Apathy and Ecstasy: October 2010

Crushed cravings

26. They saw red

Many uncomfortable moments passed before the power came back, and it was then that everyone decided to call it a day. Practice had been eventful but unproductive and lacked the energy and mood that Manu had envisioned. Maya stayed on. To help her brother clear up the room as the cast slowly trickled out. Checking their bags and belongings the group left with a collective sulk on their face, perhaps they had let themselves down…Not really made the best first impression on Manu’s sister. Everyone took heavy steps down to the road, and got in their respective cars and modes of transport. Maliha and Kirtana got in the car and burst the dark cloud around the whole group with hysterical laughter! Funny girls…sometimes a giggling fit really helped make things seem right again. Maliha mocked Kit’s imitation of a girl under attack…and both of them could not help give in to the hysterical laughing. They decided they had a killer craving for kebabs…and the only sensible idea was to head the nearest Kebab place, which also happened to be one of the best ones in town… the night was young, and Kit’s work and Mali’s painting and her quest to figure out her first steps into a non-nomadic life and this whole play practice had made them a little too serious for their own liking.

Rahim’s Kebab studio was located in a newly developed area just outside of the suburb they lived in. It was new on the block but had picked up a very good reputation very quickly, serving up the best Kebab’s – spicy, succulent , melt-in-your mouth pieces of heaven-on-a-stick, strictly not for the diet conscious! The place had also a few other tricks up its sleeve. For one, it had a bar, and the distinct feeling of a music or comedy club, except you got your hands elbow deep in hariyali Kebab, and could wash it down with some authentic Arabic tea, or something stronger if you needed, tequila shots were a plenty. No one could say that the Kebab’s really went with any of this, it was strange at first, but the owners worked very hard at creating an eclectic mix of great kebabs and variety entertainment.

Kit parked her little red car, double checked the locks and looked down at what she had on. Ah yes, a green t-shirt with a peace sign on it, and her best old jeans, fraying in several places…nothing like comfort clothes for some comfort food! Except people usually came a little more dressed up to Rahim’s. Mali had on some sort of mini jumpsuit, off-shoulder and cute as ever, in a deep purple, she looked ready for the place. Whatever. Though Kit. She had learnt to let this kind of stuff go!

They strolled in, still a bit giddy from the giggling in the car and took a low table with a sheesha at its side… On stage was some small made guy in really baggy clothes setting up his sound gear, for what they could only guess was some sort of musical performance. The two ordered a sizable amount of food from the menu, it would rain kebabs on their table, and they would definitely be taking a doggy bag home! Also on the menu were some truly unusually named cocktails, Kit went for Pearl of Persia - this drink had rose and hints of saffron and cardamom together with a light sugary base and real big kick, while Mali had the Sahara Surprise – a date and alcohol mix, sure to be shocking to the palate . Whoever came up with these names! They surveyed the room, the usual mix of college goers and techies filled the space, and the remaining were the Mali-Kit variety.

The guy on stage had meanwhile set up a bar stool and a mike, and some instruments lay on stage – a drum set, a few guitars on a rack and a tambourine.

His name was Jackson, or at least that was what the crowd in the front tables screamed the minute he opened his mouth to sing. There was no denying the guy had skills. His music was dark , yet up-tempo and was nothing like anyone had ever heard…he sang beautifully. Apparently a college kid, his friends were going crazy...then again they would go crazy over a plate of chips at that point, but lucky for them “Jackson” was worth the hooting and cheering.

The kebabs were exquisite. They were cleaned off the table as quickly as they came, and served with an assortment of breads, it was going to me long finger-licking night, if they sat it out!

Soon Jackson got off stage, and the comedy section of the evening began. Here’s how badly open mike night can go at a Kebab joint…. As soon as the owner’s son, made some bizarre introduction to this new impromptu comedy night - people began looking away from the stage, deeply interested in their empty plates and half full glasses…the line to the restroom grew in seconds!

