The Lottery Prize Winner

In the last few stories, i have been trying to emulate Isaac Asimov. This time around, it is another Russian, Anton Chekhov.... For the ignoramus he is R.K.Narayan of Russia...

The Lottery Prize Winner

Yesterday, at Rahul’s party Aman, the most talkative chap of us all, was sitting in a corner lost in his thoughts. When asked if he was all right, he replied, “ yes, yes I am alright. But…” he stopped talking. It was kind of funny, because he is the sort of guy who talks more and thinks less. I wanted to laugh but my other friends were following the sympathetic route so I controlled my urge to laugh. He continued, “ Well guys, just this morning I heard a story about this person and I was thinking…. Rather let me first tell you the story and then I will enlighten you all with what I was thinking.”


This is the story as he told us:

It was getting late. Lala Dayaram decided that he would wait five more minutes to see if any customer turns up, and then close the shop. He had a small grocery store, the only one, in Bywater Colony, a lower middle class neighbourhood of Delhi, home to that class of people who have no money, power or influence. Just as he was getting ready to call it a day, he noticed someone standing in the shadow of the Banyan tree, on the far end of the street. Lala looked suspiciously towards the shadow. Theirs was a respectable, peace loving and god-fearing neighbourhood and strange people were not welcome in their locality, especially so late at night. As Lala was contemplating the ways to deal with this situation, the person started moving towards the shop. As he came closer to Lala’s shop, Lala recognized who the mysterious person was.

He was, of course, Charan Das. Charan used to live in this locality about 3 year’s back. He used to work as a typist in the income tax department and owned a single bedroom flat just in front of Lala’s shop. He had a steady job, the pay was sufficient, and work not too taxing and he had even saved a small sum of money. He was even thinking of moving to a more sociable colony and to better things in life, which included marriage. But he was not destined to have such an unremarkable life and it was Lala, who held the key to his destiny.

Lala along with catering to the grocery needs of the locality also sold lottery tickets, catering to the middle class dream of becoming rich. After all, it was the easiest way to become rich and it did not involve any kind of labour. So he had a steady income from this business. And Charan was among the highest contributors. He had an insatiable fetish for lottery. He used to buy tickets of all kinds of lottery, always 2 tickets because an astrologer had told him that 2 was his lucky number. He used to spend a big percentage of his salary to satisfy this passion.

The savings that he had built up were fast decreasing. So now he became desperate to win. He dreamed of winning a lottery, then buying a house, a car, marrying a beautiful girl and investing the rest of the money in shares. And then he will never have to live of stale rotis and cold dal, not have to live in a leaky house which wept everytime it rained, not have to wear 50 rupees shirt and a patched up jeans that had more patched than the actual cloth. And this wonderful dream made him even more desperate, but it was unable to dim his optimism.

Lala used to discourage him from spending so much on lottery. But Charan would just smile and say, “Lalaji, when I win a big lottery, you will not be saying this. And when I win I will give you 5 percent of the amount.” Lala would just smile at his conviction and wish him luck. Charan used to discuss his plans about what he would do when he becomes rich, with Lala. He used to talk with so much confidence that as if he had just won the morning lottery. Lala would say, ‘ but you have still not won the lottery, don’t count your chickens before they hatch.’ ‘So what if I have not won today, one of these days, I will be rich, one of these days.’

And the day did come. Lala distinctly remembered that day. Charan, as usual on his way back from office, came into his shop and said, “Lalaji, the usual 2 of playwin, 2 of national and 2 of UP.” He had replied, “ there is a new lottery with the first draw slated for tomorrow and they are giving a grand prize of 10 million rupees. I will put in 2 tickets of this free of cost along with the usual.”
The first winner of the new lottery was Charan Das. The same day he quit his job and moved onto better things in life. Of course, he did give Lala the promised 5 percent, but Lala had not seen him since that day. So he was pleasantly surprised to see his old friend.

Lala said, “Charan, haven’t seen you in a while. Where have you been and how is life?” Charan replied, “ Lalaji, there is not a lot to tell. You must have heard that after winning the lottery, I bought a flat in Vasant Vihar, bought a car, married this beautiful girl and invested in shares. I thought I was set for life. But then the share market crashed, my wife as I later found out was a woman of questionable morals and she ran away with our neighbour’s son, my car was stolen and I had to sell the house to settle all my debts. So now I have moved back into my old house and have taken up my old job.”
“You must be heart broken, but hopefully now everything will be as it used to be.” said the shopkeeper thoughtfully.
“Well yes, except a small detail, from now on I will take 3 of playwin, 3 of national and 3 of UP. You see my astrologer recommends that from now on 3 will be my lucky number. You will of course give me details of other new lotteries as and when they launch and this time I will give you 10 percent of my winnings.” said Charan Das cheerfully.
“Of course Mr. Das, I will do that” said the shopkeeper in a tone of sheer amazement.


