An Alarming Holiday

My first foray into sci-fi adventure....

An Alarming Holiday

Monday was a holiday at office and it was raining heavily. That is what my TSR (Temporal Sleep Regulator) said. Although it is much more nowadays, sometimes I still call it my 'alarm clock'.

I waved my hand across it and it read my gesture to stop its ringing sound. Being a holiday, it had given me half an hour of extra sleep. I stretched myself and spoke out loud.
“Good morning everybody”

I was expecting a number of replies but was met with complete silence. That woke me up faster than the TSR. Something's wrong! 

Then I realized my earphones had fallen off. I quickly put them back on and was relieved to hear the familiar sound of radio static in my ears. I tuned them with soft touches to the right ear piece.  AD's voice greeted me.
“Wake up, sleepyhead!”
“Already am, buddy” I answered back into my collar mike.

I quickly put on my protective suit and checked the gauge for the oxygen levels outside. 
“Are they going to leave the oxygen blowers on the whole day today?” I asked AD on the mic. 
“Yeah, dude! Holidays are rare!”
“Awesome! Today is going to be legendary!” 

I carelessly flung the oxygen tube across my shoulders. Without putting on the oxygen mask, I pressed a switch beside my bed. A section of the front wall slid aside and I stepped out of my small oval chamber. I took a deep breath of air. Around me, people were coming out of their chambers without their oxygen masks too. We greeted each other over our mikes and I realized how fresh everybody felt today.

AD spotted me and waved. Soon, among the multitude, I could make out other friends of mine. Normally we would have moved toward the exit of our residential complex and trudged on our way to the office complex. But today was a holiday.

It’s not that I don’t like my office. I like my job of monitoring the temperatures, pressures and humidity levels of all the complexes. It is a very important job and the safety of nearly half the human population on this planet rests on my skills to fine tune the internal atmospheric conditions. But it is also a stressful job. A slight human error on my part could, in the worst case, cause a whole complex to explode! A holiday is much welcome once in a while. Today a substitute was doing my job while I spent a day cooling off. And I planned to spend the day at the activity complex.

The distance between our residential complex and the activity complex was hardly 500m. Along the way we also crossed the smaller complexes, each for different purposes. Farther off, I could see the personal residential complexes for the Governor of the Martian Colony and lower officials. But it took us much longer than usual to cross the distance because of the heavy acid rains. We covered ourselves fully with the protective suit to save ourselves from the rain as well as the naked radiation of the Sun. 

Farther off, I could see the personal residential complexes for the Governor of the Martian Colony and lower officials.

***

There had been a time when we had had no need for suits, masks and the domed complexes. That was when our race used to live on Earth, so long ago, that it was almost a myth. But it had been nearly 300 years since we had had to relocate to Mars. Earth was no longer able to support us. Our energy demands were escalating with the population and there was nothing we could do to reverse the effects of pollution and deforestation. All other species had already died out about 100 years before we had to move out. But the decision to relocate was not sudden. It took the loss of more than 80% of our entire population to persuade the remaining to finally use their technology for their own survival. They left behind their dying planet and built a new home here on Mars, the nearest rocky planet. 

Earth was no longer able to support us.

They built huge domed complexes within which they tried to recreate the same conditions as on Earth. And this time they were careful not to repeat their mistakes. Now all energy usage is recorded and regulated to avoid it from increasing. Population growth rate is so strictly controlled that for the last decade it has been almost zero. We have not been able to grow plants till now but artificial foods are serving us quite satisfactorily. We are the descendants of the survivors from the dead planet. We are living proof that humans can prevail in all conditions.

***

We entered the activity complex huffing from the short walk. After the customary antiseptic shower, we could remove our suits and masks and enjoy our time at the complex freely.

I was feeling hungry and so was AD. So we made a beeline for the Eatery. Breakfast was served from the automatic voice activated food dispensers. We gave our biometrics at one of the dispensers for our artificially created breakfast.

While eating the colored porridge-like stuff, we talked about what we could do next. I was all for jet-packing after seeing the number of people somersaulting in mid air over our heads. But AD wanted to watch the latest 4D movie. Just then a kid stumbled on our table while running over to the virtual playground on the other side. His parents ran behind him urging him to go slow. A group of teenagers from the next table rose and made their way noisily to the gaming zone. Some people were sitting relaxed on the benches in the virtual park.