“Cowards” said Mali…she dusted her hands off and straightened herself up, marched straight on stage! Kirtana by now, was quite content, full and slightly tipsy, anything would make her laugh…she thought. People quickly got back to their seats, suddenly regaining interest in what was happening on stage.

Mali began… she was definitely a natural! Was there anything she would not do?? Well apparently, she would not draw the line at making poor Kirtana the butt of her jokes that night… some college kids would be seen with their drinks coming out of their noses… and Mali would joke her way through the last two months with Kit! The crowd was eating it up. Kebabs with a great big serving of laughs.

Was Kirtana mad that night? … the only thing more red than her car, which she went storming to twenty minutes into the show…was her face!! There would be hell to pay!

***

Manu and Maya cleaned up and headed to the roof… they had some catching up to do. “So where did you find this bunch?’’ she asked sarcasm intended and only half jokingly…”Don’t judge them so quickly, they are good people, they probably have no idea just how talented they are! That Kirtana is a great dancer, and her ability on set design is stupendous… Mali is here to render some artistic help, though I really can’t find her place here. Max, Rita and the others are just budding actors. After the work they did for me on my last play, I would be an idiot not to cast them.” said Manu.

“what about Nisha…and Mira was it? Singing, musical duo…what about them?” said Maya…”Long story…but you have to admit there’s a lot of raw talent there..”

“So…little bro..some chemistry in the room I see…sparks flying, and here I thought you were the utmost professional!” said Maya sly and suggesting so much…

Identical to Kirtana’s red face not far off, Manu let himself blush…but immediately jumped to his own defense...”hey! That’s not fair; I’m allowed feelings you know...it’s probably the best part of me…besides, who are you talking about?”

“You know…come on…let’s not play dumb here...” there was a good chance Maya was bluffing, but Manu was not about to let her get away…he called her bluff – “okay my very intuitive sister…who is it?”

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Bridging a very long gap

25. Gone cold

< note from the author: as the story has been picked up after a long break of 2 or 3 weeks - yes I had no choice, I would like to state that this chapter is in fact a filler, and is not a preview of things to come :) I will definitely up my game ;) get the story back on track and take you with Kit and the gang back into their remarkably interconnected lives. So for those reading, thanks :) will deliver on the next chapter...for now enjoy some light reading :) >

The autorickshaw pulled up in front of the three storeyed house in a neat , narrow -road -ridden suburban area. She got out, paid the driver and walked right in, past the gate, up the narrow stair case on the outside of the house, to the room that Manu used for initial practice sessions, while his plays took shape. The house belonged to his late grandfather and was still inhabited by some of his uncles from time to time. Manu had claimed a rather large piece of this home, especially given the vast floor space and the acoustics of this room, it was a great place to practice.

She knocked on the door, it was not completely shut, but it seemed rude to just barge in. the knocking was answered by a bald girl. Maya introduced herself to Mira and then received a round of introductions from the rest of the people in the room. Maya was Manu’s go to person for classical and semi classical music. She was also his sister.

He needed someone with training to pull this play together for him and so felt the need for reinforcements. His sister would always be ready to help.

The play and its music were slowly but surely taking shape. Kirtana was also heavily involved in designing aspects of the set, and had a great flair for it. Her eye for detail allowed her to correctly capture the exact mood of the characters and translate that into her surroundings.

A hundred kilometres away Raghav sat with Kanika in that farmhouse outside the city. The smell of fruits filled the air, and children could be heard singing film songs in an attempt to get their daily chores done. Raghav had spent about a week with Kanika by now, and she had really got a feel for his struggle, relating to it largely due to her own experiences. He was asking a lot about her work, and how she trusted everyone around her, especially people she had no connection with, with things she could not even see happening. They had talked about how he probably felt the way he did because he did not trust his own thoughts and that it was actually a great coincidence that they had been introduced.

Raghav would spend a lot more time with Kanika. He was going to help her on a few plans she had for the home.

