Connections ....and more!!

Team Name: MAXIMUS DRAMATICUS

Read the previous part of the story here : A Good News To Share

"You knew Lallan?!!" , the spontaneity of Tara and Cyrus' enquiries made it look as if it was a dialogue , well rehearsed in advance! 

Jennifer bit her tongue . She had played safe till now, avoiding every bit of shady affair that she had been a witness to/ or had been a part of , till now. She didn't want to cook up any fresh controversies , least of all, divulging her ill advised fling with Lallan. But she knew she had given it away . She now had no options but to open up.

" Jennifer, answer me", Tara was looking steadfastly at her ! 

Cyrus wasn't one to speak in that same tone of voice to her, but he too wanted to know the detail of this latest piece of sensational information .

" yes, I knew him ....but you can be absolutely certain that I didn't have any connection to any of his misdeeds. Hate to admit this, but being in a two week relationship with the guy is something  that I wish I could have erased from my past", Jennifer looked genuinely shameful. 

Cyrus felt a sharp pang of pain somewhere deep inside . 

" I was high flying , you see.....bagging the photo assignment for a particularly glam event some time back, when this crook introduced himself as a Fashion Photographer and bonded with me", Jennifer was earnest ...." I fell for his looks, and his suave manners . But my love bubble had burst , in the very first week , when Lallan's motives appeared somewhat strange to me. Besides the many rave parties where I had to accompany him , I quickly got to see that he had a way with girls. I realised the trap I had fallen into . I suffered a lot....mentally ....as well as ......",Jennifer's eyes welled up with tears," ....he was a sadist ! "

Tara allowed Jennifer to continue without interruptions .

  "Before long, my camera saved me in the most unexpected of manners. At all the parties I went to , I was designated as the freelancer. It was when one of my photos , that had a Delhi-Haryana honcho snorting cocaine, inadvertently surfaced at places where it was unintended,that landed Lallan in an uncomfortable position and I believe, some of his businesses got hampered . He was troubled by his business partners , in which he got agitated and in the time when Lallan got busy clearing the controversy , I could escape  and rush back to Kochi. But Lallan never lost track of me. He could've disposed of me if he wanted,  his tentacles are long enough.  But Lallan wanted his revenge as it was due to my actions, that he had suffered some losses.  He would send me reminders often , that my punishment was pending and he had made it clear that I had to make it up to him . I had promised that I would , lest I also suffer the same fate that many of the other girls whom he beds , meet ......", Jenny's cheeks were deluged by torrential downpours from her eyes..

Tara listened with rapt attention to what Jenny said. Cyrus' initial bits of bitterness had long evaporated , and he was now edging closer to Jenny to cast an arm round her. He could understand the difficulties Jennifer had to face, given the grave mistake she had committed. 

" where did you get to know Aryan , then?", Tara hadn't lost the plot in spite of being drawn into a totally different revelation .

" oh, it was in one of those Page 3 parties I attended. There was this gentleman Mr Aryan Ahuja, a master artist, who was gifted with a skill to sketch portraits in 2 minutes ! He was obliging all the socialites in that Delhi party , drawing them magically in a flash! In fact the design of my tattoo here on my wrist, had been from Aryan's sketch only , that he had drawn around my cartoon when I had requested him to draw mine !  Aryan had put in this butterfly by a few swift sketches beside my portrait , as an emblem of my carefree attitude! I was so smitten by it , that when I got back to Kochi, I had got this design on my wrist " , and Jenny showed them her wrist .

Cyrus began to think how the world had become smaller.

"Connections ", he muttered to himself , and sighed.

Aryan Ahuja looked like a feasible option to fall back onto, since all three of them had some positive opinion about him!!

                         **************************************

"You understand Lallan there's little hope of you leaving the country now?", said Madam S.

Lallan nodded.

" Does Shekhar Dutta have an eye for your products?", Madam S's words slithered out of her tongue. Women , with all body , and no brains , were her merchandise.

Lallan frowned, "How do I know that?"

Madam S smirked , "Why not give it a try ?? Where's this special product of yours that you said , would be your trumpcard in case the need arises?"

