Almost a decade ago I had applied for my passport and after a
few days started wondering what is the status of it and in those days online
status was there but didn't find it as status updated just a few minutes ago type.
Then on one regular day the status has changed to pending with police verification
status. Then day became very fine otherwise regular. Felt relieved, the reasons
being I have submitted it in an usual rush way (yes I'm HUMAN) :D and more to
it I had put my hostel address in there. Hostel is the synonym for disorder. Trust me, one should see hostel phase too in life. As I already
know the process quickly found from which police station the cop will come for
the verification. When I was teen answered a few questions about my brother
when a cop came with passport application enquiry. Kept the info and documents
ready but no one turned up (not only in movies, cops comes late) at my door. A
few more days passed by and still nothing happened, then I decided to walk in to the police station
proactively. Puzzled after knowing that police station was getting renovated,
in mess and got directed to a temporary station setup. Ended thinking
what if they misplaced my papers!!!
When
me and my good old friend Srikanth Amara ended up there on a chilly evening, we
found it like an old principal room with sports shields, a sofa on one side
(remember the old and full of dusty type) and on the other side a table with
yellow colour plastic wired chairs. When we approached the cop at table, a
young fellow was reporting his lost bike with his helmet in hand (almost all
carry helmet in hand, never locks it to bike but park the bike where ever empty
space is seen) and finally our turn came. Immediately after we shot our
question he pointed a room and we landed there, with govt, it’s never a single
window. Again same question was shot but this time buck stopped there. He took
out the BIG ledger (seen any time?) and turned pages left and right to check my
name and finally declared yes application is pending with us, me relieved again.
While we started shooting a few more questions, two cops came into the room and
asked us what you want. I volunteered and answered politely that we have come
here to check the status of my passport. One of them immediately laughed out
loud and said where can you go and what can you do and kept laughing. If
you are wondering what made him say this? Then we have never met.
We are
almost there...
Got
hurt and temper raised like a just launched missile. Wanted to punch his face
and throw a nasty comment at him. If you know me for some good amount of time,
you will easily realise that I can make any one lower their head with my sarcastic
comment to put them back in order, so I started filtering the instant comments getting
generated in mind at supersonic speed and selected one; a comment on his weak economic
status. I was kind of sure it would wound him badly and that’s what I too want.
An old saying, never enquire about a man's earnings and a woman's age, it’s not
manners. But I say, you also never comment in a bad way about his salary and about
her beauty. Don't be in shock if they never talk to you after that.
I turned
towards him; staring and getting ready to shoot the filtered bullet with a fear
element inside as anything might happen after that. It is sure that one of us
will regret but the question is who will it be, and what if it’s me; so fear,
but not giving up, young and short tempered blood (dna issue) and a confused
mind whether to go for it or call it off. Srikanth was too upset, he was not
only my team mate at office but also my roommate and we spend almost the whole
day together so knowing me well he started smile act and nodding the head in no
direction and hinting me to not to go for it and act sportive, mental sportive
only no physical kicking of balls. I started slowing down my horses and
suddenly the other cop who entered into the room along with this cop said what
are you saying in a criticised voice (good cop, bad cop routine) and I slowly swallowed
the comment (like the bomb scene in The Mask movie's climax) and continued
smiling. Remained an incomplete creature, comment would have made me a complete
creature.
Quite
a story, eh? But what's with animals!!!
What
could have happened if I wouldn’t have swallowed the comment? Anything could
have happened that I am leaving it to your imagination. One can scare themselves
pretty well with their imagination skills. It’s not about the presence of Srikanth
and good cop; it’s about controlling, at that moment I did a decently different
job which is doing nothing. Not my style. Neither reacted nor responded. You
see, inaction is also an action. Saw
Jackie Chan’s The Karate Kid movie? I am a virtual student of Mr. Han like
Ekalavya in Mahabharatam, sorry no direct lesson, no right thumb finger. Through
that he thought me a few beautiful things about life such as the only person one
has to control is himself; being still and doing nothing are two different things
and a few more solid secrets of life in a simple ways. These are no new lessons
but still find them new every time. Life is about “learn, unlearn and relearn”.
So the phase of unlearn is where we end up in trouble if we are not quickly transforming
into relearning phase. One should have a score board of his angers and smiles
points till he became the master of anger management. Once he is the master
only a bad miracle could make him anger again and he will be human again.
Oops
human again!!!
They say
find your humanity which is buried deep down and all. Why do we call people
human when they behave like animals at some point of time knowingly or
unknowingly? People are wolves chasing material and immaterial needs, angry
birds attempting to destroy the pigs who spoiled their life game and end of all
just living like a dog in many ways. By the way, do you know dog breed is
created by man and not a creation of nature? That's why I never call people as
human beings; I refer them as social animals. There are only black and white shades
of life, no grey and afterwards escaping by different shades of grey. See, there is
nothing to worry by getting compared to animals, remember we evolved, actually
still evolving. It is much better than being partial to some traits where we
claim I am an animal in bed, I chase money like cheetah, I drink like fish, and
weigh like hippo etc there is no end for these animal comparisons. Stop comparing
and accept to be animal. It’s a great fun. The best part is you can always
master the traits needed to be human and declare as human. Of course one will
feel lonely out there at masters’ villa but always stays at top and rest act
aspiration to be there but keep jealous about it inside. Sins committed
silently :)
Oh
my passport!
Did I tell you that the cops have never visited (as far as I
know) the hostel and didn't do serious search for me while I am at office busy
with financial analysis. They figured out that I am a good kid hence got my
passport. I was a good animal not human because I wanted to comment that cop
badly and have my vengeance. We don't have to list down all our traits and
start fixing them with a big bang plan where ever we see a problem. If you do so all
you end up is thinking that you are a monster. Have you ever edited others writings
or exam papers? If you correct something in the very beginning you end up with
lot of corrections, and if you didn’t do any corrections in the initial paragraphs,
you end up with fewer corrections. Yeah it’s a brain thing, don’t ask me more.
I just know that’s it. We just have to select the few which are major
influences like anger, in discipline towards health and career etc. Actually
these are my selections, if these turns out be your selection too here is my
virtual high five; great minds think alike. If we fix the majors, minors dissolve on their own.