Back at rehearsal, Manu found himself drifting off into his dream, he was watching Kirtana move around awkwardly and it was not what he had imagined… something was off? Everything and everyone had gone a bit cold? Something had changed since they had all last spoken and ideas and inspiration were aplenty. Now everyone, except Mira had a lethargy about them. No one looked to convinced with what they were doing. And for Maya who had just shown up, she was really wondering what her brother was up to!

She was one of those people who always had a solution up her sleeve, give her a problem and she would break it down in simple terms and give you a way to solve it, so what she saw here was not a problem, but a rut…everyone was overthinking and not quite delivering.

A few old school ice breaking exercises would do the trick right? She sat them all down, under the guise of feeding them her famous badam halwa…well it was worth the sit down, everyone happily ate while simultaneously complaining about how dreadfully sinful it was and how they had to watch calories…yes every calorie in every bite was watched as they fed themselves with it.

A few oily palms and several sugar rushes later, they were seated in a neat little circle, looking hopefully at Maya. What would she tell them? Manu looked at his sister, he knew what she had in mind.

“Guys I don’t really know any one of you yet, but what I do know is Manu and I know what his vision is for this play. I know you all are in it for the long haul…and I know you will work on your parts, but things are just cold, we need you to tap into your inner demons…let them all show on stage!” she said.

“let’s get you.. Kirtana…and you Max in the middle of the circle… let me give you a situation and you have to act on only emotions, how you feel about the situation and nothing else! You have to let it all out. The catch is to keep your back to each other… and let’s see where this takes us”..she said..

“it’s a dark alley.. Kirtana you are returning home, when Max springs out of thin air, swinging a knife at you asking you to give up all you valuables…what do you do?”

Max acted it out…all the while gesturing just with his voice, while Kirtana played the part of a scared girl, under attack, slowly realizing she could over power him and make a run for it if she timed herself correctly. They spent ten minutes on the exercise and soon everyone was completely engaged in what was happening.

Manu sat there watching his sister…she was unbelievable! Just then the lights went out…and the entire room was engulfed in darkness…cold and black darkness!

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Ring a bell

24. Black and White

Rita watched in a mix of horror and admiration at the frenzied pace of work that was taking place at this restaurant near the boutique she worked at. Named after a God , this particular “restaurant” was nowhere close to cleanliness or godliness. She had been here many times and watched the gross spectacle – a combination of negligence and crude grace that came together to make what could only be described as utterly sickeningly delicious food, for cheap and for the masses, served to you by men at a counter based on your ‘cuisine’ choice with one hand as they wiped the sweat off their brow with the other or used their long finger nail (multipurpose) for disgustingly useful purposes... So yes if you ordered for Gobi Manchurian it came with that invisible side order of fingernail dirt and whatever else was on the guy’s hand when he made it… and if you asked for a fork in this joint, they will look at you like you just swore at them. Masala dosa was near deep fried, served in a triangular shape served with what looks like an extra portion of butter, just in case the dosa on its own did not do it for you. The juice section of these shops was usually just as “good”- one mixer grinder for all juices ad fruits, and who cares if you cut your finger while your peeling that pineapple…blood tastes good, right… But this place still served over 500 people a day and had never once been closed on a health or hygiene violation…Jai Hind!

Rita ordered her usual…and tried to get these awful pictures out of her mind.. she tuned out. She would eat her lunch at the shop… who was she kidding –you could take the food out of the restaurant, but not the ‘restaurant’ out of the food!

Her order was ready and she sped out and ran straight into the shop…and turned the sign over. “CLOSED” it read. The owner did not look kindly upon these decisions by Rita…closing the shop at lunch time, meant losing business…”eat on your own time“ she said. “Ahh..Nothing like employee benefits!” Rita said out loud… mocking her absent employer… a bizarre French lady who lived in an “open” family in Pondicherry… she sold clothes from obscure designers in India and from around the world…all the time renouncing “materialism”… “wonder what she does with all the money she makes in this shop then…” Rita said the first time she heard that, along with a not so subtle dig at foreigners. Rita was a drama queen at heart and in general…but right now the queen was on vacation…leaving her lowly maid to be Rita for a while – this because she was a bit glum these days. Witnessing a near fatal accident does that to someone!