We were still arguing when I felt the ground shake. At first I thought it was my imagination. But the shaking continued. AD felt it too. Soon the noise in the complex became hushed as everybody felt the shaking strengthen.

I knew what was happening. It was a Martian quake! Suddenly everybody started screaming and running around. AD and I tried to calm them down. The dome complex was designed to be able to withstand Martian quakes up to a Richter scale of 15. I was not at all worried about the dome’s structural stability. What I was worried about was my substitute at my place in the office. He was a young guy. He could be easily unnerved by such a quake, maybe enough to forget his training on how to manipulate the atmosphere so that it augments the dome’s strength.

Quickly I tuned my earphones to connect me to the substitute and shouted his name into the mike. But before he could reply, I heard an echoing sound that spread a chill to my heart. It was sound of the dome straining to hold itself while the quake increased in intensity. I looked up and around and could easily see the whole structure trembling. A nameless terror gripped me.

Just then the substitute’s voice filled my ears. He was literally screaming with panic and sounded on the verge of crying. My last fears were confirmed.

“I am sorry! I am so sorry! It was a mistake. I got scared and made a mistake in the settings. The pressure in all the complexes has dropped down. I didn’t mean it! It was just a difference of 0.02 atm! I am so sorry!

I didn’t say anything. I looked at AD and from his face, I knew that he had also heard what I had heard. The pressure is too low! The complex will not be able to stand this quake! The whole structure is going to implode upon us!

The warning sirens started ringing loudly and filled my ears. Around me, all I could see was all the people screaming, running and trying to get out of the complex at the same time. I looked up and I saw the spherical dome curving slowly inwards. The sirens continued to ring in my ears. Darkness spread around my eyes and I could see no more. All I could do was listen to the blasting sound of the sirens.

***

Trrrrriiinnng Trrrriiinnng Trrrriiinnng

I woke up with a frightened start. My alarm clock was ringing.

It took me few moments to realize that I had been dreaming. I was still on Earth!

Apparently I had fallen asleep, leaving all the lights and fans in my room switched on, the TV on, my laptop beside me with a Facebook chat window still blinking on it and the AC running. I silenced the alarm clock and looked at my phone. It was Monday and a holiday in office today. I pushed apart the window curtains slightly and saw that it was raining heavily. A happy smile spread on my face as I realized how rare such a day is. I yawned deeply, fluffed up my pillow and went back to sleep.

A happy smile spread on my face as I realized how rare such a day is.

-- Pune, August 31, 2011

Do You Believe in Miracles? - Part IV

I couldnt believe it! The impossible had just happened!

About two weeks ago, I had lost my wonderful Xperia to the crafty hands of a
thief. And here I was, standing in the light draizzle at twilight, holding my
Xperia in my trembling hands.

For a couple of moments, my mind went blank as I simply stared at the phone
encased in the leather cover. I slowly removed the phone from the case and
all the questions started flooding my brain. Finally managing to sort them
out, I asked the guy,
'K-kahan se mila?'

And the man told me the incredible story of some guy, apparently an unknown
colloegue of mine, who took my unattended phone from my desk with all the
good intentions of returning it back to me the next day. But for some
reasons, he couldn't come to office itself. And today, he was leaving the
company. So he gave the phone to this fellow standing in front of me and
told him to give it to me.

Now, as I think back, I can say that this story was phony without a doubt.
Just looking at guy's face as he narrrated this fictional account, I should
have realised that.

But I wasn't looking at his face. I was still staring at my phone, turning
it around this way and that. And I wasn't even listening to him properly. My
brain was too busy checking out the phone and determining that it really was
my very own Xperia.

Just then a piece of paper fell out of the leather cover. I picked it up and
unfolded it. Inside was written a small note.
'Aapne jo FIR ki hai, wo wapis le lijiye please'
A mobile number followed.

I asked the man a few more questions without really following the answers
and then thanked him and let him go. I too continued on my way to the bus
bay.

But now it felt I was walking in a dream!  I held my precious Xperia in my
hand gingerly as though it were a delicate ice crystal that would soon melt
away. A wondrous smile spread on my face. My step was light and springy.
As I sat in my bus, I felt like shouting out to the fellow passengers with
delight,
'Hallelujah! It's a miracle, folks!'