" But this product was not meant to be utilised on this Shekhar Dutta , Ma'am....this was.....", Lallan's argument was cut short curtly by the lady, "Shut up!! If i know Shekhar Dutta well enough, and your product's one tough cookie,the job should be done !" 

Lallan had no clue as to how Madam S knew so much . 

Samantha knew,that Shekhar Dutta loved to be with strong women ......from personal experience!

Read the next part of the story here: In Pursuit of Happiness 

A Few Clouds Cleared

    

Team Name: MAXIMUS DRAMATICUS

Read the previous part of the story here : Lets Play, Hide and Seek the 'Riddle'

Roohi became aware that the situation was too grim at the moment , so she kept quiet. Shekhar was furious at the involvement of Police ,by Cyrus . A deep sense of fright surged within him..... Tara had found out about the locked rooms , the dead bitches, the toy dog that Roohi had got at their home ......Shekhar began to dread the connections . Now,this girl Jennifer had been kidnapped . Were they all headed back to his wild 90s years? 

As Cyrus' phone rang , he answered in a  choked voice . A vaguely familiar voice responded,  "This call is for Shekhar Dutta . Give him the phone . As for you Cyrus, I know you're intelligent enough to  divert the police , if you have alerted them already ! The pretty lady needs to be safe , doesn't she ? "

Cyrus almost cried into the phone,"NOOOOOOOO,she should be fine , who are you ?? "
The caller was adamant, " just give the phone to Shekhar Dutta and shut up idiot !"
Trembling , Cyrus gave his phone to Shekhar , who responded, " yes , Shekhar Dutta here! "
" Cool, Dutta ......be a good guy now and come over to our old deck at Pahargunj , will you ? And don't tell me you don't know who's this . Keep this conversation a secret from your wife & that idiot Cyrus .....I know you will! " Shekhar clenched his teeth , and disconnected the phone. 

" who was it ? You know him ? What did he want ? " , demanded Tara .
Shekhar stared on ahead, "I need to handle this myself , sorry dear....can't tell anything now . It's for the well being of the girl ! "
" But just a little while ago, you weren't interested at all in the well being of Jenny ? " , Cyrus was suspicious ! 

Shekhar was agitated, " Listen , we don't have much time . If we have to save our backs , I must go now . And Tara, for Roohi's sake, don't leave her alone and come looking for me . You have seen how dangerous it has become ! "
And he left without another word .

Percival Batra !! After so many years !! That he had become powerful yet again wasn't unknown to Shekhar , but he did not have the slightest idea that he would get embroiled in these things yet again!  His head was spinning , as he entered that much trodden alley in the fringe of Pahargunj . This was the hub of his dealings of the past , but he had tried to steer clear of it carefully , but now , he had found out that he needed to get back again . 

As Shekhar pushed open the door to the inn, he got that familiar musty smell , yet again . On a stool was seated a man Shekhar knew well , from his past , an old acquaintance . He had a frown on his face , which made way for a smile on seeing Shekhar! A couple of other men sat alongside .

" What do you want now Percival ? Why are you doing this to me ?? Why have you dragged me here? " , Shekhar demanded.

 The man responded, " Dutta, have a Seat | so again, we do meet | 

          but, pleasantries first| would you like something to eat?"

Shekhar shouted, " I have no time for this rhyming nonsense of yours Percival , you've already caused enough harm to Cyrus ......all those short messages on Mondays , I've just come to know about them! "

Percival looked bemused, " Ah , but my dear | your mind still isn't clear | as to why I called you here!!"

Shekhar had had enough : " PERCIVAL !!!!! Stop this shit and ..........".

" Relax Dutta , there's no Percival!
Ah , to my name , I haven't been loyal !
Nowadays, I'm Prof Paresh Borah to all ! "

Shekhar slumped on his seat on a heap . His mouth remained half open, and he gulped twice , before finally managing to force it shut ! It was his old drug trafficking accomplice , who was now Cyrus' professor! He was not at all prepared for this !!

