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A day in my life

I'm jolted to the awakened state by the alarm. I go thru the little chores half asleep. I wish nights would be a little longer. I find my clothes mostly crumpled and carelessly stuffed into the wardrobe. I dress for office. I open the door to the balcony and the light from outside explodes in. Noise is an annoying guest invading my room. I look at the street below. People hurry for office or college. A mother drags her twins to school. A cool breeze blows. The sun lends its golden rays to everything exposed. Today's paper lies rolled on the floor. I get back into my room. Santosh sleeps like a baby. I lug my office bag and leave.

It's a virgin day but the streets are already maligned with overbearing people. I try to avoid the noise by treading along a narrow street. A housewife is busy brooming the front of her home and shoots a trail of dust into the air. Shutters are lifted, dry leaves are swept by the breeze. The street coaxes me to the main road. It's noisy and awfully polluted. Heavy trucks traverse it like a train in no mood to stop. Smoke fills the air. I cross the road to the other side. A cleaner furiously sweeps the road, bathing the passers-by in a spray of dust…an inescapable hazard at this early hour. I walk past the signal that commands respect over the traffic and veer to a new road. I reach my spot and stall myself. A stray dog is taking a sunbath as it lazes on the tiled entrance to a shop. More people reach the spot and stand like imperfect strangers. The bus arrives with the prospect of gobbling us. We hurry to be its fodder. Squeezing thru its narrow entrance, we finally take our seats. As usual, I get the window. The bus wobbles its way thru the roads while the sun rays slant in and selflessly offer their warmth. I smile.

The FM tuner is on and everyone is treated to its croonings. Ali Haider sings a song about college days. I can't help surrendering to it. My mind is adrift and wanders to the halcyon days in Fergusson. I had some across this sultry girl in a miniskirt. She had an hourglass-figure and shapy legs. How I wished I could be acquainted to her! I got my chance during the practical exam in our physics lab. She wanted some help with the adjustment of the prism and I was too glad to oblige. But this was no time for romance and I had to instruct a friend to stand guard at the door and warn me if a professor was heading our way. I helped her and went back to continue with the task at hand...something that was neglected in favoring my personal yearnings. How I wished this would be the start of a whole new relationship for us! It never happened.

I return to the present. Really, I must get a tight leash for my wandering mind. Some ads and silly messages offer me a breather before Lata Mangeshkar sings a beautiful song that I'm sure makes us all equally sedate and happy. I had heard it for the first time as a 5th grader. Kusum was a terribly dark and ugly but equally sweet and friendly classmate. She sang the song when my classmates begged her to.

We reach office and the talkative radio is finally muted. I disembark, tread my way thru the sidewalk and after negotiating a labyrinth of aisles and doors, finally reach my bay. I sit and drudgery ensues. I pamper my vacant mind with caffeine and tomato soup. I wish I could leapfrog those endlessly dull and boring hours which consume what could have been an eventful day. No chance.

After office we make a beeline for our respective shuttles. I take my window and resign to the bus. People gradually fill in. The machine hums into life and moves ahead. It's dusk and the roads are already clogged with heavy traffic. Not wanting to lend a thought to how congested things are, I numb my mind with random thoughts. I think of buying myself a pretty babe some day. Vidya Balan should suffice.

I reach my destination and the shuttle spits me out. I walk my way back home. En route, I suddenly remember I'm famished and satiate my rumbling tummy with roadside junk food. I reach home, take stock of what happened there, go thru some routine motions and begin reading some fiction. Dinner arrives and I'm hungry as ever. The food is hardly edible but I've learnt to keep my complaints to myself. I reach for the other folks in the adjacent room. They're busy surfing, cracking jokes, coding in Java and preparing to cook. They begin cooking and I'm hungry yet again. I don't give in to my hunger pangs this time.

I come out to the balcony. There's a rumpus on the street. Two cars from opposite directions tried to negotiate the narrow turn at the same time. Each wrongly read the other and a mini-accident is somehow averted. Tempers frayed, the drivers hurl abuses at each other. Some two-wheelers join in the fun and take sides arbitrarily, lending their voices in support of their camps. The vehicles behind get restless and begin honking. The squabbling drivers relent and go their separate ways. I retire to my den, continue with the book. My eyelids feel as heavy as lead and I finally decide to call it a day.