EPILOGUE:

My Xperia was returned without a scratch but the memory card was missing and
there were signs of it having been used by the thief.

The mobile number written in the note turned out to belong to a member of
the Pune Crime Branch, who informed me that the thief was from the
housekeeping staff in our office.

-- Pune, July 8, 2011

Do You Believe in Miracles - Part III

It had been more than two weeks since my unfortunate incident. Filing FIRs and contacting people claiming to track my stolen Xperia X10 Mini Pro were already things of the past. Having lost almost all hopes of holding my beautiful phone again, I had tried drowning my grief in the deluge of work.

It was my hope that time will remain true to its fame and will leave me with
only a vague memory of the brief moments I spent in the glory of my Xperia.

It was one such evening when I was walking back to the bus bay after swiping
out 9.15 hours of my day to the service of my company. Minding my own
business, lost in my own distracted thoughts, contemplating on all matters
under the sun except my Xperia, I had almost reached the bus bay.

Suddenly, a voice broke through my hazy thoughts.
'Madam!'

Now the voice could have been addressing anybody in the milling crowd around
me. But it is an interesting instinct in people to answer to a general
address. And so I looked back to see the origin of the voice.

And I saw a man.

It was clear that he was a staff member. I looked at him questioningly. He
said,
'Madam, aapka phone.'

And just like that, out of the utter blue, I suddenly found my precious
Xperia in my hands!

--Pune, July 8, 2011

Do You Believe in Miracles? (Part II)

Do you know how it feels when you lose your phone?

It feels as though you are marooned on a lost island in the middle of an ocean. No way to talk to people. Out of touch with civilization. Away from technological conveniences.

It feels as though you have been apparated to an unknown land all of a sudden. One moment you are talking to family and friends, and suddenly you are so far from them. The distances become real and every kilometer makes its presence felt.

It feels as though you are stuck in traffic. The frustration of wanting to do something, but being unable to. The urge to do something with your hands while waiting but having nothing for it.

It feels like when you forgot your wallet at home. You have to depend on others’ phones to make important calls.

It feels as though you are marooned on a lost island in the middle of an ocean.

Do you know what it is to lose your Android smartphone?

You have gotten used to the 24 hour internet access. The regular FB updates. Being online and available all the time. The dozen apps to pass the time when there’s nothing to do.

It feels like suddenly pulling the brakes down hard while speeding down the expressway.

Without the phone, you are feeling the strongest emotions of loss, sorrow, anger and frustration. A genuine moment for a FB status update. But you can’t do that.

You want to look something up urgently. You want to check your mail. But you can’t do that.

You need to talk to somebody and think of catching them online at that time. But you can’t do that.

You are at a new place and not sure of where to go. You want to use the navigation tool to direct you. But you can’t do that.

It feels like suddenly pulling the brakes down hard while speeding down the expressway.

Do you know how it feels to lose a birthday gift from home?

It feels as though your guts are being wrenched out. It feels like when you accidentally stepped on your favorite toy. Sad, guilty, angry at yourself. You want to blame somebody and beat that person up. But that somebody is none other than you. Your insides writhe as strong sentiments rage under your chest. Your mind is in turmoil.

It feels like when you accidentally stepped on your favorite toy.

Add all these up together and you will know how it feels to lose your Xperia Andriod smartphone gifted to you by your parents and sister.

Do You Believe in Miracles? (Part III)

-- Pune, June 5, 2011

Do You Believe in Miracles? (Part I)

A tragedy had befallen me! A calamity so grave that it undermined the misfortunes any ten people in the world might face in their lifetimes! A mishap that plunged me into the dark shadows where voices are silenced and words don’t travel far!

My phone was stolen!

And it was not just a phone… It was Sony Xperia X10 Mini Pro! My first Android smartphone with a smooth touch feature, qwerty keypad and an awesome 5MP camera.

And it was not just any Xperia… It was a birthday gift from home! A beautiful amazing cool phone!

 It was not just a phone… It was Sony Xperia X10 Mini Pro!