" surprised , Dutta?? Well , as they say, old habits die hard ....and I have found it extremely difficult to let go of my love for poems & haikus ! Besides, I realised , I had to utilise my education to make a living, so .....you understand , naa?? "

" why am I here ? What do you want from me and Cyrus ? "

" first of all, I'd like to congratulate you for reciprocating the old saying , "great minds think alike ' ....you were clever in sending across Cyrus as a tenant at your house right ? A law student , preoccupied with studies, was exactly what was required by you so that the police never suspected anything, right? I saw it too! I realised Cyrus was the perfect shield ! "

Shekhar shifted uncomfortably in his seat !

" besides, I got a double whammy with Cyrus ! I set him on a case to work with which involved a few murders that happened in and around Delhi a couple of years back . You see, it involved my business , and I was lucky to have wiped out evidences. But I needed to double check whether there were any loose ends, and sure enough , the idiot found them out ! Good for him that he always maintained the files, and after his investigations, I  always got the files removed from him . I thought he would give up on the case, but the guy was so bull-headed that he clung on! Boy, the extents to which interns would go these days to get those foreign scholarships !! That's when I decided to frighten him with those coke-smuggling bitches of ours! I could've removed Cyrus if I wanted, but you see , I didn't want to attract police interest in my beloved Chuna Mandi! "

Shekhar was too perplexed to talk , but he too had his own doubts ! Percival opened up even more.

" Scaring Cyrus was a motive , but I also wanted to let you know about my activities here at Chuna Mandi ! Hence the Dead Doggy Monday shows! But,when nearly two months went by , and you still didn't react, I realised the silly boy must be keeping it all to himself, trying to cope with the ghastly sights himself ! I had confirmed news that Cyrus was troubled every Monday night , but at the same time , I needed to cleanse his room rapidly , so that even if he complained to anybody , nobody would believe him , apart from you ! And , Dutta it was your ingenious brain that hatched this ploy to smuggle coke in dogs' bodies , right? You've indeed saved me a lot of hassles and costs ! Who'd miss some stray bitch on the road , huh? "

Shekhar cursed himself and his dark past. He had made a lot of money indeed, but he also had moved away from this life when he started a family . Money still lured him, and so he wanted a percentage from the proceedings that were going on at his home ! 

Percival went on," I wanted you to contact me on your own , but there was no communication . I was also facing a new problem that needed to be dealt with. So yesterday , I had even gone to Mumbai , to supply that dog to your daughter ! The way she looked at me , I felt she might have seen me somewhere before . I was  sure that this could at least get you alerted . I needed you.
     This gets me to Lallan and this new wretched bitch ....this one is a lady ,by the way, called Madam S ...who's this new trafficking queen ! This lady had an interest in your house too , but since it was already mine, she couldn't get a foothold . Lallan was working for me for some years , but this lady recruited him too. I didn't realise that Lallan was double bluffing me , and also working for her till very lately . And, in my efforts to put some blame  elsewhere and misguide Cyrus, I subtly mentioned 'her' , as a pointer towards some Lady's involvement in the Monday night notes . And you too were clever , weren't you, Dutta? You knew there were these dealings on at your house , but you wanted to avoid the direct contact, and got the commission from Lallan , didn't you ?? "

Shekhar was aghast , " how'd you know that ?? "

" you see , I didnt suspect it at first, but one of my men was intelligent enough to pluck that phone out of your pocket when that girl was taken away this morning ! And it shows a fair amount of call history between you and Lallan ! "

Shekhar suddenly remembered," where's the girl ? "

Percival bluntly replied," I've no clue about that! "

" Percival , why did you say she was here ?"

" would you have come , if I hadn't laid her as the bait ?"

" I'll kill you Percival "

" relax Dutta, sit down . There's another mess that needs to be cleared . And this involves that asshole Lallan who has double faulted . He has kidnapped the girl and possibly taken her to Madam S's . In all probability , there has already been a call from her side to Cyrus by now , asking your house in ransom ! Lallan's got to pay for this breach of terms. "

Shekhar felt he was sinking . He was afraid of the police as he had spent a good amount of time in the past , evading the lawmakers . He was furious with Cyrus just a while ago for contacting the police because he didn't want the police to be involved in the proceedings at all.