I cut thru life with a meaningless existence.

Comments

Vivek said…
Man! The similarities between your daily routine & mine are startling!
Deepanjan said…
Do you see an escape hatch?
Vivek said…
Not until I've run through my bond period. Music offers temporary respite though.

Tell you what, you should've titled it 'days of our lives'.
Anonymous said…
Meaningless? ...hardly I say.
Deepanjan said…
Viv, the title wouldn't be off the mark!
Deepanjan said…
Jahnvee, the meaning has defied me.
I c u've quoted me in your space. You'll make me famous!
Anonymous said…
Hi guys!!!

I have a fair chance of going to Columbus, Ohio, USA at around the month of April....... :)
Deepanjan said…
U break your silence to boast?!
May u b condemned 2 an eternity in Hell!
Anonymous said…
Ha Ha Ha
With you being here, I am already in hell.
By the way, I am thinking of redemption. Enough of these silly quarrels with you. Time to grow up.
Anonymous said…
What say? Shall we call a truce?
Anonymous said…
Hi Deepanjan...
Thanx 4 visiting my blog n liking it.
Here i c a good space 2:-)
U really write well.How abt taking it on a professional level?
Keep the good work going..
Cheers,
Sweta
http://spaces.msn.com/members/sweta444/
Deepanjan said…
Sameer, I couldn't agree more.
Deepanjan said…
Thanks for your kind words, Sweta! Regarding writing as a profession, well, I'm really not up to the mark!
Anonymous said…
I cannot believe this deepanjan I have not posted the above comment and this is the last time I m visiting this blog or ne from my college group and I havnt started blogging for that person's information
Anonymous said…
I forgot to write the above comment was posted by Sweta Raj .
Mca 2002 batch
Deepanjan said…
Sweta RAJ, I know you didn't post 'that' comment. It was by another Sweta! Her post contains the URL to her blog. Visit it and you'll realise it's a genuine Sweta!
Anonymous said…
ok my mistake ...I never thought that way but I visited that url that was good and attractive too I wont mind if people misunderstand it for my blog ;-).....just kidding and a honest way to compliment the person.....................
Deepanjan said…
Sweta RAJ, I wasn't even aware you visit my blog. Nice revelation!
Anonymous said…
Deep!!! You are a real moron. Can't you see the deception here? Now I wonder who could be masquerading as Sweta Raj. Wait till Sweta Raj hears about this.
Anonymous said…
I was also not aware that U r not aware.......because I remember I told u once ..........btw fyi I m a regular reader of ur blog.........From my project days since I once saw saurabh and rob reading it............U write very creatively I must say and u certainly meet the standards of a good author.
Anonymous said…
Sameer: So much for calling a truce ;)
Anonymous said…
Hey sameer thanks for the appreciation..........It is not me its u who have master in all the arts. ;-)....U hope u get this one ...............lets not make deepanjan's blog equilvalent to our college groups .we can continue our discussion on yahoo groups.
Anonymous said…
And as for me everybody know who I M?
sweta
Deepanjan said…
WOW! Sameer resurfaces & there's a flurry of activity here!
Jahnvee, u r so right in reminding Sameer about the truce. Vacuum-headed though he may be, I'm too fond of this chap. Maybe I'll junk him some time later.
Sameer, make up your mind. Do you really want the truce?
Sweta RAJ, I do remember you informing me about visiting my page. But I thought it was a one-time thing. I'm surprised to learn that I've won your loyalty.
BTW, I've no qualms about this space being used by u folks to interact with each other.
Anonymous said…
Ohh thanks for reminding! That's what my next suggestion was going to be... Deep, u should create a public chatroom here. I'm not sure if blogspot would allow u to do it but I say u find some way!
Deepanjan said…
Creating a public chatroom would certainly be possible. But I've always tried to keep my page as spartan as possible. Too many frills kill the thrills.
But since you suggest, I'll think it over.
Anonymous said…
Well you can have a semi-private chatroom. But you're right as well..then no one will leave comments! Anyways, it was only a suggestion. Just because I said so doesn't mean you have to consider it :) Now that I think of it, I like it better this way..

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