This was the phone that was stolen right from my office desk. My office desk! From my cubicle left empty when I was working late, my Xperia was gone! Gone, vanished, disappeared, lost, STOLEN!

Whoever first talked about Monday blues must have been through the same!!

-- Pune, June 3, 2011

Puneri Tadka

Pune… A rocking city. The hub of the young generation. The IT city. The seat of culture.

Maybe everybody has heard this much of the city called Pune. A small place that’s growing every day. The city where everybody’s heading to.

It’s hard to believe that now I am living in this city on my own! The anticipation and excitement that filled me when I came here nearly two months ago has still not faded out. And I haven’t been to any of the rocking places yet! No restaurants, discs or any of the ‘must-see’ places in Pune. But the experience of getting our own rented flat and looking after ourselves is overwhelming enough.

What should I talk about? Should I tell you about the 15 houses Sunshine, Nautanki and me looked at in 4 days before finalizing on this one? Or the lovely flat we had found in the midst of our search but because of a last minute change of the owner’s mind, we couldn’t get it? But I guess, whatever happens, happens for good. If we had not lost that flat, we wouldn’t have looked at this flat that we are living in now. We took less than half an hour to decide to take up this flat – the quickest we had reached to any decision till now!

Although it’s a bit old – ok ok quite old ( 15 years old actually) – it is charming. As soon as we entered the flat, we liked the atmosphere. And the area is superb. It’s just slightly off the main road. The main road becomes quite happening in the evenings. Everything’s nearby – a supermarket, a cool eatery, Pizza Hut, dance classes, gym, Fab India outlet, vegetable market, good restaurants. And the best of all – there is a Crossword right outside our lane! What can be better!!

I know what’s better. Having all friends living nearby itself. Whenever we feel like it, we gather at anybody’s place and have dinner together. It is great fun to cook and eat together. Here’s what happened once when we got huge sized rasgullas! Thankfully Sunshine and I are not in this video… we were even worse off! This was after the amazing dinner cooked for us by Mummy, who had come to stay for a week with us.

Of course there are always speed bumps in the way. There were clashes with our broker. Somehow people don’t remain good-natured after their work is done! Then once we were locked out of home late night. It was a worried hour that we spent outside the door before the owner came and helped us out. There are also the daily clashes with the auto walas who are basically looters in disguise! But well, it takes all kinds of people to make up the world.

And then we do get to meet some good people. Take, for instance, our owner uncle and aunty. They are so nice and helpful. We feel like there’s somebody to look after us in this new city.

So, although we get tired of the long ride to office and back every day, of getting stuck in the terrible traffic and breathing in the suffocating polluted air in the city, it’s kinda fun here. It’s not very far from home and I can go back every fortnight. My parents and sister can also come here when they want. (You know, Mummy bought no less than TEN sarees when she came here!) There are many friends around too.

And getting our own paycheck and spending our own money on ourselves helps, I guess! ;)

-- Pune, March 27 2011

I Am Not A Cricket Fan

Let me be frank. I don’t watch cricket. I haven’t seen a single match in years. I don’t follow scores and records. Heck, I don’t even know the names of all the players in the Indian cricket team!

Yes, it’s possible I am a rare specimen of the Indian janta. An anomaly. Who doesn’t show at least a slight interest in the biggest craze of this country? But well, this is who I am!

I don’t care if there’s a crucial match scheduled at the same time as a good movie on TV. I would rather watch that flick. It doesn’t matter to me that Sachin lost on his hundredth century in some match. (Correct me if I am wrong!) I would show the slightest attention to the fact that India is playing in our city that day. I may absent mindedly read in the newspapers about India winning or losing the latest match; then would turn over to the comics, forgetting all about it. I don’t even notice when the World Cup or IPL or what all there is comes and goes.

I have never sat myself down on my couch for a cricket match. I have never asked anybody about the match results or the next match; even though I am surrounded all around by huge fans of cricket. I have never read up the player stats or match analysis reports.

I don’t know the rules properly. I hadn’t known about the different styles of hitting the ball before the recent Pepsi advertisements. I don’t know the difference between spinners and the rest of the bowlers.  I don’t understand the different signals used by umpires except the most popular ones of signaling a six or four or out.