" Dutta, I know what you're thinking of. You're fearing the same thing that caused you to leave this line! You dread the police , you dont want to get into trouble. But I want to overpower this Madam S without making too much of an uproar, you have to join forces with me to deal with her . Take it from me,she's quite a slippery customer ! "

***********************
    Cyrus' phone rang , and he clumsily picked it up , " Hello , who's this?"
A harsh female voice barked , " give the phone to Shekhar Dutta "!
A vein appeared to split in Cyrus' temple , " GODDDAMNNN ! Why do all of you keep asking for Shekhar? Where is Jennifer?"
" shut up F**ker, if you don't want her throat slit immediately ! "
Cyrus fell silent," Shekhar is not here ! Please don't harm Jenny! Please !" 

Tara snatched the phone from him , "Hello, hello, this is Shekhar's wife, who's this ?"



Read the next part of the story here: Reconciliation for a New Beginning

sketch by teammate : Arvind Passey

The artisans of my Minimalist home with an 'ethnic,sporty,tech savvy' feel !!

  Re-doing a house according to one's own choices requires some real planning, but MakeMyHome has come up to aid us in taking these decisions, by giving us a chance to pick and choose objects according to our preferences from their carefully assorted collection of items. So, after much deliberations, i've zeroed in on the three products that are essential to give my home a Sporty, yet Tech-savvy feel, at the same time being minimalist in appeal, whilst also displaying my love for the ethnicity of India!

     An astronomy enthusiast would be thrilled to have a miniature telescope adorning one of the corners of his room and I was literally stunned, seeing this on display at Makemyhome . Watching the stars have been my most favorite pastime throughout my growing up years and this is the perfect showpiece to portray my love for sky-watching to any one who sets his eyes on it. The telescope can easily showcase the high-tech savvy nature of the household, yet has a wonderful minimalist appeal. The simple yet elegant handcrafted design on brass actually puts in a real usable Galilean telescope that can be used within short distances!! My future progenies would get used to the nuances of using the instrument right from the beginning . I would like to believe that the telescope will reflect the open mindedness that is easily associated with someone who finds pleasure in searching for the mysteries of the universe!  

      Little India Pure Brass Antique Design Real Telescope 

    No guy can put down a goodie related to football and one of the assets of his drawing room would be a bean bag that is shaped like a 32-panelled ball !! This particular piece in purple and red can be the dream couch for me to camp on, when I shout myself hoarse sitting in front of the TV during crunch football matches!! This will also double up as a funky piece of room decor , adding the positive vibes that a sporty household possesses, matching the wall colours of my drawing room , tailored to provide the feeling of ultimate relaxation, when I deposit my lethargic soul onto it on a lazy day! 

        Style Homez Football Bean Bag Purple & Red

     
     This 23 K Gold Embossed marble lantern with Meenakari and Kundan work, adorned with subtle stokes of gold work, is my bet to add an ethnic touch to my home. The delightfully crafted lantern would be my choice to illuminate my room when I'm in the mood to dim the lights and immerse myself in a state of trance , with melodious Sufi music creating an enigmatic ambience!! The artistic excellence of the item caught my eye as I surfed through the MakeMyHome website and I envisaged myself, gifting my own customized 'candle-lit' dinner to my girl, with the lantern acting as the sole source of radiance! The lovely design  brings out the royal feel of Rajasthan perfectly. The lantern would certainly fascinate my ladylove, and she'd love to bask in the 'retrained' glory of this cute little piece !!

      Aapno Rajasthan Lantern

Decoding #WhatTheBlack !

"Be prepared for a black week!", I said to Mom as I went out to work , one fine morning , early last week! Blogadda's mails, confirming me as one of the short listed bloggers for the #WhatTheBlack activity was sitting pretty in my inbox!
 Mom was alarmed," WHAAAT? black week? Why?"
I scowled ! " Mom, stop labelling every black thing as bad ! It's gonna be a week of surprises ! ", and I winked at her , then left!
     By late afternoon, there was her call, that I was expecting ! "Titas, what is this thing?" ,she was sounding frantic!
       "What is 'what' Mom ?" I urged her to explain !
" There's this package that has come, and it bears a black egg! A BLACK EGG !", she was bewildered !

