only avenue which requires neither education nor brains- “political self-proclaimed position”  . . . .every one runs after on this hot pursuit. The irony is that while almost everyone is sincerely in pursuit of their goal almost upto half of the above list of seekers, I am yet to hear of one who says “I am done. I don’t need anything any more”. I have never come across anyone who says “I am quitting today as I am satisfied. I have earned enough for my requirements and sustenance for the rest of my life and I feel I have saved enough and its time for me to enjoy life”. As the wants grow and as the expectations soar, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to decide as to what is enough? This is one simple reason that people conveniently cling on to, though the truth could be what to do without a job!

While this is the dilemma of the haves, the have-nots on the other hand are bending backwards even to make the ends meet. There are families which are worried for the next meal; there are students who are looking for next month fees to prosecute their studies; there are sons who keep their arms extended to support the medical needs of their parents. Even one of these isolated punishments could be borne by these but when more than one of these conspire to attack simultaneously they struggle to cope up and when the limit is stretched coupled with an empty belly, the agony at times lead to means which are termed as ‘unacceptable’. Though difficult for the haves’ to understand,  the have-nots never mind these means,  as the end appears to address their problems.

As I was hallucinating, my comforts were disturbed suddenly by a continuous but mild alarm bell and the hostess’ were scurrying around requesting the passengers to fasten their seat belts, as there was some unusual turbulence and the aircraft suddenly stared tossing around. All problems forgotten, the weak and the strong, the rich and the poor, the haves and the have-nots all started praying that their current ‘God in the cockpit’ handle this exigency well and would have even promised them the moon for a deft maneuvering. When things stabilized and the storm appeared to have blown over, people were back to their mundane ways of not only thinking but also acting ordering from Cokes to roasted cashew nuts to tender coconuts to simple plain teas. 

Had their God in the cockpit were not successful, had the plane not made it safely, all the 500s on board would have settled for the same watery grave  irrespective of their ‘positions’ ! How fickle is life and how ignorant are we of the unexpected and uncontrollable acts, I thought, when I saw the hoardings on the ground running away fast assuring one the heaven on earth at an unimaginable price, little realizing how the passengers were about to touch the heaven or hell without paying a rupee.

As the flight was taxiing even while the seat belts related warning was glowing, I could hear an anxious voice enquiring about the market today.  How I wish people could pause for a moment and realize that they could have also passed away in a moment!