Well her chance to be on stage would come again soon…she would be good! She swayed around with a dress she was folding…ballroom dancing to unheard music, with the dress as her partner. The shop now reeked of her hot mess of food…and she chomped away happily after putting the dress away. An indulgence long overdue…”Chiiing…Chiiing…” the bell at the door made a sound as it opened…”We are closed for half an hour, please…” and the words stopped in her mouth…

Because at the door was a little girl. She had wandered into the shop…clearly lost, with tears rolling down her cheeks…and the most sad little eyes, Rita had ever seen!

Rita immediately ran to comfort the child…”What is your name?” she asked the child…the child did not answer… she just looked on at Rita. Rita tried everything to get her to talk! She offered her some food, water , asked her her mother’s name…but nothing! The child would not even look at her… it was as though she was looking right through her…

Rita heard the door again and a man, a slightly aged man, came flying in, not caring about the sign and claimed the little girl. “I’m so sorry, we were walking around and suddenly she vanished. I was worried sick!!”…he looked at the child…a plump little girl…

Yes Rita had been a plump little girl when her dad had lost her in the busy streets of her home city, 25 years ago…only this version that her mind had played out for her…had not been what really happened…Rita wiped her eyes…her mind had played tricks on her yet again! When would she learn to let this go…

Rita had gotten lost as a child…and in a place like this, a kid getting lost can mean many things! Rita eventually found out that she had not been lost by accident. But God , as she liked to think, had different plans for this girl. She was finally rescued and raised by a small family with no children of their own and with every excess a child ever dreams of. But how she struggled at first… Rita had been 3 years old when she had been “set free” and although the memory of that had faded considerably…it was recently rekindled during her car accident. She wondered why it had been done, why she had been rejected…why her? It was now a complex deeply rooted in her mind.

She realized she needed closure…and she needed to find the family that had not wanted her! She would resolve to find them and make peace with her past. This she had decided at Kit’s party that night…

The bell chimed again…and this time a real customer walked in, shaking Rita out of her thoughts… the drama queen was a front, because she was still just a 3 year old wondering why she had not been loved. She would learn, it was not all so black and white...

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How this story works..part two

So in a lot of stories there always is a gradual build up from introducing the main characters, establishing the relationships and elaborating on the plot, before it reaches the crux of the story and then finishes. I intend to keep that formula, but add my own flavour to this.. so read, and yes there will be more character introduction chapters, I'll get deeper into the story soon :)

Apart from this, I have decided to keep the names of cities a mystery. I will probably never mention the name of a city specifically, because when you do that, you have to be factually correct, and that might take away from the story on a blog :) so the only things I will ever write about specifically are my characters and what happens to them. The 'where' part will be appropriately described :) and will leave you guessing ;)

Behind this title...

So if you are reading this (thank you!) you are probably wondering what this blog title is about. Why a seemingly normal girl (if you know me or have read my profile) would choose to title her blog so. Well, I can explain it this way. As I see it pretty much everything and everyone around me , and for that matter you, is driven by one of these two sentiments. So no matter what I will ever talk about, it will always come down to something that was done to go after happiness or satisfaction or just not! It is my idea of simplifying the way I think of thoughts (yes think of thoughts), actions, intentions behind anything. And I am one for 'word plays'. So yes I like that my blog can sound like something (a book) we are already familiar with :)

So in this blog I will share with you a story I am writing.. its a story where the characters , events and situations are all derived from my own life. Enjoy :) and I would like your help and suggestions in building this story.. :)

Understand that this story is not true, its just an escape.. and completely a figment of my imagination :)