Now Aman said, “I was thinking, how even after 5 months of mental and emotional turmoil, which had both joy and sorrow, hope and despair, love and hatred; Charan Das did not shy away from life. It would have easier for him to never buy another lottery ticket but he was still willing to take a chance. He was still willing to let fate decide his destiny and more importantly he was still happy and his secret of happiness was to live life to the full, come what may. If only, there were more people like him, world would have been a better place to live in.”

And we were all lost in out thoughts, about this secret of happiness, which many a wise sages have looked for but could not find and onto which we had stumbled upon, with the help of a lottery prize winner, who was always happy.

Unmasked.....

I was getting a bit of flak for writing crappy and complicated stories... so i decided to complete this tag by Arjun.... Now. seriously, how can i make this complicated....

5 people who top your shit list..... and why:

1. A prof whom we lovingly call Gaskell.... i got a 'C' in his course.... so am not a big fan of his....
2. Thierry Henry...... he is just plain ugly...no other reason for hating him....
3. Brad Pitt.... for being with two of the most sexiest goddesses ever.... i envy him....
4. Myself..... the reasons are not to be made public......
5. Arjun..... for making me do this...


Close brushes with death/danger:

The incident occured when i was 13...(it was an unlucky year for me)..... i was learning to swim in my village pond along with my cousin sister who was 11, at that time. it so happened that my sis went a bit too far from the coast and she panicked.... i, trying to be the big brother, swam upto her, but she was too heavy for me(yes, i was frail then also).... so now we both were drowning.... but luckily someone(god bless his soul) noticed the commotion and rescued us...
i can remember this one brush only....


5 Preferable modes of suicide, in descending order:

1. Use poison.... it is painless... u die in ur sleep...
2. The old fashioned rasii way...
3. If u can call this suicide... kill the person u hate most... and get sentence for murder....
4. The woods are dark, lovely and deep... u get my point, right....
5. Come under a DTC bus, the easiest way....


5 Guilty pleasures:

1. Blogging during dinner time.... as i am doing now....
2. Knocking on a strangers door and running away....
3. Checking only the wrong( or the right, depends on the way u see it).... profiles on Orkut.....
4. Rock music at full volume.....
5. Not paying for what i eat in canteen.....( on second thoughts, i don't feel guilty about this)....


5 things you never want to forget:

1. The time spent with 'her'....
2. My first story.....
3. The day i got into IIT..... (this for the wrong reasons...)
4. The taste of rich dark chocolate.....
5. The summers spent in my maternal uncle's place.....(those were magical....)



5 things you wish to forget:

i generally forget a lot of things, so it is difficult to remember 5 things i want to forget..... but still....
1. The incident with a particular classmate....(she is married now.... i hope she has a good married life)
2. The fights i had with a close friend.... those days were the most wretched days.....
3. oops i do not remember any more....


5 really exotic dishes you have tried:

1. Crabs.... its yummy....
2. Chicken Tikka....(it is not exotic, is it???)
3. Something called 'lung- fu sauce in china sea noodles'.... in a japanese diner....
4. Death with Chocolate.... a divine overdose of chocolates....
5. Pizza.... (it used to be an exotic dish).....


5 crushes/loves in your life... in chronological order (even initials or nicknames would do. Oh, no ID attempts or requests pleez):

1. Cindrella.... (no not the cartoon character.... it is a nickname...)
2. The girl mentioned above, who got married
3. A certain girl i recently met on orkut...
4. Cin.... (short form for cindrella...) sorry for the repitition.... but i lead a boring life......
5. Yah, u guessed it.... it her on no. 5 too....


Strangest dream you ever had:

I don't dream.... i know its strange.... but it is way it is....


5 most valued personal possessions:

1. My memories.....
2. My friends.....( they are reading, so i have to please them)
3. My drop dead looks.... (if looks could kill, they would accuse me of genocide.....)
4. My comp. (for obvious reasons.... namely blogging, gaming and orkutiing
5. My family....


5 favorite superheroes..... And why:

1. Wolverine.... he is too smart....
2. Batman.... (if only i had that kinda money)....
3. Scooby Doo..... he is just too funny.....
4. Shaggy..... i am a big fan of the series....
5. Mask.....

Other side of the Mirror

Prologue

The idea of the existence of multiple universes has fascinated the scientists since long. There are questions like; Can we reach out to these universes? Can the dreams and aspirations of one personality influence its alter ego in another universe? What happens when two parallel universe coincide with each other?