            When I reached home, I found out that the egg certainly had more to it than being just an oddly coloured poultry product- it was filled with solid dark chocolate ! It tasted heavenly, but more than that , it poked fun at my brain and asked my conscience ," dude, why do you think you'd receive this rich chocolaty black egg? Have you done any good to mankind ?? why would someone reward you?? " I couldn't answer , but I thanked the secret benevolent person who had helped me gorge on the chocolate!  

            My pals on social media were confused, when I posted pics of the egg online. One of them asked, whether it could be that aliens had laid the eggs at my doorstep! Few others were inquisitive as to why would an egg turn black !
       I chuckled ! I knew there was more to come !

   Day 2 brought in a Black newspaper , that was filled with fictitious stories about Black items being discovered all around the world, presented in the most make-believe style of newspaper reporting! The paper, WHATTHEBLACK TIMES was a fantastic contrast to what we read everyday , and white font on black paper was a revelation ! But I have to be honest , I didn't have a single clue yet , to the goings on regarding #WhatTheBlack!

        Day 3 was no less queer , as a black tissue paper and a black paper cup were packed neatly and delivered at my home! By now, it had struck me that somewhere , someone was deliberately turning quintessentially white items into black and bringing in a revolution of sorts ! I was prepared to expect the unexpected, I was ready to welcome the unseen, I told myself to be ready for a "Black" extravanganza !

     
         The curtain was finally lifted on Day 4! The well concealed secret was revealed! wwww.whattheblack.com was no longer showing us ambiguous topics on its portal! Mom was no longer in the dark about what was happening : all the questions that had flooded social media over the last few days were answered as the veil was removed from the most unique piece of toothbrush that I've ever laid my eyes upon : the new Colgate Slimsoft Charcoal Toothbrush with black ......yes you read that right....BLACK bristles !! I could've never imagined that a toothbrush can been so much visually appealing ! Moreover, its specifications left me in awe.....the bristles were infused with Charcoal , that promised deep , yet gentle cleaning!

      Sure enough, I was eager to try it out , and brushing became such an attractive activity for me for the moment! I could confirm that the toothbrush certainly lent an extra softness in its handling of my gum and teeth, so it's name 'Slimsoft' lived up to its reputation!
      The #WhatTheBlack activity was unique to the core, and had us exercising our grey cells for possible solutions to the Black clues we were sent! Cheers to Colgate and Blogadda , for working out such an interesting campaign and giving us a chance to be a part of it !!

Written as part of the #WhatTheBlack activity in association with Blogadda . You can find out more at www.whattheblack.com

Mixed Bag of 'Black' Wishes!

      'Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeechh ......!!! ' The tyres of the sedan fought with the metalled surface of the road to come to a halt! My pesky next-door auntie at the wheel downed the glass window , and started shouting , " ....how many times would this black devil ruin my morning ?? How many times will i give you the final warning ? I'm gonna call the police next ! "
          I had just heard her set out for office , and urged my jet black cat to cross the road in front of our home! This was my own inimitable way of gaining revenge on the lady , who was full of haughtiness , and had abused my Mom the previous evening for no real fault of hers ! And this wasn't the first time that she had picked a fight with us deliberately, neither was it the first time that my cat was employed to cross the road at the most convenient moment: this was my regular custom to anger the wretched woman, who i knew was full of superstition , and hence , would be greatly irritated when the feline harmlessly crossed her path, as she could not fathom enough courage to drive away non-challantly! She would stand there till another car had got past her,believing that it took away the curse of the cat, absolving her of impending misfortune.

       I am a crusader against all existing superstitions in the society and my cat was only helping me in my cause by letting me punish the lady ! 

image courtesy: Google

Feeling pleased with myself as the lady wouldn't budge till a passing car bailed her out, I was bracing for some more expletives from her, when suddenly , I got jerked out of bed by Mom ........my black Cat vanished with a *poof* and all I was left with was terrible memories from last night when our neighbour had vented fury against us! This Black cat was on my wishlist for such a long time , as my means of troubling my neighbour, but Mom would not allow any pet in the house. So I have continued having dreams of this coveted pet , an emblem of superstitious beliefs across the country.....but I was still far from getting my hands on one!