I don’t get it when people get so excited before a match. I don’t understand how anybody can watch a whole match ball by ball from the start to the end. I find it utterly boring! I am totally clueless when people start discussing cricket. The language of cricket is Greek and Latin for me.

Well, when I say that I am not interested even in the matches between India and Pakistan, enough is said!

But what happened yesterday? Was yesterday’s match any different from any other World Cup match? Have we not played against Australia before too? And in previous World Cups too? Have I not remained unaffected by the excitement in the people around me during the previous matches?

Then why did I catch myself praying in my mind for India to win the match yesterday? What was the tension coursing in my body for? Why did I feel the electricity that was sparkling in the office yesterday give me a jolt as well? And why did I feel my heart skip every time I was reminded of the ongoing match while I sat at my desk pretending to be nonchalant?

Is it because we are so close to holding the much coveted Cup after a long time? Have I heard enough praise for Dhoni’s men to start believing in them myself?

Is it because of one legendary man and the nation’s expectations from him? Is it because deep inside I too feel that Sachin and India deserve a World Cup now? Is it because this is his last World Cup?

Has something of the country’s mania has leaked into me too? Am I hit so hard by the wave of cricket mania? Have I been bitten by the cricket bug as well? Am I also feeling the patriotic urge to support our team and wish it good luck?

Whatever it is, I am starting to feel the same as India prepares to play (beat? J) Pakistan in Mohali. This match might find one more non-follower unable to contain the excitement as Sachin opens the innings on Wednesday.  Maybe after the World Cup, I will return to normal disinterested state. I may not know the dates of the next upcoming tournaments. But the World Cup 2011 has converted at least one person to the religion called cricket, albeit for a short time.

This time, as in the India – Australia match, I might again feel like whooping when I hear the crackers of celebration bursting after the match!

The fever is catching on… let the thrill begin!

-- Pune, 25th March 2011

Mysorean Days

15 August, 2010. This was the day we entered the grand Mysore campus of ‘Infinity’. At that time, we knew that we were entering into a new phase of our lives. Leaving behind the bindaas attitude of college, we were about to become software professionals. Today, nearly six months later, having successfully completed my training and posted to Pune, I feel a lot more different than I had expected. Experiencing all these new places, meeting new people, making new friends, all this is bound to leave some impression on me. Although the time in Mysore has not been entirely successful in squashing the bindaas attitude, it definitely has played a major part in making me feel more confident and be more careful at the same time.

Various incidents come to my mind as I think of Mysore – funny, tragic, happy, sad. All these handed me a mixed bag of feelings as I left the campus on 29^thJanuary. One moment I was happy to have passed the rigorous training, another moment relieved to get out of Mysore finally, another moment excited with anticipation of staying in Pune where at least the food would be good and another moment sad to leave behind the beautiful campus and all the friends that I had made there.

I remember the day we had loaded our luggage into the cab at the gate of the campus and laid eyes upon our hostel block for the first time. There were two Hyderabadi girls with me in the cab, Pinks and Reddy. We had helped each other lug our bags up the two floors of our block as we were on the same floor. How much we had found the absence of a lift in the building an absolute frustration!

It felt so strange the day I was leaving that the same two girls had helped me lug my bags down now and that I was not going to see them again for a very long time now. I hope I do get to meet them again. Then we will go for the rock climbing that we had missed there.

We IC people (Sammy, Aries-storm, Skullz , Pandu and me)  would hang out together there. Somehow the CE/IT guys also came along with us. We were the proud members of the Papa Pandu Club, created in honour of our prestigious friend, Pandu! Our Club would convene every Friday for an ice cream party. After the CE/IT guys left, the Club gathering did not remain so frequent or regular. But once we are together again, it will rise again to its former glory!

In fact, I met many of my own college mates for the first time here itself. Our paths had never crossed in college but here we became familiar with each other.

In class too, there were some cool people I got to meet. And on meeting some people I felt I should have met them before. Particularly this girl from Bangalore. It was strange how much our tastes matched. Both of us read a lot and read similar kinds of books. We could go on talking about books alone for a long time.

The campus itself is amazing. First of all, it’s huge! Huge as in gigantic! And every bit of its hugeness is felt when one has to run from the hostel to the classroom in GEC I or II with just minutes left before the class starts! Of course cycles are provided but somehow they are never available when you need them most. And only the most desperate will even try the lone cycle standing at the cycle stand. 99% chances are that the cycle is not in a working condition.