Subi wanted to know the answer to these questions. But he was not the only one looking for answers. Ajay wanted some answers too……

Part-1

He woke up with a start. He was breathing rapidly and was sweating profusely. He went to the kitchen and had a glass of cold water, which always seemed to cool him down to his senses. He switched on the computer and started playing WarCraft. He knew he would not be able to fall asleep again tonight. It was not the first time that he had this dream. Ever since he could remember, he always had the same dream. He always saw a dimly lit room which looked like a lab, sparks flying here and there and then the scream, a horrible blood curdling scream of a grown man. This was the point when he would wake up and try, as he may, not be able to sleep again that night. The memories of the dream would haunt him through the night.
Ajay was a celebrated psychologist. He was the author of numerous bestsellers. He even had a TV show named “Ask Ajay” running in the prime time slot of a popular channel. He was the final authority in the matters related to psychology. So it was embarrassing for him to have this dream problem. The worse part was that he could not discuss it with anyone. Imagine the best psychologist in India suffering from a psychological disorder that he cannot solve. The effect this will have on his image will be catastrophic. The mere thought of the consequences of the leaking of this fact used to upset him a lot.
He had come up with many answers to explain this dream. Maybe it was a childhood memory of some movie etched deeply onto his mind. Maybe it was memory of a previous birth. Maybe it was not his memory after all; maybe it was the memory of some patient that he had treated. But he knew that these answers were merely speculative. Childhood memories are never so intense. And if he starts talking about previous births, he can kiss his career goodbye. But there had to be an answer and he was determined to find it. What he didn’t know was that very soon he was going to find the answer from a very unlikely source.

Part-2

The faint chirping of birds made him look out the window. He could see a faint line of orange in the morning sky. It will be morning in a few minutes. He had been working continuously since yesterday morning. A faint noise coming from his stomach told him that he was hungry. He had forgotten about his dinner last night. Ever since the time, he left home to go to college this was a common occurrence. After all, he did not have his mother to remind him about the dinner. And no one here cared whether he had his dinner or not. So whenever he was working on a problem, he used to forget his dinner. He decided to go to a nearby diner to have his breakfast. The fresh morning breeze felt good as it brushed against his face. He was now thinking clearly. He reflected on the problem he was working on. It was only a month since he started working on the problem and he was already ready. He knew he was good but this was even beyond his wildest dreams. A few more calculations, checks and rechecks and he will be able to start testing his machine, the machine that will take him into unchartered territory. He was going to be the first person to travel into a parallel universe.
It had been proved theoretically that there are possibly infinite dimensions and so infinite parallel universes running along our universe. Subi, during his research found that by using magnetic fields of particular intensity, it is possible to open pathways to other universes. During the last month he had made rapid progress and now he was ready to test his machine, which he lovingly called Aj (pronounced as ‘a jay’). During his school days the other kids did not play with him, so he had an imaginary friend called Aj. He had dedicated this machine to the memory of his childhood friend.
That night he was talking to Aj, he said, “In a few hours, we are going away. We will go to a place, where everyone loves us. We will be able to play with other kids and go to their parties. No one will make fun of us there.” He was crying. It was the first time that he had cried, since his school days.All the way through high school and college, Subi had kept himself busy in studies. He ignored the jeers of his ‘friends’. He had been lost in his own world, unaware of everything and everyone around him. Now he had a chance to make a new start, now he could forget all the mean things that people had said about him, now he was going to Heaven……

Part-3

Ajay used to keep himself free on Sundays. Although he was a busy person, he made it a point to entertain friends and guests at his house on the Sundays. As a child, he was an introvert. He kept aloof from the other kids and they ignored him. He still remembered the agony of not being invited to the birthday parties of his neighbours. All the children would be there, playing games, eating pastries and having fun. And he would sit at his window and listen to the music playing and the children laughing. He tried to shake off these memories. His guests were waiting for him. These parties that he organised at his house every Sunday was his way of getting back at those kids.
The shrill sound of ambulance rang out in the compound. He had given strict orders to the hospital to not disturb him, so we annoyed at this interruption. His assistant at the office came running towards him. He said, “Sir, I am extremely sorry for this disturbance, but this is a serious case. This morning, a person came to the hospital asking for you. He was in a shock and was talking about dimensions and something about kids. He was barely making any sense. He collapsed and we took him into the hospital. The tests showed abnormal brain activity and rapid development of a tumour in his brain, the cause unknown, someone suggested intense magnetic fields but it is unlikely. He woke up a few minutes ago and demanded that he be allowed to come here. He was dying, so we agreed and brought him here. But just as we reached the gates, he died. Just before dying he said, ‘I am happy that the doctor is in a party, I was never invited to any parties……’ . Sorry Sir, but I had to bring him here.”

Part-4

As Subi started the machine, the lights got dimmer; sparks were flying here and there. The magnetic field was too intense, he could not bear it and let out a horrible blood curdling scream. The next thing he remembered he was in an ambulance and going to a party. He knew Aj was listening to him, so he said, “Looks like finally we are going to play with the other kids. Finally we are invited to a party. Aj, we have found Heaven.” Aj did not reply, he did not have to, Subi was dead. Ajay did not have those dreams anymore……..

Epilogue

Ajay found a journal and an i-card in the dead man’s pocket. According to the i-card, it belonged to someone named Subi. He was a research assistant in some university. The journal contained references to some experiment regarding pathways to other universes. The last line in the journal was, “The experiment looks like a success, we are going to a parallel universe but I have miscalculated the magnetic field, it is too intense, I cannot bear it, I may be passing out…….”
Ajay realised that his dreams were not his own, at least not in this universe. They belonged to him in a different parallel universe. He finally got the answers to his questions.