        Coming down into the drawing room , I was still grumpy . Once again, our prestige had taken a beating the previous night, but I couldn't really do anything. I casually picked up the newspaper and started scouring the headlines. 
The eyes got stuck on one ," Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 search enters second month"! 
What the hell was happening with the world ? 
Half the world were searching the oceans for this long, yet they failed to trace even the smallest debris from the plane? 

These transponders that the US Army provided couldn't pick up the pings from the Black Box ?
Nonsense!
The Black Box.....only if I had access to it, it could have revealed so much to the world . Aviation safety could've been overhauled forever , so that no such mishaps would recur . Thousands of questions could be answered , families of hundreds of innocent fliers could've found solace in the fact that at least they knew what happened to their loved ones.
I clutched my hands in frustration. I needed that Black Box.....anyhow ! I needed to tell the world what had actually happened to the ill-fated plane. I was obliged to relieve so many people from so many doubts. I wanted to clear the air of suspicion. I needed that Black box of MH370!


  "Titas , get up , and sit with your books ! ", Mom was instructing from the kitchen ! Preparations for my Post Graduate examinations were on , and apart from the days I go out to work ,at all other times, I'm in a love-hate relationship with books ! I trudged up to my study , opened one of the humongous Multiple Choice Question laden books , and felt I couldn't concentrate. "MAAA", I shouted , "make me some Black coffee ....and do make it strong"! The addiction to caffeine , as a concentration booster, was intense from my hostel days ! 

image courtesy: Google

   In a few moments, there was the sound of brisk footsteps, and Mom's angry face appeared at the door, "Titas Kar, if you think you can order me according to your whims from early morning, you are mistaken . You are old enough , get up and help yourself! " ....and she stormed off! 

     As I walked to heat the water and gathered the coffee packet , my heart demanded of my brain : 'Why wasn't there a perpetual supply of ready made simmering Black coffee in my room? Why??'

 I need it all the time , and i hate to go and make it myself ! But it is fuel for my brains.
Oh, how I would love to have a cauldron of Black Coffee in stock , that would meet my incessant demand of the beverage!

                              

Stills from Baadshah , where SRK
gets to try out the see-through
glasses

                                                                                                                                                                                       After a few hours of nerve wracking solving of Multiple Choice Questions , it was time for lunch, and I sat down in front of the TV for some relaxation. One of the movie channels was showing Baadshah , the 90s comedy thriller starring SRK. Despite having watched it numerous times, I got hooked onto it yet again. As Baadshah the private detective, mistakenly got hold of some spy gadgets, he got this special Black Glasses that could see through everyone's clothes , to check whether anybody was hiding any weapon underneath . Of course these dark glasses enabled him to have a look at the subjects in nothing but their birthday robes!!!! 

Ha ha! This was some interesting stuff! And the devil in my brain wanted Baadshah's Black Glasses . It's fascinating , how human mind doesn't take time to switch over to naughty ideas , and in a flash , I was smirking wickedly , thinking about the possible consequences of being armed with glasses that could see through clothing !!

  

  It was late evening when my next door auntie was driving back home into her garage . I was staring out of the window . The wounds of last night were still fresh, and seeing her, came rushing back once more. But I helplessly thought , how I was not in a position to teach her a lesson . As her swanky sedan smoothly drove up her driveway , I looked up at the sky at the descending darkness . Someday, I would put an end to her haughtiness , I thought to myself . She was rich , but I'd make sure I rub it into her ego by parking my own car in front of her gates.

image courtesy: Google

But it needed to be a big one . A huge one.
It needed to be a black Limousine ....yes, a huge Black Limo would be my ultimate dream vehicle . There would be ample space inside for a minibar . I would sit inside , revelling in the glory of my regal car . 

I went back to study. There was work to be done. Lots of way to go. In a day's thoughts, i had managed to draw up a mixed bag of Five things on my black wishlist.

What?? The Black Pentad !!

Black is intriguing.

Black is intense.

Black is mysterious.

Black hides secrets.