When not in a hurry, we do have time to marvel at the grandeur of the campus. Greenery everywhere, the campus is a delight. Every major building is an architectural wonder. The multiplex is like a huge bee hive. It is dome shaped and supported entirely by beams. But then we were more interested in the multiplex because we could watch movies every weekend there for free! What long queues there would be for the tickets… sometimes even as early as 7am! My friends stopped trying to wake me up for these morning shows after the first couple of times!

There was one SDB (Software Development Block) that was inspired from origami. It had strange protruding angles and mirrored walls. The GEC-I had a strong Greek architectural influence. How many times I have heard people curse the long flight of stairs before the building! But the grandest of all buildings was the GEC II. A combination of the Roman Colloseum and colonial architecture created a large and majestic structure. We felt lucky to have our classes in such anedifice! There was a musical fountain in front where we could sit during the evenings after class to refresh ourselves.

Our hostels were also wonderful. It had all facilities of hot water in the mornings, AC, TV, unlimited supply of tea and coffee sachets. And the best of all was the housekeeping services. I would wake up every day, get ready and leave my room a complete mess, not even bothering to make my bed. And everything would be cleaned up and set up properly by the time I came back! It was nothing less than pampering!

But however much I may praise the campus, I won’t be able to manage a single commendable word for the food there. It was not just the adjustment to the south Indian taste. The quality itself was terrible. The first day, all us IC people tried a few varieties of dosas that included the strange “Pizza Dosa”!There was no concept of vegetables and whatever was made had a bucketful of water in each plate. It was hard to decide whether the sabji was made for eating or for drinking! A person could bathe in the amount of water they put in the sabjis! And the rotis! For some reason they believed in not cooking the rotis completely. Just looking at the menu every day would make me lose my appetite. In such a situation, Domino’s pizza became a regular for us. And it was not a problem of just the campus caterers. There were very few restaurants where we could say the food was okay. We felt as though the training was not just for software knowledge but also for developing survival instincts in the absence of good food!

The training was in fact not just for software proficiency. We were also trained to maintain the “brand value” of the company. The dress code policy was very strict and we could be fined a grand amount of Rs. 200 for not following the dress code accurately. I myself had to pay the fine in the first few weeks for not wearing the proper shoes. I had worn open-toed shoes with western formal dress which we are not supposed to. And the lengths we went to just to escape the fine! Sammy had once come to class without wearing any socks at all. Apparently he had washed all his socks the previous night and they hadn’t dried yet. So there he was sitting in class with his shoes removed and in sockless feet because the leather was biting him. He had to run to the super market in the first break to buy socks!

After some time though, we would start getting homesick. Fortunately, we got enough opportunities to go home during the training. The only problem was that the actual journey itself. Going from Mysore to Bangalore took nearly 3 hours or more by bus. And the Bangalore-Ahmedabad flight would be early morning 6 am or so. That meant we had to leave the evening before and find a way to spend the night in Bangalore and then catch the morning flight. For some reason, most of such trips of mine have always been eventful.

On the first trip back to Mysore from Bangalore, I was stuck at the airport with Sud with rain pouring down in heaps! We actually stood for nearly two hours with a handmade board looking for people to share a taxi with us to Mysore!

And the memory of the second trip to Bangalore still resounds in my mind! Reaching there at nearly midnight to catch an early morning flight again with Sud (somehow he always gets stuck into my troubles!), an autowala tried to loot us by using a sleight of hand. Fortunately we caught him and an argument ensued, threatening to turn ugly at any instant. Sud took a hit and gave some. But we were lucky to have escaped so lightly!

But however much we may grumble about our stay in Mysore, we can never forget the hours spent in playing Counter Strike illegally over LAN instead of studying. Or the dozens of birthday parties celebrated every night at the stroke of midnight at Oasis foodcourt. Or the late night hungers that drove us to CCD’s coffees and dry sandwiches.

To all the friends I made in Mysore… And to all those who I may never meet again… Thank you for giving me the experience of my life! Hope we all find ourselves in such awesome places and among such great people ahead in life too!

Good Luck J