      Here, i enumerate the five things that top my Black wishlist :

Eternal black hair:  parents say , when I was six months old, they had discovered a white hair strand on my head! When I came to know of it,it had scared the daylights out of me! To me, white hair was synonymous with old age & I was fearful: what if I grew old quickly? What if my hair greyed in my teens? No girl would date an 'uncle', right?  From then, I had been obsessed with black hair & given a choice, I would pray that I continue having the mop of black hair on my scalp for my lifetime!! Whenever I comb , I suspiciously scour the strands for silvery streaks & alarmingly enough, have found out 3-4 such mortifying samples , now that I've crossed the quarter of a century. But I sincerely hope that those are a few aberrations. They say, to have salt & pepper hair is like displaying you're matured enough , but hey thanks! I'd much rather appear immature , than displaying the silvery streaks on my head! And hence, black hair tops my priority list of my Black Wish list !!

                                                     

                                                what i wish      and        what I dread 

Black magic : Many a time I have wished that I could slam some of my seniors at work, who had vented their frustrations out on us juniors. They pick out the slightest of errors in our work, bash us publicly without reason, and leave us with more work to do. Even though patience levels are stretched to the brim,etiquette and sense of hierarchy make sure that my inner rebel is restrained,so that i don't get higher sanctions for questioning the Boss. But the fact that the seniors misuse their superior status by forcing us to work extra , while they relax , makes me crave that there was some way i could punish them secretly, without them knowing about it ! 
         At such times, I've seriously wanted that to be an expert at Black Magic , and punish those notorious bosses from far away , by making Voodoo Dolls in their name & crucifying them! I'd be temporarily controlling their activities , but they won't be able to point their fingers on me for this ordeal !!
   Whilst I would take satisfaction in finally getting justice, they'd be horrified , and would certainly atone for all their wrongdoings on their juniors ! So, learning Black Magic is definitely on my wishlist!

Voodoo Doll ....practicing of Black magic. (Image Courtesy : maasulekhadevi)

Black Beauty :  Remember the black horse in Anna Sewell's novel from the Victorian era , whose story, told in an autobiographical manner, brought a revolution in the treatment of horses globally?? Yes, Black Beauty! I long to have her as a pet , and she'd be my agile friend , taking me on my weekend escapades on the farmhouse in the countryside. People would stare in awe as the sunlight would reflect off her glistening black skin , and we'd race the wind to ride away to the horizon ! Her strong hooves beating down on the ground would be music to my ears. As we'd raise a storm of dust beneath us , sitting on her back, I'd cherish the regal feeling of a knight from the medieval age . She'd be my friend, and I'd refrain from using any of the painful methods that horse-riders use on their horses . Under my guidance and care, she'd become powerfully built, and her speed , strength and agility will become renowned! 

image courtesy: glogster

Image Courtesy: usborne

Black Tuxedo:  As the saying goes, clothes indeed maketh a man! But a gent in a cavalier black tuxedo maketh an epoch-defining fashion statement! An imperial Black Tuxedo in my wardrobe would be heavy artillery, designed to create mass jaw-drops at an evening dinner party , when I turn up in it ,looking 'prim & propah' , with a black bow tie to hilt! The tailored black Tuxedo will certainly have the potential to propel me into the limelight and be the cynosure of all eyes! And as soon as I tick the box of this fourth item on my Black wishlist......Daniel Craig , you better watch out! You might just make way for me to be cast as the next James Bond!! It would be me as 007 in my classy dinner jacket , walking upto the bartender, asking for a Vodka Martini Shaken not Stirred at a Casino , before moving onto a table of poker and drawing the attention of the inevitable sultry Bond girl stationed there! 

the single-breasted black tuxedo
(image courtesy : finetuxedos)

Traversing a Black Hole: Black holes had started fascinating me , in high school, when I had gotten into physics and science fiction . A huge black coloured orifice in the midst of space that sucks in everything......as we teens used to know it. 
Oh Wait ....sucks in everything ?? Even light?? 

What happens next??

Where do the sucked in matter go??

Do they go in through the Black hole and come out through something called a 'Worm Hole' in a parallel universe ??

Intriguing story! 

There originated my wish to traverse a black hole and discover what lay on the other side of this dark tunnel! We got to know, in physics terms , that anything going into a black hole gets infinitely stretched! Fine enough, I'd only put my head and torso inside the Black Hole, keeping my feet firmly fixed on this universe. Thus, I'd get my trunk elongated , crane my neck , and poke out my head on the other side to see how the parallel universe looks! It's a fair enough idea , I guess , to shed some light on the darkest mystery in the universe....that of the black hole! So , if anybody can help me hitch a ride onto the nearest black hole, I'd be very grateful! 

Artist's rendition of a Black Hole ( Image courtesy: Wikipedia)

My rendition of what it must be like to travel through a Black Hole
and come out into a parallel universe thorugh a 'worm hole' !!

The PathoZenalyser

         Being a huge fan of James Bond from my teenage, it's only logical that I'd be drawn towards gadgets. If I had tried to get a patent of all the new inventions that I used to doodle in the back pages of my exercise books during idle hours, it would have broken all records by now. My innovations ranged from adding different shapes to nail cutters to having various modifications in submarines & helicopters. I imagined myself as a Leonardo da Vinci of modern times.Accordingly, I've been a smartphone lover. From the earliest gigantic keypad phones that could be used as weapons of self defence , to the sleekest smart phones today, I've used all. Whenever I got a new phone, I tried to imagine how much more I could get out of it. 

Somehow,I didn't become an engineer , but I've ended up being a doctor. But my love for gadgets has added a new dimension to my thought process. Nowadays ,I try to imagine how I can marry technology & human physiology ,so that medicine can progress quickly , aided by this union.
There are already apps in smartphones that help doctors calculate certain body parameters easily . but what if smart phones had the hardware to help the cause??

The Asus Zenphone is one such state-of-the-art beauty that comes with goodies loaded to the brim . The super touchscreen is a treat to the eyes, and as it claims, it lets us feel what others can't feel! The camera has the ability to absorb 400% more light, so it has the eyes to see what others can't see. To top it all, its Intel® Atom™ Processor with Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology gets up to four threads running at once.....and hence it's aptly said it can do what others can't do...... It's SUPER FAST!

Marvellous ! 

These specs thus can add up to give me a spectacular new gadget , the PathoZenalyser, to examine body fluids , and act as an Auto-analyser !! Should I explain further ??

Let's say, I'm in the hospital wards , and I need to test a blood/saliva/any other body fluid sample urgently. Not everyone is blessed to have swanky labs operating 24x7 at their hospitals. It's for them that my envisioned Super powered Zenphone comes as a saviour! 

I can place a drop of blood on the screen of the phone, and it's sensors will spring to life, dissecting the components of the fluid , calculating the specific gravity,pH , etc. Since the screen allows a gloved hand to use it, it will be perfect for me to operate wearing a glove! Aided by the sensors beneath the screen that'll send out rays of light, and do spectral analysis of the sample, I should be able to get the blood cell counts , and the quantities of various biochemical & pathological parameters like enzymes in no time, .....that is, the job of a  laboratory auto analyser! 

My Incredible ZenPhone : The PathoZenalyser

If there are any aberrant samples which the phone thinks is suggestive of an uncommon disease that it cannot identify at once, it will send a photo of its analysed sample to the databases online , to search for matching samples and come up with a list of suggestions for the clinician to look at . 

Moreover, I can use the camera as a microscope. I can take a smear from a patient's wound, use the Zenphone's extraordinary camera, which takes in 400% more light than others, to click a photo of the swab. I should be able to get a vivid detail of the image (at least upto a 40X power Light microscope), and see the micro-organisms (bacteria/fungus) present , thereby, helping me a great deal in the initial choice of medications . 

A hand-held Mini X-ray machine

The camera should also be able to do a preliminary hand held low-grade X-Ray , thus guiding me in the assessment of whether there is any fracture ! 

Thus, my Asus Zenphone would become the super-phone that every doctor in the country would crave for . Those who work at hospitals with poor infrastructure would treat it as a Godsend , as it would help them take decisions more confidently . The fast actions of the phone would save a lot of time , as well as saving the patient's harassments in running from one lab to another at odd times of the night. The Zenphone will not be the definitive replacement for Pathology laboratories,because no machine can ever substitute human intelligence or skill, but in the short term , will be beneficial in ensuring better treatment schedules for patients!